How to never be Annoyed

Wherever God is, there's peace.  So why does it sometimes (oftentimes?) not seem like it?  

The key in all this is realizing that God is everywhere, all the time; in everything, for every reason. That's what brings peace.  Peace like a river is where it's at (Isaiah 66:12)!  Peace like an all consuming fire works too (Hebrews 12:29).  

The thing is, you can view anything as annoying if you work at it.  But when we see all events, whether they appear good or bad, in the light of Messiah, we can get past minor annoyances.  When every inconvenient thing is drowned out by His light, we can remain in peace.  

If you lose your peace, that's OK. We all do; we're only human.  There's grace for that.

On the other hand, never forget that God has in mind something more.  Paul criticized the Corinthians for acting like "mere humans" (1 Corinthians 3:3).  There's something about our inner Divinity -- not ours, but His -- that wants to swallow up the negative aspects of our outward humanity (1 Cor. 15:54).  And that something, of course, is the burning, cleansing nature of the Ruach, the Holy Spirit.  

You're not who you used to be; you're not who you don't want to be (Romans 7:15).  You're who Jesus wants you to be (Ephesians 1:4).  And really, that's who you want to be, too!  You never have to get annoyed.  You never have to do anything that's not convenient (Romans 1:28); you have the mind of Christ!  He has your best interests in mind. He holds the keys to freedom and peace.  

Forgetting the Gospel?

"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to Yahweh  your Elohim, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

~Joel 2:13

I've been thinking about the term "dying daily" recently (1 Cor. 15:31).  And I think it means something subtly different than what many Christians assume.

"But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation."              ~Colossians 1:22

The truth in Messiah is that we've already died, once and for all.  You died with Christ -- thus, there is no more dying to do! The Holy Spirit already cleansed you, sanctified you, and gave you the seal of Resurrection life (Ephesians 1:13).  What Jesus did was enough.  So I don't think Paul was talking about constantly spiritually 'killing' oneself, again and again and again.  He wasn't saying that we must obsessively purge ourselves from each and every sin.  No...Dying daily is about remembrance.

Martin Luther (supposedly?) said, "we need to hear the gospel everyday because we forget it everyday".  And it's true!  The good news is almost too good to be true. It's almost unbelievable, and it would be, without the power of the Spirit drawing us in (John 6:44).  Even after belief, our minds must be continually renewed (Romans 12:2).  The Gospel can be hard to get a grasp on!

If you're stressed out, if you are anxious, it's ultimately because you've had a short term crisis in faith. Perfect peace have they that love Yah's law (Psalm 119:165).  That's the law of love, which you are currently living under (Romans 8:2)! If you are not being in peace, it's because of unbelief.

All it takes to get your peace back is to rest and remember.  It's critical that we are always remembering the gospel.  In the Old Testament, Yahweh commanded Joshua and fellow Israelites to set up memorial stones after having passed through the Jordan (Joshua 4).  Symbolically speaking, they had just been baptized.  They'd just entered into the Promise (Hebrews 4:8).

They had arrived.   Yet the good news is -- so have you! And your conversion experience has been far more glorious (2 Cor. 4). Christ is the stone that commemorates your arrival into the Kingdom (Matthew 21:42). But to live in the bliss of this truth, belief and contemplation is required.

There is a violence that comes with believing (Matthew 11:12).  There is a necessity to tear and to rend your heart; to return to the truth.  There is a putting off of the old and a welcoming of the new.  There is a dying to oneself -- but only in the sense of remembering that you've already been reborn and made new! Belief will always produce tangible results.