By Pat Dalrymple There is so much turmoil and unrest in this world today, but as Christians, we can have peace in the midst of it. We do not have to settle for the false peace of denial or even apathy. We can live in this world and have the gift of God’s peace, but we must understand how to get it and how to keep it. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 Peace is not an absence of turmoil, emotion, indifference, or insensitivity to suffering or injustice. We don’t have to close ourselves off into our homes to have peace. Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 12:25 Many people are anxious and worried about what is going to happen in our world. Fears of covid, losing income, relationship problems—there’s plenty of things to have anxiety these days. Living in constant fear will open the door to all kinds of anxieties and unrest. Fear can cause people to make bad decisions. Fear can make a person so paralyzed that they can make no decision. Fear will kill any hope of having a peaceful life. Total Trust in God----------Total Peace Some Trust-----------------Some Peace No Trust--------------------No Peace There is no peace, says the Lord, unto the wicked. Isaiah 48:22
The wicked have no peace because they do not put their trust in God. When we are born again, and God becomes our Father as well as our Creator, He takes our hand and walks with us. We can have the assurance of God’s presence. In John chapter 16, Jesus gives us two keys for living the peaceful life. Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:32-33 Two keys to live in peace: 1. Jesus knew he would have God’s presence through his darkest time, even though he would be abandoned by people. 2. He said we can have the assurance that even though we would experience turmoil, because He overcame, we can too. The world defines peace as a state in which there is no war or fighting; a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. Harmony in relationships. The world sees peace as no opposition. “We can be in peace with our neighbors if we shut our mouths and not say anything.” Cancel culture has made speaking up dangerous. Even in some homes, speaking up can come with a great price. We can remain silent, but that only keeps the outward façade of peace. On the inside, we can be a churning volcano ready to blow at any moment. God’s Definition of Peace True peace is a gift from God. A biblical definition of peace is having our decisions and actions in harmony and obedience with the known will of God. True peace comes from having true trust in God. We have to know and obey what God says about situations in order to enjoy the peace that God offers to us. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; John 17:14-20 Jimmy Swaggart commentary said, “God’s word is a permanent endowment. We must live by the Word of God. The Bible doesn’t contain truth, it is truth. When we read the Bible, pray, and spend time with God, we are purifying ourselves from the world and getting closer to Godliness.” Commentator Matthew Henry said this, “If truth be once deserted, unity and peace will not last long.” John 17:17—Thy word is truth. Now the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 This is a sanctifying peace. It does not refer to an absence of problems, or troubles but rather to the availability of an unending peace. The more we set ourselves apart from this world and set ourselves in agreement with God, the greater our peace will be. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Romans 16:20 God will fight our battles Let’s look at the character of the God of Peace
He is the peace in our storm. Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil. It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts] And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8 [Amplified] So many Christians claim to have peace about decisions which clearly are not godly. Many times, popular culture tries to dictate what Christians are supposed to believe. Popular culture says the Bible needs to be updated for the times we live in. Popular culture says the Bible is for ignorant people and science is better. And gullible Christians fall into step because they don’t understand their Bible. There is pressure on Christians to compromise Biblical values and keep quiet about what we really believe to remain “relevant” in today’s society. In some cases, we have caved into that pressure and have thought we must keep quiet and be nice to people, so we don’t offend them with our beliefs. But we cannot surrender what we believe to keep peace with other people. Our attitude of surrender to the cultural pressure has not gained true disciples and by being “nice” we become ineffective in bringing people to the reality of the cross of Christ. The importance of renewing your mind and spending time with God cannot be overstated. We can never be so busy that our quiet time with God gets stolen away. In the time of Bible reading, prayer, meditation, and singing we can hear from the Holy Spirit and soothe our souls. God never condones sin and you will never have His peace about it God is always ready and willing to forgive any sin, but He never agrees with our reasoning for committing sin. If a decision we make is sinful or outside of God’s will for us, we can be certain that if we “feel” peace about it, the peace is emotional or false. Our conscience is not working correctly and we are vulnerable to making emotional or “feel good” decisions. Be aware and do not let your emotions rule your decisions. We must always look at what the Word of God says to make right choices, not how we feel about it. The popular wisdom says follow your heart. The Bible says this in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 1 Peter 5:8 Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27 Scripture says there is a devil. Scripture says that he is our enemy. He wants to ruin our Christian witness and keep us in fear, agitation, worry, doubt, anxiety, and denial. He wants us to listen to lies that we won’t survive, and bad things will happen to us or our loved ones. He will say anything to keep us agitated and restless because then our strength is gone and our faith in God is weak. Ignoring a problem is not having peace! Denial is a counterfeit to peace. Denial refuses to admit reality or see the truth. It is a self-defense mechanism which allows a person to fully accept a false reality because their mind cannot cope with the truth. Our mind and our emotions can work against God’s plan for us–that’s why we are commanded to renew our mind. The mind can rewrite or superimpose a more acceptable reality over a reality that we do not want to accept. For example, women in abusive relationships can convince themselves that everything is fine when it’s not. People who are drowning in debt refuse to ask for help because they are ashamed of themselves or too prideful. Some people I know got involved in a financial scam several years ago and even though it was pretty obvious, a woman who was involved told me she felt peace about it because it’s so impossible that it would have to be God! Needless to say, they all lost their money. Popular Christianity can teach that God loves us just like we are and there is no reason to change. That God has a good plan for your life, and that is to be blessed and to prosper. While this is true that God does love us and has a good plan–God’s definition of “Good” is often not our definition. And Christians can do people a disservice by promising them that if they only become a Christian, they will experience an abundant life full of good things. The Bible says differently. We are rank sinners in desperate need of a savior. There is nothing loveable about us, but God loved us anyway and if we repent (change), God will help to clean us up. God does love us, but He wants us to change and be transformed by renewing our mind. See Romans 12:1 God’s plan for us may not be appealing God’s good plan for us is defined by once we come to Christ, God is now in fellowship with us and we have peace with God. His good plan is that we are no longer his enemies, but we are his friends. He is our Lord and King. Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever]; the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8 [Amplified] The King James Version says: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity (or hatred) against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” We see that we can only have true peace when we have made our peace with God. God doesn’t always promise good natural things to happen, but He does promise to be with us throughout whatever we face. We can only look at the saints of old to see that not all life plans are “comfortable” to our flesh. The eternal purposes of God supersede what we think is good. Look at the Apostle Paul. Stoned, beaten, shipwrecked. In fact, all the apostles were cruelly treated, and even today, God’s own people have been murdered, tortured, etc. and continue to be to this day. We have generally escaped cruel treatment in America, but maybe not for long. God’s peace is the promise of peace in a storm, not the absence of the storm You must hear from God and have that peace in your inner man to know if you are going in the right direction. True peace will help you to know the will of God and to help make decisions. Let the peace (soul harmony) which comes from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts—deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds. Colossians 3:15 [Amplified] When you have to make a major decision, let the peace of God direct you. If you don’t feel true peace about it, just wait. The devil is like a pushy used car salesman. He wants you to hurry up and decide now. You don’t have to rush into major decisions. Learn to step back and wait until you have peace. If you miss out on the “deal of the century”, don’t worry. There will always be another car, another house, another opportunity. If you feel uneasy because you are afraid to make a change and you are unsettled, just wait. Wait for peace and then proceed. God will help you to have clarity before you make your decision. Symptoms of denial or false peace include sleepless nights, trying to make something happen, anger, worry, anxiety, stress. If you are experiencing those symptoms, the remedy is to stop what you are doing. Examine it and then repent and get back on the right path. Don’t keep going down a wrong road because of pride. Years ago, I started a home business because I needed income, but wanted to stay home with my young daughter. I didn’t have true peace about it, but other people got excited about it. I convinced myself that I should go forward. About a year later, the company I bought my home business from declared bankruptcy and I lost about $15,000 by not listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Since then, I surely regretted that foolish decision to waste all that money many times over the years. Learn to hear the voice of God and follow it. His peace will guide you and give you good direction. James says, if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God. (James 1:5). Trust God God’s kind of peace is where we put our total and complete trust in Him, no matter what the circumstances are. We do not have the promise of a better material life on this earth. We can see that by looking at the lives of Christians in other countries. We cannot always think with a western mindset. Many Christians in other parts of the world are persecuted daily for their belief in Jesus. What we all have is God’s promise of protection, and provision while we go through our storms. Our life here is to be one of loving God and service to others. Yes, we will be blessed and have our needs met, but we must understand that God’s direction for us may not lead us into desirable or physically comfortable circumstances. Sometimes we may be asked to sacrifice our comfort, our convenience, and our rights so that we can serve others and accomplish what God needs for us to do here. Sometimes, we need to be uncomfortable to reach someone else with the gospel. We can see the great lengths God will go to reach a sinner. In Acts 16 Paul and Silas were jailed for casting a devil out of a slave girl. The two men had such great peace in jail because they trusted God. Even though they were beaten and chained, they began to worship the Lord in the midst of their physical pain. God’s larger plan was to send an earthquake to free them and to be witnesses to the other prisoners and the prison guard. That night, the Philippian jailer and his family were saved. Probably some of the prisoners were saved as well. What would have been the final destination for those souls if Paul and Silas had not been jailed? We will never know, but what we do know is that their stories are already written–their eternal destination is already decided. It’s over for them. For us, we have our own stories to write about how God used us to reach others with the gospel. But through all the turmoil, you can be assured God will keep you in peace if you follow Him. We must keep our sight on eternity. Everything you see now is temporary and subject to change. The things you cannot see are eternal and far more valuable. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. “Trust [confidently] in the Lord forever [He is your fortress, your shield, your banner], For the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. Isaiah 26:3-4 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 Here Paul says that:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 In these verses, Paul shows us what to think about. So when our minds start to think anxious thoughts, we know they are not from God. God never gives us “What if” thoughts. He knows everything and He knows what will happen. What if thoughts breed fear and anxiety? Stop thinking on them and your peace will return. Matthew Henry says this about the God of Peace: “We must not eye him as the Lord of Hosts, whose all power is, but as the God of peace.
To not be afraid of the future. Stay in peace. God is with you! We pray that each one of you will find the peace of God even during your darkest storms. We pray that the Holy Spirit will help those of you who are discouraged and see no way out of your current dilemma to pray again with confidence that God will direct your every step. We pray that the trial you are going through will be reframed in your mind so that you can have hope that there is an eternal purpose for your suffering now. We pray that as you follow God, you will have perfect peace in the direction of your life. Listen to the audio message Comments are closed.
|
AuthorsPastors Clarence and Pat Dalrymple desire to see every person strengthen their faith by gaining revelation knowledge of the Word of God. |