God’s Peace That Passes Understanding

The SURPRISE Way To Have Peace That Passes All Understanding

God’s Peace That Passes Understanding

What exactly is the peace that passes understanding?

There’s this general idea, floating around in the nebulous ether of Christianity, that if you’re anxious or stressed or under pressure, you can pray your way to the peace that passes all understanding.

You know how it goes. You’re running money or your child is incredibly sick or you’re going to lose your job. You’re feeling incredibly anxious, you pray and…

…a warm, fuzzy, relaxed feeling of peace that passes all understanding comes over you, a warm blankie.

Similar to the feeling you get when you watch Bob Ross paint happy little clouds on The Joy of Painting. 

We get this idea from Philippians 4:7 (and other verses), which says:

…do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.

One article I read on the subject put it this way:

The faithful believer will know peace—his heart and mind are “guarded” by it—despite the tempest raging without. No one, especially those outside of Christ, will be able to fathom that peace. To most, it will remain a mystery how someone can be so serene in the midst of turmoil.

Serene. Calm. At rest in the midst of the turmoil. It sounds a commercial for an anti-anxiety drug. the peace of God that passes all understanding is a pill you swallow when you’re having a panic attack.

And while all this sounds nice and zen-, I’m convinced that the peace that passes all understanding is almost NEVER a feeling.

Even more, if you’re constantly on the search for “a peace about it” (as we to say in evangelical circles), you’re going to end up even more anxious and probably dishonor God by unbelief.

I’ll even go so far as to say that the endless quest for a feeling of divine peace and serenity is closer to Buddhism or Stoicism than Christianity.

Yeah, I went there.

I realize this sounds semi-grumpyish, but the biblical truth about the peace that passes all understanding is much bigger and better.

Where Was Jesus’ Peace That Passes All Understanding?

Given that Jesus was the sinless son of God, he’s the person we should look to first to get an idea of what it means to have peace that transcends understanding. But there’s a problem. If the peace the passes understanding is a feeling, then Jesus has some serious explaining to do.

When he was in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before his crucifixion, the absolute last thing Jesus felt was peace.

He was in deep, soul-suffocating anguish and anxiety about the suffering he was going to endure the next day. He was in such distress over his crucifixion that blood seeped from his face (or sweat, depending on how you interpret the passage).

Jesus asked God repeatedly to remove the cup of wrath that was about to be poured out upon him.

How does this possibly line up with the exhortation to be anxious for nothing? How can Jesus, lying facedown in the dirt, be in line with experiencing the peace that passes all understanding?

Where was his serenity? Where was his inner calm amidst the storm?

Maybe we’ve misinterpreted the bible verse about peace that passes all understanding.

Where Was Paul’s Peace That Passes All Understanding?

In 2 Corinthians 11:28, after detailing the incredible pain and persecution he experienced for the sake of the gospel, Paul tacks on the little phrase, “And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

Uhh, Paul? Call me crazy, but didn’t you command the Philippians not to be anxious about anything? Didn’t you say that they would have peace as long as they made their requests known to God?

Are you having some memory issues in your old age? Have the beatings and stonings and constant persecution created some missed connections in your brain?

Or maybe, just maybe, Paul meant something else when he talked about the peace that passes all understanding.

The Psalms Don’t Have Peace That Passes Understanding

If biblical peace is a feeling, then a lot of the Psalms are simply “broken”. Or to put it more bluntly, they’re false.

In Psalm 13:1-2, David says this:

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

This doesn’t sound serene at all. David has sorrow in his heart all day. He feels God has forgotten him. He’s overwhelmed by his circumstances and wondering how long God will hide his face. There’s no peaceful feeling present in this passage.

In Psalm 22:1-2 (which foreshadowed Jesus on the cross), David cries out:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

David says that even though be cries out to God by day, he can find no rest. He feels his prayers are rising to heaven and then being flung back at him. As if God has totally and completely forsaken him. he’s alone in the swirling, crushing chaos of the world.

These are not the words of a calm, zen-infused man who is experiencing a feeling of peace that passes understanding.

David is in serious turmoil. He is wrestling in his soul.

So What Is Peace That Passes All Understanding?

So now we come to the heart of the matter. If peace that passes understanding is NOT a feeling, then what is it?

It’s something much more profound than a simple feeling.

The peace that passes understanding is a strong, resolute faith and confidence, that no matter what circumstances you encounter, God is faithful, God is good, God will keep you, God will provide for you, and God will bless you. It’s a faith that looks past circumstances to the God who works all things for your good and his glory. 

