When Peace Feels Impossible:Training Your Heart and Mind One Truth at a Time
- Jenna Schutt
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
This month's guest blog is by Jenna Schutt, author, speaker, and joy coach.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” John 14:27 (NIV)
Have you ever prayed to the Lord for peace and still felt your heart racing?
Your blood pressure rises. Your breathing gets faster. Fear rushes in before you can even catch your thoughts.
And maybe the hardest part is that the situation has not changed. The issue is not resolved. The thing that started the fear is still sitting right in front of you.
Sometimes peace feels far away, not because we do not love Jesus, know Scripture, or pray enough, but because fear can feel very loud in a very real situation.
What Peace Is and What Peace Is Not
I think it is important to first say what peace is and what peace is not.
Peace is not pretending everything is fine.
Peace is not denying grief, fear, trauma, pain, or uncertainty.
Peace is not forcing a smile while your heart is breaking.
Biblical peace is not fake calm.
Peace is the presence of God meeting us in the middle of what feels impossible.
The peace Jesus offers is not based on circumstances, outcomes, or feelings. It is rooted in His presence and in the truth that He is near, even when life still feels unresolved.
When Fear Feels Louder Than Truth
I know what it feels like when peace seems impossible to grasp. From chemotherapy to transplant, while caring for two young children, uncertainty gave fear plenty of opportunities to speak in my own life. There were hospital rooms, treatment decisions, hard phone calls, and moments when I had no idea what would happen next.
But the Lord kept meeting me. Not always by changing the circumstance immediately, but by helping me anchor myself in His truth one moment at a time.
Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Not after trouble. Not only when trouble is over. In trouble.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalms 46:1 (NIV)
Training Your Heart and Mind to Return to Truth
Our hearts, minds, and bodies often react according to what they have been trained to do. When we experience pain, grief, stress, or fear, our bodies may return to what feels familiar.
Fight-or-flight can make our bodies respond as if a bear is chasing us when there is no bear at all, just a “what if” thought, a text message, a hard conversation, a loved one’s struggle, or an unknown outcome.
But, as we practice returning to His Word again and again, truth can become our first response instead of our last resort.
Romans 12:2 reminds us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 (NIV)
There is no shame in needing your mind renewed. God invites us into renewal.
And if we are honest, big faith statements like “choose joy” or “faith over fear” sound amazing, but we need to know how to actually walk that out when fear is loud. So the next time fear comes, try this:
A Simple Framework for When Fear Comes
First, name the fear.
Be honest with yourself and with the Lord. Facing the reality of what you are feeling does not deny your faith. It gives you a place to invite God in.
Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Notice it does not say, “If I am afraid.” It says, “When.” Fear may come, but fear does not have to lead.
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalms 56:3 (NIV)
You can pray something as simple as, “Lord, I feel afraid because I do not know what is going to happen next.”
Next, anchor yourself in His truth.
Choose one Scripture that applies to what you are facing. Not ten. Just one. Personalize it. Write it down. Speak it out loud. Let it become an anchor for your heart.
If fear says, “I cannot handle this,” His truth says, “God will give me strength for today.”
If fear says, “What if everything falls apart?” His truth says, “The Lord is my refuge and strength.”
This is how we begin to answer fear with truth.
Lastly, take the next faithful step forward.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. That word “take” matters. It is active, not passive. We do not have to wait for fear to quiet down on its own. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can notice the thought, stop it from running unchecked, and bring it under the authority of God’s truth.
"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 10:5 (NIV)
When fear speaks, we can pause and ask, “Does this agree with what God says?” If it does not, we answer it with the Word.
Peace may not come like a flood overnight. Sometimes it grows one prayer, one Scripture, one surrendered thought, and one faithful step at a time.
As we return to God’s truth again and again, our hearts and minds are trained to reach for His voice first, until His truth becomes our reflex rather than fear.
Prayer
Lord, when peace feels impossible, help me return to what is true. Teach me to bring my fear into Your presence rather than carry it alone. Renew my mind with Your Word. Train my heart and mind to reach for You first.
Thank You for being my refuge, my strength, and my peace.
Amen.
Jenna Schutt is a writer, speaker, devotional encourger, and former cardiac nurse who helps women interrupt fear and anchor their hearts in God's truth. After walking through chemotherapy, a life-saving stem transplant, and raising young children in the middle of medical uncertainty, Jenna shares faith-filled encouragment rooted in Scripture, lived experience, and the practical renewal of the mind. Through Faith with Jenna and her forthcoming book, The Joy Reflex™, Jenna encourages women to stop spiraling alone and begin training their hearts to recognize the voice of God is louder than fear.
Free Resource:
For more encouragement, download Jenna’s free guide, When Fear Tries to Take Over: 10 Scripture Confessions to Speak Over Your Mind and Heart. This Scripture-based resource will help you answer fear with truth and anchor your heart in God’s peace. Get it here.
Images by Wix
Pinterest Pin created with Canva