Hello glorious ones!

Randy and I pray you had a most glorious Christmas yesterday. All day long, I could not help but to fix my thoughts on JESUS CHRIST, the real reason for the celebration.

JESUS is our PRINCE OF PEACE according to Isaiah 9:6. PEACE is not the absence of trouble – it is the presence of God in any situation. So, if you are in a situation like JESUS was when he was in the boat and the waves were crashing over the top of the boat you can say, “PEACE, BE STILL”.

There will always be something trying to steal your PEACE, yet the Bible says in Psalm 34:14 to seek peace and pursue it.  This means that PEACE is very important for us to acquire.  Not only is it something we have to go after, we must maintain it.  In order to pursue PEACE, we must first remember that JESUS said in John 14:27,

• PEACE I leave with you; My [Own] PEACE I now give and bequeath to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled].

Our PEACE comes from only One Person – The LORD JESUS CHRIST. Who does not want to have PEACE and tranquility and live free from strife? Isaiah 26:3-4 says,

• You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and it’s character] is stayed on You because he commits himself to You leans on You and hopes confidently in You.  So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him lean on Him hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].

See, when we keep our minds focused on Him, we engage in His PEACE. Many times, we try to talk ourselves out of worrying by simply telling ourselves not to worry. Sometimes, this will actually cause us to worry more. What we need to do instead is to pursue JESUS’ PEACE. When we are filled with THE PEACE OF GOD, we can have PEACE while we are in the midst of trouble. So, how do we keep our minds on Him?

1. We can start our day by praising Him and reserving time to talk to Him.

2. We can also begin to acknowledge Him, commit our way to Him, and trust Him in all that we do.

3. We can guard our minds by watching what we expose ourselves to in the morning. We do not have to fill ourselves with bad news when we awaken.

4. We can reserve time to read, study, and meditate in His Word. We have a choice – we can either give attention to the Word or give attention to trouble.

5. We can keep ourselves from being entangled in everyone else’s problems.  They should cast their cares on JESUS, not us.

6. We cannot have success and be paralyzed by fear.  Perfect love is JESUS’ love.  It casts out all fear once we get a revelation of it.

In conclusion, this world defines PEACE as tranquility in circumstances. However, JESUS will bring us PEACE even in the midst of trials – PEACE that surpasses all understanding. With His PEACE, we are transformed from the inside out and strengthened within. JESUS has left us His PEACE and His PEACE comes as we focus on His goodness. When our minds are filled with thoughts of Him, we experience a supernatural peace that supercedes any PEACE found in the world. We can have His PEACE, even in the midst of the storm.

Walking in the PEACE of God,

Lisa Gordon

Jesus City Church