From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Everyone wants peace - even the world strives greatly for it. But to know perfect peace... that IS a place to abide with HIM. As usual, Kathy Pelton shares from her personal experience and this is a great encourager for all those striving for peace in their lives. Let's meditate on this Scripture:
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
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Peace
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Kathi Pelton:
The Keys to Peace
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. John 14:27
As we examine the state of the world today and the lives of those around us, it is increasingly difficult to find people who live in a state of peace. Peace is something everyone desperately wants, but for many it proves elusive. Yet this is what Jesus promised His disciples before going to the Cross. His counsel and comfort were the assurance that His peace was freely offered to those who know Him. He knew that they would face troubles and trials, but He promised them that in the midst of a troubled world they could still have peace.
Not As the World Gives
I would love to say that as unbelievers look at God's people, they would quickly define them as people of peace; unfortunately, often the most stressed people I know are Believers. But Jesus said,"...I do not give to you as the world gives" (John 14:27).
How would the world define peace? Usually peace "the world gives" is defined by outward signs of success and safety, rather than inner serenity. Financial security, lack of relational conflicts, good health, living without threat of violence – these are all desirable conditions, but to depend upon them for "peace" is not what the Lord is talking about. These things are conditional upon life circumstances; therefore they bring "conditional peace" or "circumstantial peace." True peace comes from one source and one source alone: Jesus!
So, now you might be asking, "Since I belong to Jesus, why don't I have peace?"
One of the keys to peace is trust (this is probably the main key to having peace). Faith and trust in what Jesus has promised us are our only means to true and lasting peace. Finances can fluctuate with economic highs and lows, relationships can go through joys and sorrows, health can deteriorate unexpectedly; even the world around you can change in a moment's time. This makes it important to have your peace grounded in faith and trust in Him.
More often than not, my family lives in a place of faith in the unseen hand of God. We are fully dependent upon God moving on our behalf. At God's leading, our life circumstances require faith, because we need provision that is always beyond our natural means. Many of you live in the same realm: stepping out in faith and obedience that is beyond your "known means". This lifestyle can cause a person to lose their peace if they do not truly believe that God is their provider. But God does not ask you to begin something that He does not then make provision for you to finish. If you do not have a deep conviction in your heart that this is true, life can be a very rough road.
Please know that in writing this I am not suggesting that I have arrived at that place of perfect peace, but I am always exercising my faith and striving to live in that place of living out of my spirit rather than out of my mind – which truly can cause you to feel "out of your mind"!
So let us strive for the things that bring peace and the things that build each other up. Romans 14:19
If you are going to strive in anything...strive to enter into peace!
Faith Is Your Assurance
The Amplified Bible says this about faith:
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses] (Hebrews 11:1).
I truly believe that this "lack of peace" (resulting from a lack of faith and trust in God's goodness and promises) directly affects our health, our relationships, our success and our quality of life. If God's people would begin to walk in the peace that He has offered to us, I believe that the divorce rate within the Church would be substantially less than the world's statistics. I also believe that we would be far healthier because peace produces only good things. Stress ages us and takes a toll on our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Unfortunately, many of us still demand that God prove to us (and our natural senses) the fulfillment or manifestation of what we hope for or need in order for us to enter into a place of peace. But if that were the way God worked then there would be no need for faith. Our entire belief system as Christians is based on an unseen God, but when it comes to our daily lives we somehow think that God is going to leave us short-handed and short-changed.
As Christians, our greatest guarantee is completely unseen by the human eye or comprehended by the human mind. All of our assurance is faith based – unseen yet historically proven – and yet we can still have peace, because faith is our guarantee (assurance) of our hopes. The world cannot give this kind of faith because it makes no sense to them.
Trust Your Daddy
Whether or not you had a trustworthy or loving father during your childhood, I can assure you that you have a trustworthy and ever-present Daddy in Heaven. Your Heavenly Father cannot lie and He will not in any way abandon you. If you ever watch a small child with a good and attentive daddy, they are at peace. They do not go to bed wondering if they are safe or whether or not they will be clothed or fed the next morning; they just know that their daddy has all that they need. The same is true with us.
Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:10
God is inviting you into the comfort of His peace and the security of His Fatherhood. Though the world is in constant turmoil, He invites you into the rest and peace of His presence. He is always there to comfort you, to help you, to lead you, to counsel you, to hold you, and to carry through whatever you are facing. He shares both our joys and our sorrows. You are not alone, and you can have peace. No matter what you are facing, He is there and His peace is available. Faith and trust are the bridge to peace! Cross over and find your Father waiting with all that you need.
The Anointing of Peace
I believe that there is an anointing of a peace that we are to carry as His sons and daughters. One of the biggest battles we face each day as Believers has been the very thing that we are called to carry: peace. As we learn to truly trust in Him and walk in faith, we will receive an anointing of peace that is needed personally and by those living in this world of uncertainties. As we obtain peace in your personal lives we will also be carriers of His peace in public places. This anointing of peace will be a tool in bringing many to know the Lord and will also have a healing quality upon it that sets many people free from overwhelming stress and fear.
Peace is both a promise and a gift from God. Those who receive this promised gift will change the atmosphere where fear and chaos are reigning and usher in an atmosphere where God's peace transforms people and places.
The battle to keep God's people from obtaining true peace has been great, but there is an overcoming power being offered against this fierce force that will bring many of you into a place of peace that brings the fullness of our Prince of Peace into our lives. Go forth as a carrier of His peace.
Remember the words that He spoke to His disciples, "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you." I, too, speak these words over you, "May the peace of Jesus be given to you in full measure!"
Kathi Pelton
Compassion Arise
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net
Kathi Pelton has a passion to encourage, uplift and serve. As well as being a published writer she has traveled extensively with Watchmen for the Nations, spoken at conferences, been a member of a national prophetic round-table and co-directed a house of prayer. Her favorite pastime is to spend time with her husband and children.
