The Serenity of Knowing You are in Control

5 Ways the Serenity Prayer Can Bring You Through Any Storm

The Bible tells us “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

It’s important to have faith in God even when you’re dealing with the storms of life, but this can be especially difficult when you can’t see a way.

There are many situations that we face in life that can propel us toward God or away from Him. One great way to deal with these challenges is to turn to prayer.

Prayer is a powerful tool for communicating with our Heavenly Father. It is an opportunity to become one with the Creator and Giver of all things. Prayer helps us to find strength for today and hope for our future. We should actively pray and trust in its power to change our circumstances for good. Your faith life directly correlates to the quality of your prayer life.

Prayer has the power to change not only the people and things around you. Prayer also has the power to change you from the inside out. When you’re in need of strength, remember that God is the number one healer and can guide you in endless ways. If your heart and life are centered on God, His Word and His Holy Spirit, you can rest assured that He will direct your path.

The Serenity Prayer offers valuable lessons and wisdom on dealing with life’s toughest circumstances. The Serenity Prayer is the common name for the prayer written by American theologian Reinhold.

It is a great prayer for Christians to use to encourage them, especially when the chips are down. Here are five ways the Serenity Prayer can bring you through any storm.

Accept the Things You Cannot Change

When it comes to dealing with life’s circumstances, know that there are certain things outside your control, so don’t focus on changing every little thing. Instead, identify, celebrate and embrace what you can learn from the situation.

Having the Courage to Change the Things You Can

The only thing you can change in life is you. Have the courage to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. Take an honest look at yourself and acknowledge that you’re not perfect and work on what you can. This is the first step on the journey of change within.

Having the Wisdom to Know the Difference

We are called to this Earth for a specific purpose, with a specific purpose, even when we don’t always know what that purpose is. Learn to accept that you can’t change certain life circumstances, so accept who you are as a beautiful contribution to this world.

Living and Enjoying One Day at a Time

Instead of dwelling on the “what ifs” and the negatives of a given situation, focus on the power you have within yourself to define your own happiness; living one day at a time and enjoying one moment at a time. When you let go of the little things, you can see life in an entirely new way.

Accept Hardships as a Pathway to Peace

God isn’t always trying to teach us something new in our trials and hardships. Sometimes, God wants to unlearn certain habits, patterns and behaviors that hold us back from being our happiest. When you can accept hardships as pathways to peace, not looking at circumstances as forms of defeat but as opportunities for growth and strength, our lives can then be transformed.

God has taught and continues to teach many things through life’s storms. He is teaching us how to live His strength by walking after His Spirit.

Through faith, you will find your identity in Christ, which will calm the pounding waves that make you feel fearful, desperate or worthless. Jesus accepts us for who we are in Him rather than how we perform.

This truth will calm your soul in the midst of life's storms.

When you surrender your life to God especially when you’re dealing with life’s storms, you are following His lead without knowing where He’s sending you. You’re waiting on God’s timing without knowing when it will come. You’re expecting a miracle without knowing what God will provide.

You’re also trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances. You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda and control a situation. This is when you’re truly letting go and letting God handle everything.

You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.

Are you facing a giant storm in your life? Do your circumstances seem overwhelming? Do you fear the future? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, remember that God is bigger than your circumstances.

He is greater than any circumstance you are facing in this very moment. None of the storms you will go through in life will be enjoyable. They can cause much pain. Yet, even in our regrets, God comforts us with His faithfulness.

Whatever battle you are in, you stand victorious when you trust in God.

Источник: //www.beliefnet.com/faiths/prayer/ways-serenity-prayer-can-bring-you-through-storm.aspx

The Serenity Prayer Explained

Posted at 00:01hin Health and Wellness by Jeff1 Comment

The Serenity Prayer is used in recovery worldwide.  In 12 Step recovery, we close out our meetings with it, and in times of strife and struggle often refer back to it’s comforting words. Let’s break down the serenity prayer today and discuss what it really means, for the more that we understand, the better we can put it to use.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

We ask our higher power for serenity

In sobriety, we are constantly reminded to stop trying to control things and to simply live life on life’s terms. To take things as they come without being the grand orchestrator. This was part of our problem all along, wasn’t it? Our attempts to control and dictate our lives regardless of what our Higher Power had planned for us always failed.

Under our own control, our lives crashed and burned. We made mistakes and wrong turns and found ourselves in darkened alleys with no idea how we ended up there. So we must continuously be reminded to relinquish our control to our higher power and to let go.

We ask our Higher Power to give us serenity, to imbue within us a sense of calm and happy resignation so that we stop trying to fight for control.

We accept what we can not change

This concept is in the same vein as the first line of the prayer – we must accept life as it is. We must accept things as they are and not how we want them to be. When we have defined expectations of ourselves and others, the outcome will never be what we plan.

We have to stop trying to change the things that are not within our power and accept the fact that our higher power is in charge. Life is in session and there is no remote to pause or rewind. We have to go with the flow.

In times when I find myself trying to run the show so to speak, I say the serenity prayer to remind myself that I must live my life in acceptance and willingness.

We have courage to change what we can

While much of life is not within our control there ARE things that we can choose to change. Our attitudes, our outlooks on life, these are the things that we can control. We can look at life as a battle to be won or a journey to be experienced. We can see events as blessings or curses. Only we have the power as individuals to change our viewpoints and adapt our outlooks.

Life can be beautiful or tragic and it is our choice which will win out. Much of the time changing our mindset takes courage. Walking through things that are uncomfortable or scary takes courage.

The instances that are the scariest and most difficult to walk through are often the ones that are also the most important, and so we look to our higher power to give us the courage to do what we know is right.

We ask for wisdom to know the difference

It can be a struggle to recognize those things which are in our control and the ones that aren’t, especially when our will is strong. If we want something badly, even if deep down we KNOW it is against what our higher power has in store for us, we can easily convince ourselves that it is still one of those things we can control or change.

We have to take time to be quiet and listen and ask our higher power to help us know which things are about our will and which are about our higher power working in our life. Meditation is often a good time to reflect on our choices and to ask for guidance delineating between the two.

When we do not listen to our inner voice and higher power, we often walk down paths not meant for us and find ourselves lost. If you are trying to recognize the difference between the things which you can and can not change, simply take a deep breath, quiet yourself, and then ask if this is God’s will or your own. Listen.

Your gut will tell you the truth, and then it is on you to choose whether or not to follow suit.

The serenity prayer comes down to how we exercise our free will and in what ways we allow our higher power to work in our lives.

When we can find a balance we will be amazed at how much easier our lives become, but at the times when we are feeling unsure we repeat the serenity prayer to remind us that we are not alone and that all we need to do is look to our higher power, be honest with ourselves, and act accordingly.

Источник: //newlifehouse.com/serenity-prayer-explained/