Good morning peace-filled ones!
Society defines PEACE as an absence of trouble or tranquility in their circumstances. However, Jesus brings us PEACE even in the midst of trials ~ a PEACE that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 says,
- Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
With THE PEACE OF GOD, we are transformed from the inside out and strengthened from within. Jesus tells us in John 14:27 (AMP),
- 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.]
Family, Jesus has left us His PEACE, and His PEACE comes as we focus on Him and 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 PEACE even in the midst of storms, just like Jesus had when He fell asleep in the boat in the middle of the storm.
Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV) says,
- Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength…
When our minds are fixed on Him, we will engage in His peace. Many times, we try to talk ourselves out of worrying by simply telling ourselves not to worry. However, this method won’t always work. It may even cause us to worry more. We need to pursue Jesus’ peace. Psalm 29:11 says,
- The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
So, we can see from this Scripture that His strength and His peace are connected. He gives us strength by giving us peace. During hard times, we can hide in the presence of the Lord. Trouble will not be able to find us. Psalm 57:1 (NLT) says,
- Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.
So, how do we keep our minds focused us Him? Well, we can start our day by praising Him and reserving time to talk to Him. We can also begin to acknowledge Him, commit our ways to Him, and trust Him in all that we do. We can guard our minds by watching what we expose ourselves to in the morning. We can reserve time to read, study, and meditate in His Word. We can also keep ourselves from being entangled in everyone else’s problems. Teach them to cast their cares on Jesus once you’ve prayed and comforted them with the Word.
Walking in THE PEACE OF GOD,
Lisa Gordon
Assistant Pastor
Jesus City Church