Certain things bother each individual. Satan has spent all of your life studying you. He probably knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what bothers you. You need to know what bothers you, and be careful in those times not to lose your peace.

Everyone's "peace stealers" are not the same. There are things that bother me that do not bother Dave at all. For example, I like quiet, but noise does not bother him. He can read a book while one of our daughters has her tape recorder turned on full blast and our nine-year-old son wrestles on the floor with the dog.

I cannot stand to hurry, and I hate to be late. Sometimes Dave will try to do too much in an allotted time. We will end up at the last minute in a big hurry. This is something the devil knows about me, and he will use it to try to steal my peace.

Dave, on the other hand, always wants to get to the airport at least an hour early when we fly anywhere. He always wants to get to the golf course early when he is going to play golf. If the devil can arrange for him to be late for one of those events, Dave begins to lose his peace.

We are different. Therefore, Satan uses different tactics with each of us. Be smarter than he is. He sets you up to get you upset.

What are your "peace stealers?" Make a list and discuss them with your family. Find out what really irritates them; they try to help each other avoid those areas.

Dave is a serious golfer. I play, but it would suite me just fine to laugh and giggle my way around the course. I have learned, however, that it is not wise for me to goof around a lot when I am playing golf with Dave or to tease him when he hits a bad shot.

We have fun, but I need to do what is comfortable for him. There is no sense in driving someone else to lose his or her peace. When you live with someone a long time, you begin to know his or her weaknesses as well as your own. I repeat, "Try to help each other avoid those areas."

Dave helps me in my weaknesses. He tries to help keep things quiet when I am trying to study or rest. He encourages me to get rest and recreation because he knows if I get too tired, Satan will steal my peace.

Galatians 6:2 (NKJV) says, "Bear one another's burdens...." We need to bear each other's weaknesses, realize we all have plenty of them and pray for one another.

Source: Peace by Joyce Meyer
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers