What Is True Peace?
Peace? What’s that? In a world riddled with turmoil, how can there be peace?
Many seek peace but never find it, going from crisis to crisis. Compounded by their home environment and/or their imagined fears, tranquility is not in their vocabulary.
When Paul wrote to the Philippians that the peace of God surpasses ALL understanding and will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, did he have a clue what the future held? Philippians 4:7
Yet the Bible and all of the promises are for us in this day the same as they have always been.
God does not change. His Word is alive and current.
How do we FIND that peace? A peace that surpasses all understanding is a peace that comes from within -- despite our circumstances.
There is ZERO Fear In Peace
Recently I was awakened after midnight when someone broke into my home and was standing over my bed ready to attack me.
In the natural, I should have screamed in terror and shouted for my husband or grabbed something to use as a weapon. There was zero fear – I sat up in bed and in a calm tone I said, “You cannot touch me.”
That peace came from my spirit – in the knowledge of God’s Word that tells me I have no fear, no anxiety.
You do not want to miss that story of how God put the ‘fear of God’ onto my attacker.
It happened because I did not doubt – I knew that God’s Word cannot lie. I rest in Psalm 91 which ensures each of us of protection.
In my memoir, Battered Hope, I share twelve extremely difficult circumstances that would cause most people to give up hope or live in fear. Click here to read the first chapter for free.
But I knew God kept His Word and everything was going to turn around.
Peace That Lies Within
We live in a world crumbling with anxiety and stress. We should be anxious or nervous. But God’s Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When we focus on that, it destroys the fear that is trying to engage our thoughts.
His Word tells us that we can have supernatural peace when there is no peace.
The world’s definition of peace is a world of harmony and tranquility based on what is happening in our SENSORY realm – what we see, feel, or hear.
But when we recognize Who is the source of our peace, and that God is fighting our battles for us – we have a secure rest that comes from within – from our heart – not our mind or our circumstances.
Many people automatically jump to the worst-case scenario. It is a natural response when we are confronted with negative circumstances. It depletes us of our energy and clear thinking.
It takes resolve to turn our destructive thoughts into ones that line up with God’s promises. On my website, there are several PDFs that offer scripture and affirmations to combat these negatives. Print them out. Incorporate them into your daily prayers of thanksgiving. God responds to your faith and His Word – every single time.
We know God’s Word is true so why would we confess the opposite? Why allow anxiety to penetrate our thoughts?
“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” Philippians 4:8 – 9.
How To Find Peace
When we speak the opposite of what God is telling us, are we doubting Him? Are we saying we do not believe He is capable or He does not understand our situation?
When we choose to believe God and His promises, those uncertainties dissipate.
Over 40 years ago when I received the report that my best-case scenario was that I had two years to live. I knew that was a lie because it opposed to what God’s Word says. Without any hesitation, I raised my voice and told the cancer specialist, “I will walk in here pregnant one day. You can bank on it.”
The doctor became angry at my defiance and told me to “go home, suffer, and die.” That story is here.All the promises in the Bible are ours. The most often quoted passage in the Bible is Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall NOT want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for His Name sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you Lord, are with me.”
If we live in worry, that becomes our default mode. We automatically gravitate to that in our thoughts. BUT….when we bury the Word of God and its truth into our hearts, that is what surfaces.
It is not a matter of positive thinking. It is standing on the promises of God. He cannot lie. He makes provision for you in every area of your life. The more you believe it, the more you will see it manifest in your life.
It is learning to PRAY THE ANSWER instead of the problem. God’s Word is the answer to every dilemma. No matter how insurmountable it appears, God’s Word is yes and amen – every single time. Our Shepherd is tenderhearted, loving, and caring and leads us to good places. He protects us. He is the Giver of good gifts. He loves us.
God’s Word opens our eyes, and it is a beam of light to every dark path.
Find your target verse for any situation you need healing, peace, joy, or any promise He gives you. Stand on it. Pray it back to the Father in thanksgiving that He has made provision for you, and He will not fail you.