We're living in difficult days, but we're hearing amazing testimonies. The Lord has met the needs of so many of you by providing food, financial breakthrough, healing, family restoration, new jobs, and supernatural protection. Our God is on the throne watching over His own!
Psalm 34:19-20 declares, "Even when bad things happen to the good and godly ones, the Lord will save them and not let them be defeated by what they face. God will be your bodyguard to protect you when trouble is near..."
A Dream to Change Our Focus
The last few days I've been thinking a lot about peace. It's funny how you don't really think a lot about something until you feel a lack of it.
The other night I had this dream, and in the dream, I was voicing all my concerns about the unrest that we're seeing and I was asking the Lord when it would all be over. But instead of directly answering me, He said, "Give peace a chance."
At first I thought He was talking about world peace. The statement made me think of the Peace Movement in the 60s, and the title of one of the old Beatles' songs with the same name – "Give Peace a Chance." So I asked the Lord, "How do I give peace a chance when the world is in such a mess?" Then I heard Him say, "Your focus is in the wrong place. You're overly concerned with the upheaval going on, and so you've abandoned peace. Give peace a chance, then your heart will not be troubled for I am your peace."
World Peace
Everyone wants world peace. It's always been on the mind of the masses. I can still remember all of the beauty pageants I watched on television as a kid. At the very end of every pageant they would ask each contestant one final question and it would often be something like, "If you were granted one wish what would it be?" And I can remember many a contestant saying, "I would ask for world peace!"
We all would love to have world peace, but there's one problem. The Lord never promised us that we would have it in our lifetime. But He did promise us that He would give us peace as individual Believers. And He said that we could have nations if we would ask for them, so that we could minister the Gospel of hope and life to them. But even then, He didn't promise that those nations would live in peace and harmony.
2 Timothy 3:1, "But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce and difficult for the people of God."
John 16:33, "...For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows..."
Matthew 10:34, "Perhaps you think I've come to spread peace and calm over the earth – but My coming will bring conflict and division, not peace."
But here's the good news; Matthew 10:39 says, "...But those who let go of their lives for My sake and surrender it all to Me will discover true life!" (Photo via Unsplash)
As world governments desperately try to cope with global, economic, environmental, safety and health issues, we will all continue to feel the earth tremble. But be encouraged, God's Kingdom is still safe and secure! Christ came to us as the Prince of Peace – not as the world offers peace but as a peace that pulls us above the difficulties of this world! Believe it or not, even the chaos right now can teach us how to abide in Him (to abide in peace).
John 16:33, "And everything that I've taught you is so that the peace which is in Me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!"
This whole ordeal can lead us to a greater level of peace than we've ever known to date, OR it can render us totally ineffective. It's our choice. We must take our eyes off of the enemy and focus them back on the Father. Then we'll find that our perspectives and outlooks will change from hopelessness and defeat to reclaiming the authority, power and dominion of the Holy Spirit that longs to rule and reign in and over our hearts. Every spiritual battle is won when we're given over to the Prince of Peace. For He is our peace (Eph. 2:14)!
As far as the Lord is concerned, we've already crushed satan under our feet! For He has gone before us and done all the work. We just have to yield in obedience and receive it by faith. Obedience to His will is the act of faith that does the pulverizing work of demolishing the enemy's plans. And in the end, we rise up in the victory that was provided for us on the front end!
It's time for you to enter in to a new level of His peace. The door is standing open for you to pass through! Come on up!
Romans 16:19-20 (emphasis added), "...I want you to become scholars of all that is good and beautiful, and stay pure and innocent [unmixed] when it comes to evil. And the God of peace will swiftly pound satan to a pulp under your feet! And the wonderful favor of our Lord Jesus will surround you."
Another Dream
I had another dream the other day where I was in the middle of a beautiful field, and around me were streams and mountains and birds singing; the sky was sunny and bright, like a perfect day. Then satan came and stood next to me. He put his hand up and took hold of the demonic realm of the spirits of wickedness in high places. Then out of nowhere, a darkness fell and surrounded us. It blocked out the view of all the beauty so that I could no longer see or experience it.
