“Peace is something that we all desire, yet often feels elusive in today’s world. Even before the pandemic hit, the fast pace of American culture combined with the ever-increasing usage of technology has many of us feeling frantic and frazzled. Cheryl Elton has made it a life goal to pursue Christ’s perfect peace, and today she shares what she has learned through Scripture and experience about finding peace in a chaotic world.” (From Hope Unyielding podcast show notes)

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January 6, 2021 is a day we will never forget. Watching a massive mob of angry and violent protestors break into our nation’s Capitol, while Congressmen and women cowered on the chamber floor was horrifying and heartbreaking.

It left Americans shaken, scared, uncertain.

Later that day I went out for a walk to think, pray, and try to process what was happening. The beautiful sky and setting sun reminded me of God’s supremacy.

What came to mind were the words on a poster I had as a teenager:

 JESUS CHRIST

Certain in the midst of uncertainty

A firm rock in the sea of speculation

A safe anchorage in the ocean of doubt

Yes, the days we live in are troubling and uncertain. But in the midst of the world’s chaos, Jesus Christ is our certainty. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He gives us a peace the world cannot provide.

In the sea of swirling news and internet speculation, Jesus is the firm Rock on which we stand. All else is sinking sand.

When doubts arise and anxiety grips our hearts, Jesus remains our safe anchorage. His presence is our refuge. The Hope of His coming, our anchor.

Do not neglect your quiet time with God each day. Be salt and light to a troubled world.

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.  (Philippians 2:15-16 NKJV)

As the days grow darker, the light shines brighter.

Copyright © 2021 Cheryl Elton

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A new year brings hope, a sense of fresh beginnings and better days. For many, it’s a time to set goals and sharpen our focus on what is truly important.

Enter the “SMART” acronym . . .

A well-known business model for setting goals and objectives says SMART goals are: S-specific; M-measurable; A-attainable; R-relevant; T-time-bound.

A lot has been written on these highly effective concepts, and they offer a practical measuring stick for success when making personal goals.

But let’s also consider Ephesians 6, which gives us the crucial reminder that at its core, all of life is spiritual.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  (Ephesians 6:10, 12-13) 

For those endeavoring to live a “God-first” life with spiritual goals front and center, I offer a complement to the original SMART model with this new version:

S-Spirit-led; M-meaningful; A-actionable; R-redeemable; T-timely.

When setting goals, let’s consider:

 SPIRIT-LED:  Are we seeking God’s wisdom in making our goals? Let’s be sure He is directing us to do what we do, so our lives can bring glory to Him.

 MEANINGFUL:  Will this goal help or hinder my spiritual growth? Is it significant to my life, my personal ministry, or the kind of person I want to become?

 ACTIONABLE:  Am I able to take action on this goal? How will I do so?

 REDEEMABLE:  Does the goal help me overcome poor habits I may have had in the past, and draw me closer to God?

 TIMELY:  Is this the right time for pursuing this goal?

As we enter a new year, let’s make sure we spend quality time with the Lord to gain His wisdom and direction in setting our goals—SMART goals that we can live out to His glory!

Copyright © 2020 Cheryl Elton

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Autumn finds many of us removing dead plants from gardens and preparing homes and yards in anticipation of the coming winter months.

Some plants require pruning—the process of removing dead branches and stubs—which promotes beneficial rest for the plant while allowing room for new growth next season. Pruning also deters pest infestation while supporting a plant’s natural shape and healthy growth.

Recently I was reminded of the importance of personal “pruning”. On an episode of a weekly podcast I enjoy, one of the co-hosts shared his experience of a complete mental breakdown. It triggered the realization that he had taken on way too many responsibilities and wasn’t doing any of them well—nor were they bearing much fruit.

His life required some serious “pruning”:  reassessing his work, ministry commitments, and relationships, while prioritizing and making “cuts” where necessary.

The end result was much less anxiety, and greater peace as he moved through his days and tasks.

Isn’t busyness one of the greatest peace-robbers of our time?

