Peace

I'd like to share a little bit about peace.

I want to start with probably one of the best verses on the subject, Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Ok, first off, probably the most obvious thing is: 

Not being anxious is a command. 

So, if we're Bible-believing Christ-followers, we have to recognize that anxiety, fear, and worry are sins that separate us from God. Jesus went to the cross to remove not only the punishment for committing those sins, but also to remove them from our life entirely! We need to repent when we worry. To come to God, ask for forgiveness and then start living without anxiety in our lives!

And right off the bat, just to cut off thoughts of "I can't," Philippians 4 is the SAME CHAPTER that has the verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." You have NO EXCUSE. (Sorry for the caps, it's just really important that we let those thoughts go.)

Isaiah 26:3, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Perfect peace! This means no anxiety in your life! It's possible! Don't believe this lie that says you have to worry.

Also notice that:

Peace is linked to trust in God.

Peace is an absence of fear, anxiety and worry.  

2 Thessalonians 3:16, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all."

One of the names of God is the "Lord of Peace." In our search to know God better, do we know Him as the Lord of peace? How many times do we call Him by that name? 

And notice that the peace isn't temporary, not a band-aid. "Peace at all times in every way." That's pretty intense!

And to go back to the first verse, the Lord of Peace gives us peace that "transcends understanding." His peace will get you scratching your head thinking, "You know, this is a situation when any self-respecting person would be frightened and intimidated, but I'm not! That's crazy! That doesn't make and sense!"

1 Peter 5:6-7, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

Many times fear keeps us from exercising the fruits of the spirit. This is especially true with peace. Out of fear we want to hold on to our anxieties, trying to control what happens to us so that we don't get hurt. When we inevitably do get hurt we hold on even tighter believing it will save us next time. It's insanity.

Notice that this verse connects peace with humility. Being anxious is prideful. It's saying that you have the power to affect things by being independent from God.


John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Obviously "You will have tribulation" isn't one of the most joyous promises of the Bible, but notice that it's surrounded on both sides with the assurance that God is in control, and we're not supposed to worry. Peace isn't the absence of hardship or heartbreak. It's the God-given ability to cast those cares on the only one that can actually do something about them.

So you're thinking, "Ok, I'm ready for the peace, where do I start?"

1) Peace is a fruit of the spirit. You CANNOT have real fruit without being connected to the vine. If you're talking with God on occasional weekends and holidays, you're stuck with the anxiety you've got.

Get into the Word, build your faith and trust in Him. Start writing down your interactions with God. Sometimes we pray for something to happen, and when God steps in miraculously, we don't even notice, much less give Him the credit.

2) Isaiah 26:3, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you." Start working on your thinking. If you're always thinking, "I'm all alone on this, there's no one to help me out." You're going to have a hard time not being afraid. Begin to think, "The God that created the universe is literally on all 4 sides of me right now. He's got my back. He goes before me. He's at my right and left hand."

3) Ask for it! Begin to ask God for His peace just as fervently as you ask for the difficult situations in your life to change. Exercise peace by relying on God in more tough circumstances. Most people don't need situations to change as much as they need the peace of God to get through them.