This is a faith and confidence that can survive in the cancer ward and the bankruptcy court and the cemetery.

This is a faith that doesn’t rely on feelings but relies upon God’s unbreakable promises.

As Jesus stumbled, bloody and broken, toward Golgatha, he was most certainly in deep distress in every sense of the word. But he was also confident in the supreme sovereignty of his Father. He knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God had good, glorious things in store for him.

This confidence went well beyond his human (not divine) understanding. Normal, human understanding interpreted Jesus’ death as a colossal tragedy (the perspective of the disciples).

As Paul lay in the dirt, profusely bleeding and concussed from being stoned by his enemies, he remained confident that God was for him. This was a confidence that superseded any human understanding of his life and circumstances.

Even in the midst of being afflicted in every way, perplexed, crushed, persecuted, struck down, and always carrying the death of Christ in his body, he also remained confident that God’s grace was sufficient for him.

In the midst of the hurricane of suffering, there will be many times when you feel overwhelmed, broken down, and swallowed by grief. We live in a sin-torn, broken world in which trouble is the norm.

But just as grieving and hope can exist side-by-side, so can feelings of distress and the peace that passes understanding.

So when you’re walking through the Valley of Death, don’t try to work yourself into a state of feeling peaceful. Your feelings will go up and down depending on 10,000 different variables.

Peace that passes understanding goes beyond mere feeling. Rather, it’s a solid confidence and faith in God that allows you say:

When peace, a river, attendeth my wayWhen sorrows sea billows roll;Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul

Источник: //theblazingcenter.com/2018/08/peace-that-passes-all-understanding.html

Peace That Passes Understanding | Rick Renner Ministries

God’s Peace That Passes Understanding

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:7

Are you tired of letting the devil get you all stirred up? Has it been easy for the enemy to throw you into a frenzy of panic and anxiety? Maybe it doesn’t happen continually to you, but every once in a while, something happens or someone says something that pushes a button inside you and throws you into a tizzy! When this occurs, do you say and do things you later regret? Do you feel sorry that you allowed the devil to get to you again?

If what I just described sounds familiar, I have help for you today! In Philippians 4:7, the apostle Paul writes, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

As we begin our study today, I want to draw your attention to the word “passeth” in the verse above. It is the Greek word huperecho, which is a compound of the words huper and echo. The word huper literally means over, above,andbeyond.

It depicts something that is way beyond measure.

It carries the idea of superiority;something that is utmost, paramount, foremost, first-rate, first-class,and top-notch; greater, higher,and better than; superior to; preeminent, dominant,and incomparable; more than a match for; unsurpassed or unequaled.

The second part of the word “passeth” is the Greek word echo, which means I have, as someone who holds something in his possession. It can be translated to keep; to possess; to have; to hold; or even to acquire.

When these words are compounded into one, they form the word huperecho, which Paul uses in Philippians 4:7. This Greek word denotes a peace so superior that it is held high above all other types of peace.

This is a peace that transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above,goes beyondand over the top of any other kind of peace. The implication is that people may try to find peace in other places, but there is no peace the peace of God.

The peace of God completely outshines every other attempt to produce peace, causing it to stand in a category by itself. There is absolutely nothing in the world that can compare with the peace of God.

Paul continues to tell us that this peace surpasses and excels above “all understanding.” The word “understanding” is the Greek word nous, the classical Greek word for the mind.This wordrefers to the ability to think, to reason, to understand, and to comprehend.It also depicts the mind as the source of all human emotions.

In Greek, the word “mind” represents the inner powers of a person and thus the place from which a person rules and controls his environment and the world around him. The Greek word emphatically depicts the mind as the central control center for a human being.

Therefore, it was understood that the condition of the mindis what determined the condition of one’s life.

Then Paul tells us what this powerful peace will produce in our lives! He says that this peace “…shall keep your hearts and minds….

” The word “keep” is the Greek word phroureo, a military term that expresses the idea of soldiers who stood faithfully at their post at the city gates to guard and control all who went in and out of the city.

They served as gate monitors, and no one entered or exited the city without their approval.

The apostle Paul uses this word phroureo to explicitly tell us that God’s peace, if allowed to work in our lives, will stand at the gates of our hearts and minds, acting a guard to control and monitor everything that tries to enter our hearts, minds, and emotions. When God’s peace is ruling us, nothing can get past that divine “guard” and slip into our hearts and minds without its approval!

This is the good news you’ve been waiting for! It means you can refuse to allow the devil to access you, throw you into a state of panic and anxiety, or push any button inside you any longer. When the peace of God is standing guard at the entrance of your heart and mind, the devil has lost his access to your thought life and your emotions!

Taking these Greek words together, Philippians 4:7 could be understood in the following way:

“And the peace of God — a peace so wonderful that it cannot be compared to any other type of peace; a peace that stands in a category by itself and rises far above and goes beyond anything the human mind could ever think, reason, imagine, or produce by itself — will stand at the entrance of your heart and mind, working a guard to control, monitor, and screen everything that tries to access your mind, heart, and emotions.”

By using this word, Paul tells us that the peace of God will keep and guard your heart and mind! God’s peace will surround your heart and mind just as a band of Roman soldiers would keep dangerous nuisances from entering a city or from breaking into special, private places. In the same way, peace keeps fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and all the other wiles of the devil from breaking into your life. When this peace is active in your life, it surpasses all natural understanding. It protects, guards, keeps, and defends you.

Nothing compares to this powerful, protective, guarding peace that God has positioned to stand at the entrance of your heart and mind! When this peace operates in you, it dominates your mind and your life.

Since what is inside you is that which rules you, peace rises up and conquers your entire being. It stands at the gate of your heart and mind, disabling the devil’s ability to disturb you by preventing his attacks from bypassing and slipping into your mind.

The devil may try his best to find access to your mind and emotions, but this guarding peace will paralyze his efforts.

So make sure Philippians 4:7 is a reality in your life. In every situation you face today and every day, let God’s supernatural peace rise up to dominate your heart and protect your mind and emotions.

If you’re tired of the devil getting you all stirred up and throwing you into a tizzy, it’s time for you to let this supernatural peace go to work and start monitoring, guarding, and approving what does and does not get access to you!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I thank You for placing Your wonderful, powerful, protective peace in my life. I am grateful that You have positioned it to stand at the entrance of my heart and mind and that it dominates my mind and controls my life.

Because what is inside me is what rules me, I choose to let this peace rise up and conquer me.

With this peace standing at the gate of my heart and mind, I know it will disable the devil’s ability to attack my emotions and will not permit his lies and accusations to slip into my mind! Thank You for loving me enough to put this powerful peace in my life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am guarded and protected by the powerful peace of God that works in my life. It rises up to dominate my mind; it controls my thinking; and it determines the condition of my life and the environment where I live and work.

I am unaffected by the circumstances that surround me, for this supernatural peace stands at the gate of my mind and emotions to monitor everything that tries to access me.

Because no fretting, anxiety, panic, or worry is allowed to enter me, I remain free, calm, and peaceful — even in difficult situations that in the past would have upset me! 

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Have you noticed specific events or moments in your life when the devil seems to be able to access your mind and emotions to upset your peace and throw you into one of these regrettable fits I’ve described to you today? If your answer is yes, do you know the “buttons” he pushes to throw you into this state that you detest?

2. What can you do to slow your reactions down long enough to let the peace of God rise up and conquer your emotions so you don’t end up saying and doing things you later regret?

3. Why don’t you really think this through and ask the Holy Spirit to help you come up with some ideas you can write down and pray about?

Источник: //renner.org/peace-that-passes-understanding/

Finding the peace that passes understanding…

God’s Peace That Passes Understanding

Here’s a short passage from my new verse by verse Bible Study of Philippians. The Modern Viking Paraphrase [MVP] is my interpretation of the core message of the scripture. It is a compilation of many translations.

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Verse 4:6

  • Don’t worry or get upset about anything, but no matter what is going on let the Lord know your opinion about everything, not forgetting to thank Him constantly.

OK, so the MVP is radically paraphrased this time—it is accurate.

It is a sin to worry because it is a lack of faith and trust that God will take care of us. Worry looks away from God and toward our circumstances. My trial lately has been our daily bread. My wife’s has been her health. All of us have something the Lord has us working on for this season of our life.

In this verse we are told how to deal with these things.

First, we refuse to worry. We remind ourselves that He has it under control. We thank the Lord for calling us, loving us, having a plan for us, and being trustworthy. Then we let him know our concerns. Please don’t tell me that you think He doesn’t know what you are concerned about.

Jesus covered this in one of his short discourses on prayer in Matthew 6. Verse 8 says:

  • Do not be the heathen, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

So, we don’t need to worry or carry on. But it does not mean we are not supposed to ask. This is important, we need to ask. In Jesus’ sample prayer He told us to pray, “give us our daily bread”. The manna had to be harvested daily. You could not collect enough for a week so you could take a week off. Any leftovers rotted the next day.

