Peace

Peace- obtainable? Absolutely! 

Isaiah 26:3 NLT

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3 NASB

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3 HCSB

You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. 

Beauty comes through peace. Trust in the Lord and His grace and peace will fall upon you revealing the beauty of a Father who loves YOU!

Day 132: A unique peace

John 14:23-27 NIV

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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 14:23-27 NLT

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

         There is a unique peace that comes from the Lord. It is a gift that we receive, not one we can go and take. True peace is not something you can acquire of your own strength. As much as we can meditate, seek counseling, pray, none of these will promote lasting peace that surpasses our understanding. We may temporarily provide ourselves a measure of relief of tranquility, but do not allow that to deceive you. Tranquility and peace can be two totally different concepts.

         Tranquility is a state of homeostasis. While it may seem like we are at rest or doing what we are called to do, it does not mean that there are not pieces within the system that are not working hard and in turmoil as tranquility can take a lot to master. Something is working hard behind the scenes to create the tranquility we are seeking. We miss-associate tranquility with peace because to look at peace from the outside we think it means calm, quiet, and undisturbed.

         What Jesus is offering here is completely different. For most of my life I have been seeking tranquility when I needed to learn how to embrace the peace that Jesus had to give me. It has taken me a long time to truly embrace what Jesus was talking about here before He left to prepare a place for us. Before I learned to embrace this peace, I was constantly seeking tranquility in my life. Tranquility looks like peace, but it really is not.

         I wanted everything to seem like it was at peace, and I believed that was how I would find the peace that Jesus was teaching us about here. Whereas, what He was really saying is that through the Holy Spirit, in ALL things and EVERYTHING we can have peace. It stems from grace. Our understanding of grace is to drive peace and contentment in ALL THINGS. This actually means all… In the presence of evil, hate, slander, vitriol, and death, we can maintain peace through Jesus…

Dear Peace Granting Father,

         Thank You for grace and peace. Without it, I do not know where I would be. I am humbled you have granted me peace in all circumstances and that I can pursue Your heart Jesus. Thank You for granting me a helper in the Holy Spirit. Forgive me when I do things that grieve Your Spirit Lord and guide me into everlasting peace with You. You have promised us so much, but we must endure temporary hardships while we grow into embracing the peace that You are offering. Thank You for granting us endurance and favor through Jesus’s grace and sacrifice on the cross. We love You Jesus. Amen. 

Day 133: Transcendent peace

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.

         This by far is one of the clearest explanations of how to access the free peace of God that transcends all understanding. It is also one of the verses that I personally turn to over and over again as I walk through this world. It is a direct script on the steps we are to take to access the peace that Jesus has so freely given to us to access.

         Let’s break it down. It starts with a command, “Do NOT be anxious about anything.” This is straight and to the point. However, we miss it… ANYTHING. This means everything. IN everything do NOT be ANXIOUS. We make every excuse known to God above, but this is a command. I know, but HOW do I NOT be anxious about anything?

         This is where the next line becomes so powerful, it tells us what to directly replace the anxiety with! “ But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” This is literally a checklist to activate peace. IN EVERY SITUATION…BY PRAYER AND PETITION… WITH THANKSGIVING!!! PRESENT YOUR REQUEST TO GOD… I am not sorry for screaming these things to you, because it is SO important for us to understand how to access this peace. This is the most powerful practice I have ever encountered to combat everything I have experienced in my life.

Beyond understanding grace this is the single most important aspect of my walk with Jesus. I have to allow God’s peace to RULE in my life. The ONLY way I have found to truly access this peace is through thanksgiving and prayer. God’s word validates this in so many places, take for instance in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” If we are to allow God’s peace to have complete dominion over our lives, we must learn how to access the transcendent power it has. The only way that we will access that power is through prayer, petition, and thanksgiving as we present ourselves to the Lord in humble adoration and service.

