One of my goals for the new year is to take the sweet gift of promised peace into every hour of every day. I am done living a life of overcommitted busyness that results only in frustration and a short-tempered existence. This is the year where I will discover the miraculous lifestyle of uninterrupted peace.

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4, NASB).

God has an antidote for my weariness; He has prescribed the secret of "abiding" in Him to heal my exhausted soul. The spiritual opposite of weariness and stress may be described as the restorative simplicity of abiding in Christ.

A sign that graces the wall in our piano room declares, "Say Ah-h-h-h! Take a deep breath ... you are HOME." I believe that is exactly the expression the Father desires from us when we enter His presence.

We are called to remain in constant, unbroken fellowship with Jesus Christ. This place of abiding in Him is not merely a once-a-week visit, but we have been invited to build a life around His presence. The welcome mat is always out for you to make His throne room your true home. His presence is not meant to be just a respite from the storm or a lovely vacation home; it is designed to be a place in which you can build your life and then to never, ever leave. When your permanent residence is the presence of Christ and when you allow Him to whisper in your ear His wonderful plan for each day, every hour and even the specific moments of your day, it is then that His glorious fruit will be beautifully evident and deliciously apparent in your well-watered life.

The word "abide" in the Greek is translated as "to last or endure." When you abide in Christ daily as you continually fill yourself with the manna of His Word and refresh yourself in the cool stream of worship, you will most certainly outlast the devil and his strategies for your life. You will no longer be a woman who is stressed-out and weary, but you will be a picture of health and cultivated loveliness as you simply abide in Christ.

Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written 10 books, including The Rooms of a Woman's Heart; Defiant Joy!;Holy Estrogen!; No More Ordinary; Refined; Joy For All Seasons; Let There Be Joy!; Pass the Joy, Please!; Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue; and Stormproof, which releases on March 1, 2019. Her teaching DVD, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart, won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming. You can also listen to Carol's "Jolt of Joy" program daily on the Charisma Podcast Network. Connect with Carol or inquire about her speaking to your group at carolmcleodministries.com.

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