Peace is Possible in EVERY Situation!

Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.”

We're living in a "chronic heightened state of alertness and helplessness”, prompted by a "poorly defined ...danger that could strike at any time in any form without warning.” These types of feelings can be as unhealthy as they are unpleasant, impairing immunity, interrupting sleep, and intensifying everything from acne to ulcers.

Our God tells us, don't fret or worry; instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. I know, 'been there-done that!'

How do you respond when the world you live in is interrupted by fear, uncertainty, and danger? I suppose one of the most powerful scriptures in the entire Bible is found in Colossians 3:15 - Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart since as one body you were called to peace and be thankful. When we read those words, it creates an intense desire in each of our hearts because truth is, the one thing we want more than anything else in our life is peace of mind.

Peace. If we really look at the situation one of the reasons we became Christians and that we read the Bible, that we go to church, that we are involved in worship and serving the Lord is we believe that we can find inward peace. Peace can be very illusive it’s not just something that comes in out of the air, it’s not something we plug into, and it’s not something we can get from the wrong sources. Some people are trying to get peace in the wrong place thinking it is the way to peace of mind. Peace is what most people are looking for but they are lacking it because somehow it never seems to fall in place. Have you seen the bumper sticker that reads, "No Jesus, No peace"! Then underneath it are these words, "Know Jesus, Know Peace.” That's not only a clever bumper sticker; it's also Biblically accurate.

The kind of peace we really need and the kind of peace we really need to seek can only come for God. It can only be bestowed upon us by a relationship with Christ. It is not found in a program, it is not found in a plan but it is found in a person. You want to how to get that peace of mind?

This world is geared to rob our peace and everything in this world is programmed to take peace away from us. Everything we see on Television, everything we read in the headlines, most of the people around have something to say or do that robs us of that peace of God and the bottom line is Jesus wants us to live in peace! It is Christ's desire that we would live in His Peace.

John 14:27(NIV) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

FAITH EQUALS PEACE ~~ FAITH IS A PART OF EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE!

Think of some things you did by faith today. My husband and I went to a prayer breakfast this morning by faith, (which by the way is the idea behind this post). I know you are wondering why I brought this up but it is freezing cold in western Kentucky this morning. We have what they call ‘black ice’ that you cannot see, but it is more treacherous and dangerous than anything I experienced in Chicago. We made it in one piece (although Mr. Loveable got there by the seat of his pants, trying to help me he landed you know where). We were going to pray and praise our God with our sisterhood/brotherhood and it never occurred to me that we shouldn’t be on that ice. That is until our speaker talked about peace, joy, prayer. and thanksgiving.

We cannot live apart from faith and the best way to strengthen that faith is through prayer, thanksgiving, and worship. So whenever I pray to my Heavenly Father (which I always do wherever I travel), I have faith that He will care for me; He will answer my prayer and for that I am always thankful.

I don’t understand why then, is it so hard for some to place their faith in God? He asks us to place our faith in Him and He, like a good father, is faithful in His caring for us. The Bible tells us that, “....according to your faith let it be done to you.” These times that we live in require us to have faith, in fact it demands our faith. Therefore, we need a faith that fully possesses us.

THE BIBLE TEACHES IN ROMANS 5 THAT FAITH LEADS TO PEACE.
Peace Be Unto You All!

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV) “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”