WAIT THERE’S MORE!!! For a nominal fee of nothing but the grace of Jesus Christ in doing all these things you get MORE! When we do these things with the right motives and understanding, that is prayer, petition, with thanksgiving, peace is granted through the Holy Spirit in a way that surpasses our capabilities. The Holy Spirit actually helps guard our hearts and minds! If we can tap into this cyclical process, we find a peace and resolve that makes us transcend all that is around us in a humble way that keeps us moving forward in life living out the gospel of Jesus Christ through grace in our own lives for all to see. It is a powerful process and fun once you begin to see the world through God’s eyes guarding your heart and mind. The world becomes very beautiful because you can see Jesus’s Grace covering everything.

Dear Transcendent Father,

         Lord, we are humbled to come into Your presence and present anything to You, for we know that we have nothing to truly offer You. Father, we come with an offering of praise and adoration with the sincerest thanksgiving we can offer. We are overwhelmed by all that You have done in our lives. You have brought us to this moment in time where we see all that we have and it pales in comparison to all that You are Jesus. Your grace is enough for us Jesus and we are beyond thankful for it. Without it we would not even be able to approach You in this moment. Thank You for Your grace and peace that transcends all understanding. Thank You for these gifts that are wonderful and provide us with so much comfort. Thank You for Your abundant love You continue to pour out upon us. Thank You for this moment and this breath. Lord, all we ask You for today is that we would see You move in our hearts and minds to guard us with Your peace and presence as we walk. Let us make it through understanding that You direct our steps and return tonight to meditate on Your word and Your promises Jesus. Thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 134: Steadfast Peace

Isaiah 26:3 NLT

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3 NASB

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3 HCSB

You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.

         Steadfast peace... Is this really possible? Perfect peace… If we are really honest, I mean really honest, this sounds too good to be true. I have yet to experience this idea of perfect peace in its fullness. You may be different from me and have this all the time. If so, I would like to meet you and ask you a bunch of questions.

         What I have found is the hope this verse provides for me. My issue in my life is that my thoughts do not always stay fixed on the Lord. I think about Him and the calling He has placed on my life a lot, but I also wrestle with what would be the desires of my life. My fleshly sin nature is constantly fighting against my mind and heart. Each time I go through another struggle or situation, I find myself being more refined and carved by the Lord. I am nowhere close to the man the Lord wants me to be yet. I would imagine that I will never fully be the man God desires me to be this side of my eternal existence. Yet, I still have hope because of this verse.

         This verse is saying God will keep us in perfect peace. It is nothing of ourselves that will hold us in the place of steadfast peace. Our struggles take us out of this peace day in and day out. This is why I believe the Lord led me to put so many versions of this verse up for today. It is so much easier to see that the Lord is the source of holding us in the perfection of His peace. Our response is the only thing that is truly in our control. Notice how each verse is slightly different, but they all have the same human response to what Jesus does. We are to respond to everything in that we trust in Jesus. Our faith remains secure.

         There is a little nuance here that I think we could easily miss if we are not careful. We know the Lord gives us a new heart in which He writes His word upon and the Holy Spirit indwells within us. Check each verse- notice how each one speaks about our minds and our thoughts. We have to guard our minds with thanksgiving for all the Lord has done. There is such promise in Jesus’s grace and power. Consider Isaiah 57:18-19 NASB, “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, Creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far away and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”” There is so much promised in this steadfast peace, but it is the Lord’s to grant, not ours to strive for. It is our responsibility to trust in Jesus’s promises and set our minds and thoughts to work on remaining steadfast on the calling Jesus has placed in our lives. When we stay focused and thankful, I believe we have access to this steadfast perfect peace that Jesus will continue to bless us with.

Dear Steadfast Father,

         Thank You for Your power and authority over our lives that can provide us access to Your perfect peace. You are such a blessing Lord. Let me take every thought captive and turn it to You Jesus. Thank You that Your will is being done in my life. Thank You for so much access to Your scripture in so many different forms. Your Word is the most powerful source of eternal lasting peace in our lives. We must trust in You because of our limited capacity as humans. Help us trust in You more and more and show us how Your grace and peace are at work all around us. Thank You Jesus for this and so much more. In Jesus authority and power, Amen.