Peace Is Possible
Peace according to the Jesus Centered Bible concordance is the state of tranquility or quiet; a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity; harmony in personal relations, especially with God; a state of security or order within a community; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.
Notice what the definition didn’t say. It’s didn’t say peace is the absence of chaos, opposition, troubles, tests, trials and tribulations. The truth is, these things will always exist in our lives. Even Jesus experienced troubled times – being lied on, betrayal, persecution, etc. But just like Jesus, we can have peace in the midst of them happening.
When chaos, opposition, troubles, tests, trials and tribulations arise we feel overwhelmed, often discouraged, disappointed and sometimes defeated. But you don’t have to feel that way. Peace surpasses feeling and circumstances.
Peace is not quietness, because things can be quiet and you still don’t have peace. It is not in a solution, because you can have a solution but still not have peace. Peace is not outside of you and is not based on what’s happening. Peace is a treasure, you have within you, to be at peace regardless of what’s going on outside of you.
Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Peace is a condition of the heart. Your heart is your soul which consists of your mind, will and emotions. Therefore, you have to let the peace of God rule your mind (what you think), your will (your decisions) and your emotions (your feelings).
The peace of God. Is there any other kind of peace? Jesus mentioned in John 14:27 two kinds of peace. Let’s look at that… “Peace I leave with you, My peace I live to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
There is God’s peace and there is world’s peace. Worldly peace may be a job to pay your bills, or a relationship to take away loneliness, or rules and regulations put in place to keep us safe. This is the peace the world offers. But the peace the world offers is temporal. It can be here today and gone tomorrow. It offers peace for the moment. Notice the peace the world offers are external. But the peace of God is internal and eternal. The peace of God can be with you in the absence of a job, a relationship or any rules or regulations.
The peace of God radiates from within because it’s a trust and belief in Him and His power for our lives. It is believing He is true to keep His promises of supplying all our need, never leaving us nor forsaking us, protecting us and keeping us safe from hurt harm and danger. The peace of God is what will sustain us when the world is failing us.
Having the peace of God is possible for you! Here is how you obtain it:
Develop a relationship with God.
Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and invite God into your heart. Roman 10:9-10 tells us, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Belief in your heart and confession with your mouth is the beginning of your relationship with God.
After that you’ll need to nurture your relationship by spending time with Him in prayer, meditation, praise, adoration and worship. Neglecting this puts the relationship in a strain. You begin to wander away from Him and you’ll find yourself in the world trying to fend for yourself. You certainly won’t have the peace of God without God.
Give the situation over to God.
1 Peter 5:7 NKJV, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” You can’t handle it on your own, that’s why you feel discouraged or disappointed. You weren’t made to handle it on your own either. You need Jesus to carry the burden for you. He said in Matthew 11:28-30 NLT, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. [The exchange for casting your care on Him is that He will give you rest.] Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Claim peace.
Claim: to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due.
Guess what? You have a right to have the peace of God. Why? Because you’re His child and children have the right to have what the Father gives them. Peace is your right so claim it by faith today! The key is claiming it when you don’t see it or feel it (and even claim it when you do). Claim it and expect it. You can’t be timid when you’re claiming your peace. You have a right to it. It’s already yours.
To demand something, you have to open your mouth and speak. Romans 9:10 says, “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” So open your mouth and place a demand on your peace!
A little child when they see you playing with their toy, they come and take it out of your hands and exclaim, “That’s mine! That’s mine! That’s mine!” You better become as a little child and start claiming your peace! Go get your peace! Claim it and expect it! It’s yours. And once your claim it, receive it! “Lord, peace is mine. I claim it, I expect it and I receive it.
Receive God’s peace.
Notice what Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you…” Take indicate that you have to get something from Him. That means take His peace. Receive His peace. God won’t force anything on you. He makes it available to you at no cost. Jesus already paid the price for it. All you need to do is take/receive.
Imagine for a moment that you’re hungry, really hungry. And you go to God and say, “God I’m really hungry. Can you give me something to eat?” Now imagine that God takes you to this farmer’s market and all around you to your left and right you see nothing but succulent fruits and vegetables. Then He tells you, “Anything you want is yours.” And you stand there looking without taking anything. What do you think will happen to you? You’ll continue to be hungry. You won’t be filled. You won’t be satisfied because you haven’t received the gifts (of food) God made available to you. In the same way, we have to receive God’s peace.
Focus on peace.
Focus on peace, not your circumstance. I want to encourage you to read Matthew 14:22-33. We all know the story of when Peter walked on water to Jesus. As long and Peter was focus on Jesus, He was able to walk on water. However, when He took His focus off Jesus and began paying attention to the boisterous waves, Peter began to sink.
In the same way Peter lost his focus, we can lose ours when we focus on the problem instead of the Prince of Peace, Jesus. Don’t take your focus off Jesus. Let Him be the center of everything you have going on. Your circumstances will change, but God never changes. Let Him be your anchor through turbulent times and hold on to every promise He has made for you.