Taking on more than we should, we end up juggling too many spinning plates, not able to put enough time into any one activity to do a job well. Personal enjoyment and fulfillment go out the window and are replaced by anxiety, as we walk around stressed over all we have to do.

As Christians, shouldn’t we want to make sure all we do is God-directed, to the end that our lives bear His wonderful fruit, and glorify Him?

So, with the change of seasons I decided to take stock of what I’m doing with my life, and ask the Lord to show me if there’s something that should go. In a nutshell, here’s what I came up with:

What does my work as a writer and speaker look like, and how much time can I and should I devote?

In my various ministry responsibilities, including as administrative assistant and Board member of an international ministry, as well as serving at my local church—am I taking on only work directed by the Lord, or am I saying yes to other things, motivated by pleasing people or otherwise?

Is managing two online small businesses and 3 websites too much? Oh, and how about being a wife, mother, homemaker, house secretary, as well as other interests for exercise and enjoyment?

You get the idea . . .

In the last 3 weeks I’ve been asked to edit someone’s book and be part of a team embarking on a large marketing project that will probably go on for several years. Initially excited, but quickly overwhelmed by the prospects, I sought the Lord, asking,  “what do You want me to be doing?”

So He’s helped me do some pruning, and affirmed what He wants me to be doing in each category. Like the podcast host, I too realized I’m not good at juggling too many plates. Making necessary cuts and saying “no” has allowed me to put the proper time and heart into each task to do my best.

I have greater peace, resulting in excellence and fruit that glorifies Him.

How about you? Would you benefit from some personal pruning?

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . .  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  (John 15:1,2,4 NKJV)

Pruning can be painful in the moment and feel like a setback. But as we abide in Christ and take our nourishment from Him, we come back healthier and stronger, able to bear even more fruit.

Take time to abide in Christ, the vine, and receive nourishment from Him today. He’s waiting to help us with every decision, every action.

He’s waiting to give us peace.

Copyright © 2019 Cheryl Elton

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With warmer days and summer around the corner, one of my spring rituals is putting away the winter coats and sweaters for another year, and bringing out the short-sleeved shirts and shorts.

Many of us give much care to the upkeep and choosing of clothes. And surely we wouldn’t consider going out into the world without clothes on!

Yet as we begin each new day, how often do we venture out without putting on our spiritual clothes—the presence of Christ?

And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.  (Galatians 3:27 NLT) 

Each new morning, the sooner we “put on” Christ by communicating with Him, the better equipped we are for the day at hand.

Romans also exhorts us to “clothe” ourselves with Christ’s presence:

The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 

Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.  (Romans 13:12-14 NLT) 

For any Christ-follower, it is imperative that we set our heart’s focus on Him daily—spending time in God’s Word and prayer; being mindful of His presence throughout the day, as He brings His word to our minds.

Just as we wouldn’t think of wearing a bikini in a snowstorm or a winter parka on a 90-degree day, it’s worth considering the spiritual clothes we are habitually reaching for.

Are we quenching the longing for God in our hearts with busyness, food, TV, social media, shopping, or another person?

Are we “putting on “ the wrong clothes? 

In every detail of life, God promises us His presence. He tells us He will never leave us or forsake us.

In His presence, peace comes upon us and our ears open to hear His voice.

Today, He is inviting you to still your heart in His presence so He may prepare you for the day.

What spiritual clothes will you put on?

Copyright © 2019 Cheryl Elton

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Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified.

That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He spells out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him.

John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: 

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . . Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:1-8 NKJV)

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches.

A branch in and of itself does not bear fruit. It must be connected to the vine to receive the nourishment it needs. Through Jesus Christ, we receive the spiritual nourishment needed to bear good godly fruit in our lives.

Notice the word abide—used 10 times in six verses of this section alone! It means to remain, continue, or live in union with. This connection—one that abides in the vine—denotes an ongoing relationship with Christ.

To reach the deeper levels of our faith—that of abiding—we must intentionally strengthen the quality of time spent with Him.

How often do we sit quietly and simply enjoy His presence?

Abiding is more than reading our Bible for 10 minutes in the morning and then leaving God on the table as we hurry to our next task.

