THE POWER OF PEACE

THE POWER OF PEACE

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27


1. Fear is part of our world.

"Troublesome times are here, Filling men’s hearts with fear, Freedom we all hold dear Now is at stake . . ." song #351

F.D.R. used to say: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

"The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion." Prov 28:1

"A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalms 27:1

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" Luke 12:4-5


2. This present distress. Paul wrote: "I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress--that it is good for a man to remain as he is:"
1 Cor 7:26

The world was aflame with tribulation as Paul wrote. Events were leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. God was judging His people Israel. Compare Matt. 23:37-39.

a) No matter what may be going on all around you today, you can still live in peace. The scripture encourages us to not let our hearts be troubled. In other words, don’t meditate on all the negative things in this world to the point that it steals your peace. Compare Luke 21:8-22.

b) If you have fear, worry or anxiety about anything, recognize that those feelings aren’t from God because He has promised to give you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7


3. There is tremendous power in peace.

a) Peace is an attitude. Compare Romans 5:1-8.

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us... But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

b) When you are at peace internally, you can think more clearly. You can hear the voice of God more easily. You’ll make better decisions. Even your physical body responds to peace. The enemy knows this, and his goal is to steal your peace. Satan tries to set you up to get upset. But when you choose to receive God’s peace, then no weapon formed against you shall prosper. You can live in peace, you can live in joy, and you can live the abundant life God has for you.

"for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Romans 16:20

"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:7-8

"Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gift of peace in my life. I choose to receive Your peace in my heart and hold it close to me always. I receive Your Word as truth and life to my soul. In Jesus’ Name. Amen."

"Oh Lord, I know that You cause all things to work out to the good for those who love you. I love You and I am persuaded that You are working out the details of this distressing situation for my good and to show Yourself powerful on my behalf… confirming Your Covenant with me through Christ Jesus. Therefore, I walk forward in strength and confidence. Alleluia!" (Mark Hicks adapted from Romans 8:28, Romans 6)