We are not allowed to pray, “heal the sick in the whole world” or “take care of my finances so I don’t have to be constantly nagging you about money every day”. God wants us dependent on him. This is the faith walk. We are required to pray daily about everything in our life.

Learning to pray

This daily praying has great benefit. We have found that prayer is experimental. You do not know how prayer will work until you try it in every manner you can think of.

On top of that is Paul’s injunction to “pray without ceasing” in I Thessalonians 5:17. This is a constant thing on the level of “She’s constantly watching TV.

” You pray all time, any time, whenever you get a chance (and you always have the chance). In everything, ask the Lord.

Here’s some more prayers to try

For an example, when we’re looking for something we need, we pray and ask the Lord to show us where to find it. Often one of us will have a strong sense that we are to go to this particular store. When we get there, we usually find the item we’re looking for and it is usually on sale.

Between you and me, this is also how we vote. This is only our vote. We do not get knowledge of how others are to vote. This is how we pick a church to attend. This is how we find lost items. It is a very practical gift and necessary discipline, used daily in a wide variety of circumstances. I use it for practice in hearing the Lord accurately.

Thankfulness

Just as our prayers are a constant thing, our thankfulness needs to be a constant awareness. I find that as I thank Him for all the little things He does to and for me every day, I have an increased awareness of His presence. I can see what He is doing more clearly.

The key in opening my eyes to see this presence in my life is prayer and thanksgiving.

As I get my eyes off my needs and look at what He is doing in my life, I am quickly amazed at all the little things He does for me on a daily basis: parking places, pretty flowers that specifically grow outside my tiny window directly in my view, plants that sprout from seeds I did not plant—exactly where they are the most beautiful, rocks that fall from bluffs just before I go to collect rocks. Sometimes that can be overwhelming.

When we lived in the Southwest, I remember a drive home from Albuquerque down to Los Lunas (20 miles south) late one afternoon. The place where we lived had a view of a hundred miles or more in every direction (except for the mountains 15 miles to the East). Off to our right an amazingly glorious sunset grew. This was a fairly common occurrence out there.

But the amazing part was that we could see the line of clouds as it extended north and south from the Jemez mountains a hundred miles north to the Gila Wilderness a hundred fifty miles south. It was all dark and gray.

There was only one short section where the sun was cutting through under the clouds and turning them all red, orange, and rich purple.

We were in the middle of that short section and we could see that the view of that spectacular sunset only extended about two or three miles in front of us and a couple miles in back of us That was a neat treat.

What made it special is that we saw the Lord do sunsets, sunrises, storms, rainbows, and so on—where we were among the few that could see them day in and day out, dozens and dozens of times a year.

We learned that this was a thing to be thankful for. He was showing off His creation to a pair of visual artists whose life was focused on visual beauty.

The more we became aware and thanked Him for the beauty the more he delighted in showing off His creation to us in special ways.

It is sad to think of how He feels when the beauties of His creation are taken for granted by the heathen and most believers.

How sad is He when we kill off a whole species? We would tell our people in the church what happened and show them when it happened when we were together and often they simply did not care.

As a result, they rarely saw such things—and usually saw them only when they were with us. We were teased us about thinking the Lord would actually have a deer walk the woods directly next to the car exactly at the time we were briefly parked there for a snack.

Or, that the Lord would have a buffalo walk up to the fence to look in the face of our daughter out on the highway where we had stopped to look at the herd in the field. It happened too often to not be the Lord’s hand. So, we thank Him for His love.

Verse 4:7

  • And the peace of God, which goes far beyond all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Here is the practical result of all this prayer. Our hearts and minds are kept in Jesus, within the Kingdom. The thorns and briars are cleared away. The seed finds good soil and grows and flourishes within us.

This is that peace in the midst of the storm, in the center of conflict, under the assault of danger, when everything around us seems to be collapsing into chaos.

This is the power we receive to be forbearing. This is the reason we can sincerely rejoice.

It is all the result of an ongoing constant relationship with the One who called us into His Kingdom where we talk together about everything..

Related

Источник: //www.bergsland.org/2010/11/recentposts/finding-the-peace-that-passes-understanding/

The Peace That Passes All Understanding

God’s Peace That Passes Understanding

Peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of Christ in the midst of any trouble you may face!

All around you, the world struggles, yet you can walk in supernatural protection, provision, and peace. God wants to help you overcome any circumstance you face.

