They must turn away from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it! (1 Peter 3:11, NIV)
Definition of the Peace-O-Meter: An inner awareness given to us by the Spirit of our contentment and sense of well-being.
High peace is good while high anxiety is bad.
I memorized 1 Peter years ago and got stuck on one phrase of 1 Peter 3:11 – seek peace and pursue it!
I want peace in my life; I believe that you do too.
After considering 1 Peter 3:11 and the encouragement to seek peace, I found that I didn’t realize when it was being taken away from me. I found myself overwhelmed by fits of frustration, anger, or anxiety – without awareness that it was happening.
As Peter explains…
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
I realized that I needed to learn how to resist in my mind the roaring thoughts that sought my peace. As Peter continues…
Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:9).
If I could sense when an activity, conversation, or thought was taking my peace, I could stop and preserve my peace. If I could realize that the devil was afoot, I could defend myself by faith in Jesus.
To the rescue came my Peace-O-Meter! It allows me to sense my levels of peace and sounds an alarm of conviction with encroaching anxiety.
I discovered the Peace-O-Meter from a conversation that I had with Jesus. I was in a difficult moment, and I felt that He had not properly answered my prayers. (Note: It is okay to express frustration in prayer, to ask questions, and admit doubt, as honesty allows God to challenge our selfishness.)
During that prayer, when I mentioned that He hadn’t answered a prayer, Jesus said to me…
Grant, don’t lose your peace over this; it isn’t worth it.
I stopped, considered God’s voice in my spirit, and realized I didn’t need to be successful. All I had to do was obey and God would take care of the result. If I was willing to leave “success” or “failure” to God (which I couldn’t control anyway) and just obey…
Then I was seeking peace from God’s presence (1 Peter 3:11) – not from personal achievement. I was learning God is in charge, and resting is more important than striving.
I then developed my “Peace-O-Meter.”
I asked the Spirit to make me aware of my levels of peace during the day. God now sounds an alarm of conviction when I’m losing my peace to frustration, fear, or failure.
It works!
I’m still given to anxiety, but I have a growing understanding of my peace levels. This “in-the-moment” awareness indicated by my Peace-O-Meter allows me to submit my thoughts, resist the evil one, and cast my anxieties before they steal my peace.
Though I have a patent on the “Peace-O-Meter” – I give you permission to use it too!