Peace:
1. How dependant is your sense of security on external issues
or circumstances?
___ My sense of peace is totally dependant on what
is taking place
___ I usually feel secure/peaceful even in less than the
best circumstances
___ I feel secure/at peace when there are only minor
difficulties in my life
___ I often feel secure/peaceful even with major issues
or difficulties
___ I feel secure or at peace in any situation
___ I have to work at not letting things rob me of peace
2. What situations are difficult for you to remain ‘peace-full’ in?
(check all that apply)
___ Personal Conflicts
___ Work
___ Family Situations
___ Church Issues
___ Societal Issues
___ World Instability/Struggles
___ Spiritual Issues
___ Financial Issues
___ Emotional Issues
___ Moral Issues
___ Health Issues
___ Other __________________________________
3. What crushes your peace (check all that apply)? Why?
___ Fear
___ Physical hurt
___ Situational Instability (e.g. job loss, divorce, life transition)
___ Uncertainty
___ Feeling left out
___ Feeling ‘less fortunate’
___ Jealousy
___ Conflict
___ Hatred
___ Injustice
___ Guilt
___ Shame
___ Other ________________________________________
3. How do you deal with conflict?
___ Fight to get the way I think best or prefer
___ I compromise so that it is resolved
___ I work for a consensus
___ Avoid conflict
___ I go along with the majority
___ I go along with my friends
___ Other: ________________________________________
4. What are the two major focuses in how you deal with conflict?
___ Work to solve the issue/problem or do the task
___ Focus on saving/protecting relationships…which ones:
___ Make sure all the ‘I’s’ are dotted and ‘T’s’ are crossed
___ I avoid it
___ Try to get others to go along with my way
___ Follow my friends in whatever direction they take
___ Hold on to the way things have been done
___ Other: _______________________________________
5. Are you striving for peace or just working to ignore/suppress conflict?
Why?
___ At home: ______________________________________
___ At work: ______________________________________
___ In friendships: ___________________________________
___ With God: _____________________________________
___ At Church: _____________________________________
___ Other: _________________________________________
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The Next Step: How to Grow in your Spiritual Maturity
(specific suggestion to questions in the inventory are labeled Q +
the number of the question)
Peace:
Q.1 -Identify the five most peace filled experiences of the last week
as well as the five most peace less times. What led to the good and
negative experiences; internal and external. Do you need to reinforce
or change an influence, thought pattern or focus? If you need to change
an influence, list what needs to be changed and why. List 3-5 steps
you will take to do that (e.g. if jealousy is a problem – every time a
jealous thought comes to mind say a prayer of thanks that God has blessed
the person. Then think of two ways that you have been blessed).
If something needs to be reinforced, list how it helped in the past and
3 things you can do to make it stronger (e.g. gratitude helped bring peace
- and so make a list of the 100 best things that have happened to you
or been done for you and read it every week. Add new things to the
list or create a new list every month)
Q.2/3 -Identify what you can do to let go of fears, demands and questions
in order to find God’s peace. List steps you can take to remove peace
crushers and to bring peace even in a difficult situation. (e.g. place security
in relationship with God and not in a particular job, house, income).
Q.4/5 –Study the ways that people handle conflict in order to recognize
the different priorities and views of people in conflict. Think about how
you are being sensitive or insensitive to people’s values or needs. Is
there an area where you are consistently being insensitive? Why?
How has your way of handling conflict worked or failed to bring peace
in the past? What can you learn from these past experiences? How
hard do you work to understand the position of the other(s) in conflict
situations?
List your most recent conflict situation and write out the possible motives
of the people involved. Think about how the different motives of the others
might change your response or feelings.
If you focus on a win/lose pattern why is that? How does this impact your
situations, relationships and sense of peace? Is there a way to work toward
a win/win resolution?
Study the biblical image of peace and what brings it.
Word study of Security/Safety using a concordance ---
e.g. 2 Timothy 4:17-19
Study what ‘peace’ entails—e.g. John 14:27
Reflect upon what it would take for you to trust totally in God’s oversight…..
what it would take for you to find wholeness?…..how would life be different
if you totally trusted God?
Q.5–How does the call to peace ask you to respond to these situations?
Pray daily for the Spirit to fill you with Christ’s peace (e.g. John 14:27).
Pray for those who are contributing to your dis-ease. Meditate to release
the tension from situations (e.g. focus on God’s power and promises which
tell us that we know the end of the story, so we can be peace full).
Seek new knowledge about situations.
Other resources: For the church read- Antagonists in the Church by
Kenneth Haugk, Creating a Healthier Church by Ronald Richardson
For personal peace read-