After a while, I decided to lift my eyes to see what was above me and when I did, I saw the hand of the Lord reaching down from Heaven toward me. So I lifted my hand to His and He took it. He then guided it to an opening in the darkness that I was unable see until I took His hand. With the Father's help I was able to push the curtain of darkness back, and once more I could see the reality of what was really surrounding me. When I awoke, I was singing, "It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You!"
You may feel like you're surrounded by dark circumstances, but today the Lord is saying to you, "Take My hand and together we will reach out in the unknown and we'll push back the curtain of darkness that has shut you out. For I am providing My peace for you if you will accept it. And I speak, 'Grace, grace, over you!'"
He's parting the darkness so that you can see His revelation light illuminating the way ahead. If you have lost your peace, He's here to restore it and to get you back on track. Give peace a chance!
How to Remain in a Place of Peace
Here's a list of things that you can do to remain in a place of peace:
1. Let your heart be consumed with thoughts of who God the Father is.
Isaiah 26:3, "Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with You; they confidently trust in You."
2. Ask the Lord to quicken His Word to your spirit until you hunger for more.
Psalm 119:165, "There is such a great peace and well-being that comes to the lovers of Your Word, and they will never be offended."
3. Give yourself over to doing the things that you know please the Father's heart.
Proverbs 16:7, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."(Photo via Piqsels)
4. Make decisions that are guided by His peace.
Colossians 3:15, "Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of His one Body..."
5. Allow the Holy Spirit to control your thoughts.
Romans 8:6, "For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace."
6. In all things trust in God, by believing.
Romans 15:13, "Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in Him..."
7. Give ALL your worries to God in prayer. (You all know this Scripture, but now read it in the Passion Translation.)
Philippians 4:6-7 (TPT), "Don't be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life. Then God's wonderful peace, that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ."
I can guarantee that you'll walk in a whole new level of peace if you practice these things. I've experienced it for myself! I've even had two especially overwhelming encounters of peace that defy all reason.
The Encounters
One encounter took place when our daughter was bitten by a snake in the jungle. When I received the news of what had happened, I immediately cried out to God for His help and He met me in the midst of my desperation. All at once, I could feel a supernatural endowment of peace come over me; and just as it says in Scripture, it took over my heart and my mind. I don't know how I could have made it through that whole situation the way I did if it wasn't for His peace. It was just as it says in Philippians 4:7; it was a peace that surpasses any understanding or logic.
The other encounter happened the morning after I had a very difficult experience at work. When I awoke the next morning, I could actually feel all the cells in my body singing together with one voice, "Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord!" I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "How did you know that your cells were singing and that's what they were singing?" I don't know, I just did. It was so supernatural. I could actually feel it. And as I lay there, I experienced the most glorious peace I've ever felt in my whole life. The intensity of it lasted for quite some time, and a peace settled over my heart that took away all the pain of the trauma I had faced the day before. It was an indescribable peace!
This is what He wants for you today! In fact, He's already provided it. And you actually don't have to wait for Heaven to experience it! Do you want it?
He's saying, "I am such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! I'm a proven help in times of trouble – more than enough and always available whenever you need Me" (see Psalm 46:1, 10).
It's time to surrender your anxiety over to Him! Give peace a chance!
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Candice Simmons
Passion & Fire
Email:Â candice@passionandfire.com
Website:Â www.passionandfire.com
Brian and Candice Simmons have been married for 43 years. With their three children, they spent nearly eight years in the tropical rain forest of the Darien Province of Panama as a church planter, translator, and consultant. Now, nearly everyone in the village follows the Lamb of God. After their missionary career they came to New England, and were involved with starting Gateway Christian Fellowship, which they pastored for 18 years. After turning the church over to a wonderful leadership team, they began to travel full-time speaking, teaching, and helping churches and leaders to grow in Christ. They've had the joy of traveling to over 30 nations, sharing the message of God's greatness and His end time glory that will be revealed through His people. Brian is also the lead translator for The Passion Translation Project which will result in a new, dynamic version of the Bible for this generation. Brian and Candice have three children, six grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.
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I have sure enjoyed getting to meet and know Brian and Candice Simmons...they are so full of the presence and love of God.
