Enabled to live courageously, certain & undaunted in uncertain times
Before I share today's encouragement, I want you to ask yourself the following questions. When you read these questions, don't just skim or speed read over them, also ask yourself these questions in your heart before continue reading and see what comes up for you.
Where does peace come from? In what do you find your peace? Can you live in perfect peace and how does that look like in our daily lives? Is perfect peace even possible? It's very important for us to know what we believe (the picture or image) we have of things, because it's a result of what we truly believe (the picture or image we have of something) in our heart and that will determine our experience of it. Right or wrong, just because you believe it doesn't make it right or wrong, that just means that's your picture or belief of it.
27 Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] John 14:27 Amplified Bible
What is very encouraging to see is that God's heart for us is not to just live in peace, but peace that is perfect and unaffected. So how do we get this perfect peace and operate in it, especially in a time that we are living in right now? Let's look at the following verse to help us see where perfect peace comes from.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1 NKJV “Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us.” Romans 5:1
Firstly it is very important to note that God’s kind of peace isn't a result of circumstances or situations on the outside being perfect, and even though the circumstance or situation doesn't change, you can still experience perfect peace. God's kind of peace starts in the heart, what we believe. From Romans 5:1 we can see that peace is a result of justification (being righteous), but how are we justified? In order to be justified one needs to hear something (Romans 10:17) and respond in faith. (faith is a response of the heart), so what do you need to hear? The Gospel, and what is the Gospel? Let's look at the verse below to show us.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17
The Gospel reveals your righteous identity that is available to you (as a gift) through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. As a result of believing the Gospel (receiving that gift) you are now righteous and one with Jesus and His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). But what does this have to do with peace? Peace is an identity, it's a person and it is all found in a person - Jesus who is now inside of you. Because you believed on Jesus(The Gospel) you NOW HAVE AN IDENTITY OF PEACE, as part of your righteous nature that's inside of you. How do you walk more in peace - here is how, the more hear and respond to the Gospel, which is - because of His intense love for you and by His grace for you and not by anything you do or can accomplish, you have been made righteous, freed from all sin, guilt, shame, fear and condemnation, forever, it will cause the perfect peace that is on the inside of you (Jesus) to overflow into life. Therefore the more you know and believe that you are already made righteous, the more peace you’ll experience and walk in. Peace is your identity - because of Jesus.
Have a great day!
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