Heavenly Peace Now
“It’s not the things you do in life that you regret—it’s the things you don’t do.”
“In surveying the responses of hundreds of participants in six studies, researchers found that, when asked to name their single biggest regret in life, 76 percent of participants gave one top answer: they didn’t fulfill their ideal self,” -The Ideal Road Not Taken. God wants you to be your ideal self. He wants you to take the ideal road He lays out for you. Don’t resist His work in your life. He wants to give you Heavenly Peace Now beyond understanding and fill you with joy unspeakable.
People look in many different places to find the ideal meaning and purpose for their life. Sometimes it is the special seasons of the year like Christmas. Many look forward to Christmas with the anticipation of receiving the joy and peace they long for, but are disappointed when it does not happen. If you don’t have joy and peace going into Christmas, you will not likely have it when you come out. So it is with other special occasions such as vacations etc. True peace can only be found if you are willing to meet God’s requirements:
The first requirement for Heavenly Peace Now is Godly Peace requires an intimate knowledge of and complete trust in Jesus Christ, who the scripture refers to as “the Prince of Peace.” In Philippians 4:19, we read, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:20 says, “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
The whole world searches for peace but cannot find it because it cannot be found in temporary treaties and truces. Only 8%, or 286 years, of the 3100 years of recorded world history has the world been at peace. There have been 8000 treaties made and broken. Peace is actually in and of the person of Jesus. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peaceI 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 27. The only true road to peace can be found in Jesus alone. Ephesians 2:14 tells us, “He is our peace.” God wants us to have peace and calmness of heart as He assures us in His Word. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost,” Romans 15:13. The book of Hebrews calls our Father “the God of all peace.” Psalm 29:11 says, “The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.”
Jesus said at his ascension to heaven, “Lo I am with you always.” We will know a peace that passes understanding, when we cultivate a sensitivity of His presence. Not only do we find peace in the Lord but also safety and victory over fear. According to the Bible, His perfect love that dwells within believers casts out fear; on the other hand, Satan’s strategy is to impose fear, through the media and worldwide events. Satan attempts to keep you from walking in peace with God.
Jesus lived in the same troubled world we do. He taught his disciples that they could overcome the world because he did. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33.The peace of God does not mean the absence of troubles; it means peace in the midst of troubles.
What then must I do? Billy Graham preached the answer to that question to millions in his lifetime. Over and over he said, “By an act of faith you must receive Christ. You must give Him your total life, your intellect, your emotional life. Your will must be bent to His will—surrender, commit, receive. Give your life to Him! Don’t let anything keep you back! You may never again be this close to the Kingdom of God.” The Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,” John 1:12.
Satan uses fear to rob you of peace, disrupt your life, and create
anxiety and a feeling of hopelessness. When our minds are centered on God, and
we trust in Him, our tranquility of mind is perfect. For perfect peace, keep
your mind stayed on God rather than on the world, yourself or your problems.
The second requirement for Heavenly Peace Now requires keeping the lord at center place in your mind. To keep your mind ‘stayed upon the LORD’ is not automatic for believers; it is a learned discipline. It is important to know that the battle for peace is won or lost in your mind. As we learn to focus on God’s loving care and protection, we gain an attitude of peace in our heart. And this will begin to affect the choices and actions in life. Anxiety and fear should not be the basis for decision-making; rather, let God’s peace be the guiding factor in your life. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD Jehovah is everlasting strength,” Isaiah 26:3-4.
The third requirement for Heavenly Peace Now requires a consistent prayer life. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:6-7. Prayer has multi purposes. It is a time of bonding with God, worshiping Him, asking His Forgiveness and His help to overcome the world and live in His peace with calmness of heart. Pray for peace:
- When thoughts are out of control
- When inside you feel like you have entered a battle zone
- When the storms of life seem to be never ending
- When you feel defeated and confusion reigns all around you
- When doubt overcomes your peace and joy
- When the what-ifs and only-ifs plague you with needless worry
- When stress overcomes you and you are anxious and afraid
Pray, dear Lord, restore my peace, and calm and my anxious and troubled spirit. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
The fourth requirement for Heavenly Peace Now requires understanding God has a purpose in our trials. If you overlook this one requirement, the circumstances of life will rob you of all peace. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose,” Romans 8:28. God is not saying that all things that happen to us are good. It isn’t good to have cancer or watch a love one die. He is saying that he can take even the bad things and bring something good into our lives. God does not cause the afflictions we experience, but He can bring a variety of good things, including peace, from those afflictions. God does discipline and chasten His children in order to “yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness” in our lives, Hebrews 12:11. Afflictions can provide “hope in the Lord” and cause us to turn our praise to Him, Psalm 43:5. They give us knowledge that helps us comfort others undergoing similar trials, 2 Corinthians 1:4, and they make us aware of the eternal glory we have in Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:17. According to Scripture, even in the time of trouble “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses His people with peace,” Psalm 29:11
The fifth requirement for Heavenly Peace Now requires abiding in the Spirit of God and experiencing the fruit of the Spirit in your life. In other words, allow the Holy Spirit to direct your life and produce His fruit through you. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” Galatians 5:22. The fruit of the Spirit, which include peace, is centered in love and grows out of it.
We do not have the ability in and of ourselves to love that way unless we come to Christ—unless the Holy Spirit is directing our life. God gives the ability to love through His agape love, which is a supernatural love. When God comes into the heart of man, via His Holy Spirit, His love and glory also enters. The fruit of the Spirit is actually a reflection of God’s residing love shining through us like a ray of shining light.
70 times in the New Testament the call to rejoice is sounded. A joyful life is God’s way and result of His indwelling Spirit. According to James even trouble and trials do not rob us of godly joy, He said, “Count it all joy when you face trials and tribulations and troubles.”
Christian joy is independent of our trials and troubles. While clean pleasure is desirable, it depends on circumstances. God’s joy is always present. It is the miracle of the indwelling Holy Spirit. When the going is rough, and the world seems to be against you, and all comfort is withdrawn, there is a miracle of joy within, created by the Holy Spirit.
Millions search for a deep, inward, satisfying peace, but it seems to elude them no matter how much money they make, how many things they acquire, drugs they use, or pleasure they seek. It cannot be found in the world, not even in religion. Peace is of God. It is His peace that dwells within in the person and is of the Holy Spirit.
When we give our life to Christ He gives us “the peace that passes all understanding,” Philippians 4:7. As you completely yield to Him as Savior and Lord and commit your life to His leadership through the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit characterize your life, which includes His love accompanied by His joy and peace. Then the influence of the world and sin will no longer rule over you. “He who is in you [the Holy Spirit] is greater than he who is in the world,” 1 John 4:4. Click here to learn how to have a relationship with God.
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