What challenges are you facing today, this week, this current season in your life? Does your coping mechanism work? Is it godly? Are you finding God’s strength and provision for the journey? God’s word and promises are unchangeable so if there is any lack in my supply chain, I need the Holy Spirit to show me the root of the issue. The fault always lies with me, not God, my Father.
Consider this – What I believe, rules my life. Right believing, based on the Word of God and what He says, produces right living, evidenced by God’s peace and joy – not necessarily in my circumstances, but in who He is, in the circumstance WITH me, right along side. Scripture declares, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”, Psalm 46:1.
The other side of the coin is: Wrong believing produces untold problems. If I am finding life stressful and difficult, I need to take the blame before my Father for forfeiting His peace and giving the devil a foothold in my blood-bought life. I need to change my believing. Only what God says is true. Trouble is not in trouble, it is in my heart’s attitude to trouble. God’s peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the pearl of great price, part of our birthright in Christ to take us through our trials and difficulties.
A belief in the impossible demands a refusal to believe the obvious. Only what God says is true.
Until you meet the impossible you do not touch the resources of God.
Our emotions are great servants, but can be cruel masters! Selah. The peace of God is not just a nice feeling to enjoy, it has purpose. It is the mercury in our spiritual thermometer, indicating where we are in our daily walk with the Lord. The Holy Spirit indicates to us when that peace is disturbed within us over something. When recognising the prompting from the Holy Spirit, our responsibility is not to push on, crashing through the red traffic light, but to take note of the warning and find out what God is saying. As I obey and change direction, God’s peace returns. As I learn to recognise the ripple of disturbed peace in my being, and respond, then I won’t have to have a storm!
Joseph Scriven penned the old hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus. One verse encompasses the following profound statement: “Oh what peace we often forfeit, O what pain we needless bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”.
Oh what peace we often forfeit! As the Lord enlightens us about being a peace keeper to the gates of our heart, may we forfeit His peace less and less, learning from our mistakes instead of repeating them.
Joy and peace are the hallmarks of God’s presence in a Believer’s life. Romans 15:13 ” Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost”.
God’s peace is given incrementally as I learn through His Word regarding this great and profound treasure of my birthright in Christ.
Jesus declared: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”, John 14:27. Jesus initially grants me His peace and I have the responsibility of guarding that peace, as I guard my heart. As we have said, trouble is not IN trouble, it is in my heart’s attitude to trouble. Adversity is the school of the Spirit presenting us with opportunities to prove God is, who He says He is. He promised never to leave me nor forsake me. My responsibility is to prove Him not only in the pleasant pastures of life, but also in adversity.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. God’s peace has the purpose of ruling our heart. As we allow Him to rule there, His peace is kept.
Psalm 119: 165 “Great peace have they which love Thy law and nothing shall offend them”. How often do I take offence at what people say, do, or just at frustrating circumstance? I forfeit God’s peace! I observe what others do, or say, I may dislike life’s events, but I do not have to forfeit God’s peace. The Government will NEVER leave HIS shoulders!
Then we come to perfect peace, most vital for maturity in Christ. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”, Isaiah 26: 3. In this position I no longer see circumstances controlling my life, but I recognise God is in full control. Sometimes He permits, in His wisdom, that which He could prevent in His power. If God has permitted a circumstance in my life, I can allow it to work for my good (Romans 8:28), making some gold, for His glory.
There is a God given strength available to us in trials and difficulties. Nehemiah 8:10 declares, “…..the joy of the Lord is your strength”. This is enduring, God given strength enabling us to journey through adversity with His joy and peace.
What value do I place on God’s peace? It is the voice of God for guidance and direction to our walk in His kingdom. Let us not devalue it or become familiar with this priceless pearl. Cherish it, love it, nothing the world offers compares with it’s value. It is the hallmark of His presence resting on our lives.
No God, no peace……….Know God, know peace.
Photo by Kris Gerhard on Unsplash