The key is learning to walk in His “peace that passes understanding”—an important part of our covenant relationship with Him! And His peace is available to you today!

Over the past few days, I have been reminded of a very special time. Back on April 12, 2011, the Lord visited me in a most glorious way, and it is still hard to talk or write about the experience without feeling overwhelmed, even today.

But first, let me go back several more decades before 2011 to explain…back to the 1970s.

I was a new believer, single, and alone, and the Lord visited my life in such a powerful way—I would eventually share about it in my book Good Morning, Holy Spirit. I met the precious and blessed Holy Spirit, who has been my constant companion since then. And it was in those days that the Lord birthed the ministry that I continue today.

During those early years, the Lord Jesus continued to bless and use me as the ministry grew and expanded. Things also began changing in my personal life: I met and married Suzanne and then we started a family.

One moment I will never forget occurred just a few days after my oldest daughter, Jessica, was born. She was only two weeks old; we were living in Orlando. I was enjoying being a Daddy so much. One day as I was holding her so tenderly and lovingly, suddenly our precious Lord Jesus spoke to me. He said, “One day you will be all mine.”

I was startled and puzzled why He said those words. I remember so vividly looking up and saying to Him, “But I’m yours now!”

He responded by saying, “No. Right now, you are hers.”

It was a startling moment for me, one that I’ve thought about many times since then, especially recently.

The years have passed. The children have grown. Suzanne and I are older, and our lives are full of enjoying so many wonderful children and grandchildren. Yet I never forgot what God told me all those years ago—what He said to me when my Jessica was just a newborn.

Today, even as I’ve been reflecting on that moment and God’s words to me, I’ve also felt such a peace about what He is doing in my life right now. And I feel led to share it with you. Perhaps you are going through a time of transition or trouble.

Now, More Than Ever, I Am Truly His!

As a new chapter in this ministry continues to emerge with a greater emphasis on reaching people of all ages through any means possible, it would be easy to concentrate on the swirl of activities and changes rather than on Christ’s peace.

I can tell you that never have I felt such an urgency to carry my cross and follow Him. Never has my heart been so committed to forsake all and follow the Master!

Still, though the desire to do more and reach more is always growing, I have learned to rest in Him, for I am His, above all.

Many times I have read and taught on Christ’s words:

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

It is becoming even clearer to me WHAT this means.

Just this morning I said to Him, “Dearest Jesus, be all in all in my life.” Even though I’ve prayed that prayer many times before, my life is easily filled with distractions and decisions.

I can tell you now that I’ve never felt such peace and known such determination in my soul to focus on Him. In truth, my precious partner, we have no place else to go but back into His arms—no place to go but worshipping at His beautiful nail-scarred feet. That is where we must go to find real comfort and guidance to carry us through every day.

And what peace we can find in His presence!

The Peace That Only God Can Give

Do you remember that blessed Scripture about the demoniac at Gadara? After Jesus cast out the demons, what happened next was amazing:

“Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid” (Luke 8:35).

Regardless of where you are right now with the Lord, the only place of rest and peace is at the feet of the Master. Away from Him are chaos, confusion, and pain. Only at the feet of Jesus Christ do we find peace for our souls and assurance in our hearts.

We are promised:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

Doesn’t the Bible tell us that in His presence is the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11)?

There is a wonderful old hymn from the late 1800s that continues to speak volumes:

Peace, peace, wonderful peace,Coming down from the Father above!Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!

I urge you today with all my heart, to find the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). You can find it only in the blessed presence of Jesus.

Only there, intimately connected to Him, can you find His substance and everlasting glory. Only there can you discover how His peace fills your life to the point that nothing can offend, disturb, or distract you.

You can truly be His and dwell in Him!

Finding God’s Peace, Sharing His Peace

Today, I’m asking God to use me—as never before—for His Majesty, to bring healing to the wounded, the broken, the downcast, and the tormented. And that is my prayer for you, too.

Believe me, I have been there, and I know the only way out is through casting all my cares upon Him—upon finding the peace that only He can offer.

I’ve had a healing ministry to the physically sick, but I want to focus even more than before on the wounded in heart, knowing God’s promise:

“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 30:17).

I urge you to do two things today:

1. Find your peace at the feet of Jesus Christ. Seek Him with all of your heart, and He will give you peace that you have never known before. Spend time with Him, for true prayer and spending time in His presence will bring the peace of God back into your life.

