Ah! Peace!
Ah, peace-------what a joy it is to walk in the peace of God.
Jesus told us that He was giving us His peace, and that it was a peace that the world could not give. He told us that He gave us His Word that we might have peace. He said to His disciples: These things have I spoken to you, that you might have peace.
The peace of God is ours, in the midst of life’s most tranquil times and in the midst of life’s most tumultuous times. You see, God’s peace is not dependent on how we feel or what things look like. As with everything else in God’s Kingdom, peace is ours by faith, because He said so. Have you ever had your parent say to you something like this or have you as a parent said this to your child? “You do it because I said so.” That is what God is saying to us where His Word is concerned. “Do it because I said so.” Why should we do it because He said so? He knows what He is doing and He knows what will work for us. Here we stand in a tiny little slice of time with total dependence on the Lord, looking to the One Who is omniscient, all knowing. You would think that we have figured it out by now. He knows more than we do and always will. So if it says it in His Word, let’s do it.
Here is what the Word of God says in Philippians 4:6,7 in the Amplified Bible.
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything,; but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
What is the requirement for God’s peace to reign in our hearts?
Do not fret, worry or have anxiety about anything. If we don’t do this part, then that does not release God to do His part. That is pretty simple, isn’t it. Then why aren’t people doing that. And there is every excuse in the book why people are not letting go of worry and fretting. No excuses necessary. We either are doers of the word or we are not. Not a whole lot of choice there, as I see it. We do what the Word of God says and He does what He says He will do.
If we do not fret and worry, the peace of God will surround us and keep us steadfastly peaceful in our hearts and minds.
The Lord tells us to let our requests be made known to Him concerning our situation(s); thank Him and leave it in His hands. You know He will do a much better job of taking care of the situation than we can ever possibly do.
In John 16:33 Jesus told His disciples and those of us who would live after them: We are to be of good cheer; we are to be comforted; we are to be confident; we are to be bold. We are to be that way because He has overcome the world with all of its pressure and distress. Why can we be this way? Jesus has overcome the world for us. He has subdued it. He has conquered it for us. He has gotten the victory for us. He has deprived the world of its power to conquer us because He has conquered the distresses of the world for us.
1 John 5:4 tells us that we who are born of God overcome, conquer the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. We must believe, have confidence in what Jesus has done for us. If we believe that Jesus has taken care of things for us, then why are we taking on “care”? There can only be one answer. We don’t trust Him. We don’t think what He did for us will work for us. It may work for everybody else, but not us. Isn’t that a rather prideful and presumptuous train of thought! Let’s stop and analyze that statement that it won’t work for us. Whatever God says, that is the way it is. If He said it in His Word, then it is for you and me. It is for everyone who will believe. Whoever said that believing would be easy while we are here on this earth. We labor to enter into the rest of the Lord. That labor involves being both hearers and doers of the Word of God. The greatest victories come from standing on God’s Word when times are the toughest.
I know that we are entering into the greatest time in the history of the church, and I don’t want to miss out on it because I am so tied up, entangled with my own affairs of life that every bit of it passes me by while I am fussing and fuming over my circumstances. I have a secret for all of us. Circumstances must always bow their knee to the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth Himself. Resistance of life’s circumstances doesn’t affect God and His Word. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He did yesterday, He will do today and tomorrow. What He did for one person, He will do for all. He is no respecter of persons.
I want to encourage you today to stand firm on what God’s Word says and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through every step of your life, in the good times and in the trying times. He will never fail you nor forsake you. He is with you always. He has already won the big battle. All we have to do is win our little personal battles.
Jesus told us that He was giving us His peace, and that it was a peace that the world could not give. He told us that He gave us His Word that we might have peace. He said to His disciples: These things have I spoken to you, that you might have peace.
The peace of God is ours, in the midst of life’s most tranquil times and in the midst of life’s most tumultuous times. You see, God’s peace is not dependent on how we feel or what things look like. As with everything else in God’s Kingdom, peace is ours by faith, because He said so. Have you ever had your parent say to you something like this or have you as a parent said this to your child? “You do it because I said so.” That is what God is saying to us where His Word is concerned. “Do it because I said so.” Why should we do it because He said so? He knows what He is doing and He knows what will work for us. Here we stand in a tiny little slice of time with total dependence on the Lord, looking to the One Who is omniscient, all knowing. You would think that we have figured it out by now. He knows more than we do and always will. So if it says it in His Word, let’s do it.
Here is what the Word of God says in Philippians 4:6,7 in the Amplified Bible.
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything,; but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
What is the requirement for God’s peace to reign in our hearts?
Do not fret, worry or have anxiety about anything. If we don’t do this part, then that does not release God to do His part. That is pretty simple, isn’t it. Then why aren’t people doing that. And there is every excuse in the book why people are not letting go of worry and fretting. No excuses necessary. We either are doers of the word or we are not. Not a whole lot of choice there, as I see it. We do what the Word of God says and He does what He says He will do.
If we do not fret and worry, the peace of God will surround us and keep us steadfastly peaceful in our hearts and minds.
The Lord tells us to let our requests be made known to Him concerning our situation(s); thank Him and leave it in His hands. You know He will do a much better job of taking care of the situation than we can ever possibly do.
In John 16:33 Jesus told His disciples and those of us who would live after them: We are to be of good cheer; we are to be comforted; we are to be confident; we are to be bold. We are to be that way because He has overcome the world with all of its pressure and distress. Why can we be this way? Jesus has overcome the world for us. He has subdued it. He has conquered it for us. He has gotten the victory for us. He has deprived the world of its power to conquer us because He has conquered the distresses of the world for us.
1 John 5:4 tells us that we who are born of God overcome, conquer the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. We must believe, have confidence in what Jesus has done for us. If we believe that Jesus has taken care of things for us, then why are we taking on “care”? There can only be one answer. We don’t trust Him. We don’t think what He did for us will work for us. It may work for everybody else, but not us. Isn’t that a rather prideful and presumptuous train of thought! Let’s stop and analyze that statement that it won’t work for us. Whatever God says, that is the way it is. If He said it in His Word, then it is for you and me. It is for everyone who will believe. Whoever said that believing would be easy while we are here on this earth. We labor to enter into the rest of the Lord. That labor involves being both hearers and doers of the Word of God. The greatest victories come from standing on God’s Word when times are the toughest.
I know that we are entering into the greatest time in the history of the church, and I don’t want to miss out on it because I am so tied up, entangled with my own affairs of life that every bit of it passes me by while I am fussing and fuming over my circumstances. I have a secret for all of us. Circumstances must always bow their knee to the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth Himself. Resistance of life’s circumstances doesn’t affect God and His Word. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He did yesterday, He will do today and tomorrow. What He did for one person, He will do for all. He is no respecter of persons.
I want to encourage you today to stand firm on what God’s Word says and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through every step of your life, in the good times and in the trying times. He will never fail you nor forsake you. He is with you always. He has already won the big battle. All we have to do is win our little personal battles.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 2:09 PM
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