Abiding grows our relationship with Him from being a morning-only appointment to an all-day awareness of His presence.

Abiding is not an emotion achieved, but an ongoing relationship enjoyed.

Abiding means Jesus is no longer simply someone we read about and can quote, but a living master and friend; one we are engaged with throughout the day.

Abiding is obeying Jesus’ words to us. We’re aware when He brings His word to our remembrance, and we do what it says.

Abiding in Christ, we learn to hear His voice. We begin to recognize the “still small voice” of His Spirit speaking to ours.

Abiding gives us the inner rest and refreshing we need to do the work He has called us to do. How often He supernaturally rewards the time spent in abiding, so we do less, but accomplish more for His glory!

Abiding in Christ we bear fruit. We experience His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The Spirit works to grow these Christlike qualities in us, as we learn to abide in Him. This beautiful, ongoing, intimate relationship with the Lord allows us to not only bear fruit, but much fruit, in our lives!

Copyright © 2019 Cheryl Elton

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Do you have a quiet place you go to be alone with God? A place where you pour out your prayers and praises and seek His counsel?

For me, during my early years as a Christian in high school and college, a local park and nearby beaches were my special places. I loved to sit and watch the tide roll in, reminding me of God’s faithfulness as I quieted my heart in His presence. Today, I have my comfy chair at home.

Quiet time with the Lord is imperative if we want to maintain peace in our lives. Jesus tells us in this life there will be trouble—but in Him we find peace.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NIV)

Seasons of trials, conflict, afflictions, and adversity are inevitable in this life. The world is a volatile and unpeaceful place, and tuning in to the news often inflames uncertainty. If we let it, anxiety and worry can easily consume us on every front.

A respected ministry leader and teacher I know once suggested that peace is our greatest spiritual weapon.

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. (Romans 16:20 NKJV)

God’s peace is the only weapon that can work instantly, to crush Satan under our feet! Only by maintaining peace in our minds and hearts will we be able to hear from God when the storms come.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV)

The antidote to so many of our struggles is found in His presence. There is no greater habit we can incorporate into our lives than quiet time with Him in the secret place each day.

Silencing our hearts through prayer and His presence, God brings His Word to our remembrance, He gives us wisdom; He speaks His counsel into the depths of our hearts.

Jesus, the One who has overcome the world, is in you. Talk to Him often and share your life with Him. Let His peace rule in your heart—the wonderful peace found only in His presence.

Copyright © 2019 Cheryl Elton

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A new year brings hope, a sense of new beginnings and better days. For many, it’s a time to redefine goals and sharpen our focus on what is truly important.

As Christians, perhaps now more than ever we need to stay strong in the Lord.

 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  (Ephesians 6:10)

This verse begins a section of scripture—Ephesians 6:10-17—which gives us the crucial reminder that at its core, life is spiritual. We’re to “put on” the armor of God to ready ourselves for the spiritual battle at hand, and to be victors in this life through Christ.

The armor we’re told to put on is the:

• Belt of TRUTH
• Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS
• Sandals of PEACE
• Shield of FAITH
• Helmet of SALVATION
• Sword of the Spirit—the WORD OF GOD

The armor of God is more than just a protective covering—it’s the very presence of Christ Himself. By putting on the armor of God, life becomes no longer about simply fulfilling our own desires, but allowing ourselves to be transformed into His likeness, so we may carry out His work in the world.

As the only offensive weapon on the list, the sword of the Spirit is significant.

From the original Greek, verse 17 reads: “the sword of the Spirit is the word (rhema) of Christ.”  

A rhema (word) is a “speaking.” This certainly includes the written word of God. In the gospels we see Jesus, when confronted by the devil, bolding proclaiming “It is written . . .” as He quotes from the Old Testament.

Most notably for us today, a rhema is also a speaking by the Holy Spirit into our Spirit—a revelation word for a specific situation in the moment. The rhema of Christ must be wielded like a sword—spoken out and acted upon—to yield the results God desires.

God has given us this magnificent imagery of the armor so we might draw near to Him and experience His presence and power—thereby enabling us to be victorious in the spiritual battles of life.