2. Help me tell others about the healer of broken hearts, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Galilee. We are surrounded by people of all ages and backgrounds who are in trouble—spiritually, mentally, and physically—and the devil is fighting to keep those strongholds in place. Only Jesus can break through those strongholds!

Maybe you can identify with losing your peace, your health, or your family. Undoubtedly, you’ve gone through satan’s attempts to kill, steal, and destroy you. If so, you can understand how desperate the world is, and how vital it is for us to live in His peace, even as we take the message of salvation, healing, hope, and peace to them right now!

Help me share the glorious gospel!

Oh, dear partner, the world is open to the Gospel as never before. These troubling times are causing people to question everything, even their most deeply held beliefs. They want to hear real truth, real answers to their most overwhelming challenges. And we know there is only one answer for the world today: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

Our precious Master said:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Billions around the globe are waiting to hear the message of peace and hope that only Christ can offer.

In warmest Christian love,

Benny Hinn

Источник: //www.bennyhinn.org/enewsletter/peace-that-passes-understanding/

Finding The Peace That Surpasses All Understanding in Your Life

God’s Peace That Passes Understanding

Have you lost your peace? Do you not know where to begin to find it again? Finding peace can be a challenge when our lives have been turned upside down through painful circumstances.

Lack of peace can drive us towards making situations worse as we can become argumentative, anxious, moody, or tired (sleepless nights).

Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace and every follower of His has an inheritance of living a peaceful life in spite of the turmoil. There are five P’s to finding your peace that passes all understanding:

Pursue a relationship with God

“‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked’” (Isaiah 48:22).

Peace will allude those who don’t have a relationship with God.

The Bible affirms that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23) and that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Without knowing Jesus Christ, there will always be the fear of death and judgment within the hearts of men and women. Yet knowing the Lord enables believers to have peace even within the worst of storms.

Put away anxious thoughts

“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” (Philippians 4:6).

Believers can struggle with doubt, fear, and unbelief leading to anxious thoughts.

However we are clearly taught that we aren’t to be worried about anything, meaning nothing at all—no matter the challenge! By praying to God and giving thanks to Him for all He’s done in our lives will allow the peace of God to drench our spirits. This peace will cause you and others to marvel because of your calmness and confidence even in the midst of painful situations.

Place your trust in God

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

Sometimes our peace crumbles because we’ve placed our trust in people, jobs, the justice system, economy, or anything except completely in God. Watching your world crumble around you brings to light where you’ve really placed your peace.

God doesn’t need us to be robots that mindlessly follow after Him. He longs for His people to boldly trust in His loving hands over their lives even when it seems all is lost.

Begin to trust God on the smaller issues so that you can build a strong trust relationship with Him that will restore your peace.

Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace and every follower of His has an inheritance of living a peaceful life in spite of the turmoil.

Prioritize your spiritual walk

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).

Peace can be difficult to find when believers become distracted with the cares and worries of this world. Many times people fall away from their spiritual walk—not in a giant leap away from righteousness—but rather in a series of small compromises of faith that slowly drain peace from your life.

Making your spiritual growth a priority is essential to having a life of peace to sustain you through hard times.

This may mean that you need to step back and reassess your spiritual walk: how’s your prayer life? What are you studying in the scriptures? Do you fellowship regularly with other believers?

Push past your present situation

“For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

It’s easy to get stuck in our present situation and miss the glory that God wants to reveal in us. Our peace evaporates just it did for Peter when he stepped out on the water to walk towards Jesus.

(Matthew 14:29-31) Peace isn’t the absence of a stormy situation—it’s the ability to remain calm and faithful in spite of the uncertainty. We must practice on a daily basis to look past our present circumstances to see the Lord’s hand at work.

Faith is about hoping for what you don’t yet see in this world. As you grow in your faith, the peace of God will infiltrate your heart and mind.

“Peace be still…”

The disciples were afraid for their lives and woke Jesus in a frenzy because of the fierceness of the storm. He said three simple words, “Peace be still” and the entire weather system complied. (Mark 4:39-41). Can you imagine the amazement of these tough and experienced fishermen?

The Lord desires that His people stepped back from the anxieties and perplexities of this world to see His power displayed in magnificent ways.

Jesus knew about the storm brewing while He slept on the boat and He knows about the storms hovering over our lives even today. And yet He still says, “Peace be still”.

May we as followers of Jesus Christ demonstrate the peace of God every day so that others may know Him.

Read more about peace: Sandals of Peace

Resource – New International Version Bible, The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblca, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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as: Christian tips and advice, Peace

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