The power of God is demonstrated by the rhema of Christ.

Perhaps our greatest goal for the new year should be to sharpen our swords—to spend more time in His presence, to learn to hear His voice as He speaks rhema words to us—and to proclaim His word, His power, and His love to the world around us greater than ever before.

I want to start the new year strong—strong in the Lord, equipped with the full armor of God—living day by day in His presence.

How about you?

Copyright © 2019 Cheryl Elton

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Recently I’m hearing a lot of talk about how and what it looks like to live pleasing to God. In this quest, we often long to understand God’s will, or His plan for our life. Even those with years of faith-filled living, at times find themselves asking, “What does God want me to be doing?”

Psalm 37 gives three simple directives, which when applied to daily living can help us find the answers we seek.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.  (Psalm 37:3-5 NKJV) 

TRUST. In any relationship, bonds of trust are built through time together, and much conversation. Why do we think the same wouldn’t apply to God?  

DELIGHT. When we delight in God, His delight becomes reciprocal. The Hebrew word for delight (anag) is a reflexive verb, meaning the action falls back onto the subject. This is why “yourself” is included after the word “delight.”

God delights in us spending time with Him. And when His presence becomes the joy of our hearts, our very nature undergoes transformation—becoming more like Him—and in the process He gives, or puts desires on our hearts.

COMMIT. To commit means to “roll.” I commit, or roll my way off of myself, away from myself, and onto Him. In doing so, the progression of trusting, delighting and committing goes full circle: by committing my life to Him, I again display trust and delight, and in the process, He brings to pass those desires on my heart.

God takes care of our plans, our future, our dreams and aspirations as we TRUST Him, DELIGHT in Him, and COMMIT ourselves to Him.

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.   (Psalm 37:23-25 NLT)

As we seek His presence and live close to Him, our lives will be blessed and guided by His plans and purposes. The Lord aims to transform us into His likeness through a life of faith—trusting, delighting, and committing ourselves to Him.

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

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Establishing daily quiet time with God is necessary for anyone who wants a close, intimate relationship with Him. Many of the great men and women of faith throughout Scripture and history have testified to morning being the optimal time.

Yet a wandering mind can challenge many Christians during their quiet time with the Lord. Have you ever started praying, only to find a few seconds later you’re thinking about what you’ll have for dinner that night? Or begun reading the Bible, only to have your thoughts jump to that Facebook post you liked?

The world trains our minds to jump from thought to thought constantly. Television, advertising, the Internet—all with fast moving images—encourage these thought patterns.

But the good news is that with God’s help we can learn to focus and quiet our minds as we develop new habit patterns of silence. We simply need less of us, and more of Him.

For ten years hero of the faith George Müller had regularly spent time in prayer each morning—but he struggled considerably with a wandering mind. So he changed his habit to meditating on Scripture. As he did, he found he would almost effortlessly go into prayers of thanksgiving, confession, intercession, and supplication.

From that time on, prayer was no longer such an effort! Reading and meditating on Scripture provided a natural springboard to praise and prayer. Müller then sustained the habit of Bible reading and prayer for the next 40 years with much more ease.

When relationship with the Lord becomes a priority, He reveals and helps us with the things we need to change, including learning to control our thoughts. 

In the 16^thcentury, St. Francis de Sales wrote:

If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in our Lord’s presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour will be very well employed . . .

We must build new habit patterns of silence, taking the time to tune out life’s demands and distractions, and entering the secret place of His presence. It is only there we find rest.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”  (Psalm 91:1-2)

If you struggle with a wandering mind during morning devotions, try meditating on Scripture, as Müller did. If you’re not comfortable with quiet, or you struggle with racing thoughts, take heart. Jesus Christ is with you, helping, strengthening, and encouraging you in all your endeavors.

With His help in developing these disciplines, in time we learn to carry His stillness with us, wherever we go.

Let the Prince of Peace Himself welcome you into the new day. He is with you . . . just waiting for your call!

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

For more on the value of cultivating quietness, see chapter 16 “The Quiet Classroom” in my book Pathway of Peace: Living in a Growing Relationship with Christ

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