The Narrow Path that leads to Peace

 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Everyone wants a peaceful life but not everyone has one. Only those who discover the narrow path that leads to it can experience “the peace that passeth understanding” that the Bible promises. This article explains the narrow path and what each person must do to find it.

The Path to Peace: A Relationship with God,

The only true peace comes from God, who created and knows us better than we know ourselves. There are two kinds of peace: the peace with God and the peace of God. The Peace of God is only available to those who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ the Lord:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:8-12). “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

You may say, “I’m not an enemy of God.” You are if you reject salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Isaiah the prophet said, “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22). Again, you might say, “I’m not wicked.” All matter of sin is wickedness in God’s sight; according to Romans 5:8, all are sinners.

If we are to experience peace with God, we must deal with sin by trusting in Jesus for forgiveness: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  13“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10;9,13).

Salvation is as simple as trusting in Jesus to forgive you your sins, and anyone who will acknowledge their sins and call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. If you want more information on knowing God and discovering the only path to peace, visit www.otobefree.com.                                  .

The first kind of peace is peace with God, and it must be met before you can experience the second kind. The peace of God.

A Relationship with God, the Path to the Peace of God

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

We must believe that God is in control: We cannot control the circumstances that come into our lives; if you think you can, you will always be disappointed. Everything that comes into the life of a believer passes by God first, and God either approves, allows, or prevents it. We may wonder why God allows some of the circumstances that we experience. There are a couple of reasons: According to Scripture, we reap what we sow; therefore, the first reason is that we bring many things into our lives by our actions. Second, it is through circumstances that we grow and mature spiritually.

We must believe that God’s promise of peace is real and claim it: God never forces anything on us, not even peace. Some choose to go it alone when the power of the Holy Spirit is proper within them waiting and ready to control the instant there is submission to His leadership.

We must completely surrender to Jesus: How can we ever know that we are wholly surrendered to Christ our Lord? First, what does it mean to surrender wholly to God through Jesus Christ, His Son? It means not holding anything back. Surender or commitment means we are ready to do as Jesus commanded, take up our cross, and follow Him. That means that our relationship with God is our top priority. I spoke earlier about being enemies of God based on the verses in Romans and James. That means before we came to Jesus, we were not surrendered to Him. We were the captains of our own lives, making our own decisions, following our own will, and robbing God of everything that belonged to Him. When we are born again, all things become new and our desires change, and in our hearts, we no longer want to hold anything back from Him. That is true surrender. Then why do some show little evidence that they are fully surrendered to Christ? It is their choice.

Here is what the Bible describes as complete surrender:

• “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
• “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
•  “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
• “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).

Could be you are thinking, “I can never do all that,” and you are absolutely right if you are depending on the strength of the flesh. But you can do it in God’s strength. God never expects anything of us that He is not willing to empower us to do.

Three ways to know you have surrendered all to God:

1. Tell God from your heart that you surrender all to Him.
2. Let your daily actions show that you are fully surrendered to God.
3. Depend on God’s strength each day to carry you through the day.

Things That Steal Our Peace

Unconfessed sin: “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31). If our sin separates us from God, does it not also separate us from His peace? The time to confess sin is immediately when we realize we have sinned. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Allowing others or circumstances to steal our peace: If Jesus promises us His peace, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you …” (John 14:27), why do we spoil it with our actions? Perhaps it is because we are not spending enough time alone with God to prepare us for each day. I like to spend the first hour of my day praying, meditating, expressing gratitude to God for His blessings, and Bible study. That prepares me for the day ahead, the people I meet, and the circumstances. It is important to note that our health is affected by our peace or the lack of it: The word “dis-ease” is a good definition of the absence of peace, “not in ease.”

Unmeasured emotions: Emotions are God-given and comprise the third part of the soul. Emotions can help, but when not measured, they can also destroy our peace and the peace of others. The definition of emotions: “Emotions are physical and instinctive, instantly prompting bodily reactions to threat, reward, and everything in between.” The ability to measure emotions is referred to as “Emotional Intelligence” (EI or EQ for “emotional quotient”). “This is the ability to perceive, interpret, demonstrate, control, evaluate, and use emotions to communicate with and relate to others effectively and constructively. It is suggested that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ for success. It is also essential to experience the peace of God.

Being quick to defend ourselves and constantly needing to be right in everything: There is an excellent example In the book, “New Earth” by Eckardt Tolle. He tells a story about something that happened in a small village: The Zen Master Hakuin was esteemed by the people in his village.  One day, a distraught young woman finds she is pregnant and tells her parents the father was Hakuin. Furious, they rush to the Master, informing him he is a father. “Is that so?” is his only response. Hakuin’s reputation in the community is tarnished. After the baby’s birth, they deliver it to Hakuin to raise it. He proceeds to raise the baby with love.  One Year later, the daughter confesses her lie. She reveals the father as a young man who worked in the fish market.  Sheepishly, they return to the Master and apologize.  They inform him he is not the father and they have come to take the child back. Hakuin’s only response as he returned the baby to the parents was, “Is that so?”

That could be a good response when we have been falsely accused, which diminishes our character. Have you noticed that our defense seldom changes anything? Jesus did not defend himself: “And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, ‘Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!’ But Jesus still answered nothing” (Mark 15:3-5). It is understandable there are times when defense must be made, but most of the time, it wastes time and only steals our peace.

Trying to be perfect in everything is impossible since nothing is perfect, and nothing you can do will ever make anything perfect. Trying to make things perfect is against finding peace and leaves you in a state of frustration. The solution is to focus on making something the best you can and then accept it.

Trying to impress others: The solution is to realize that others are not interested in your accomplishments; They are only concerned about their own, so quit wasting time trying to impress those who could care less and focus on taking care of your own business. Show appreciation and gratitude for others, but don’t expect anything back, or you may always be disappointed and experience the loss of peace.

Trying to get others to like you: It does not matter what you do; some will not like you for whatever reason. Being driven by what others think or by their opinions costs our freedom and our peace. The best solution is to show interest in others and let your conversation center on their interests. This can be rewarding because people are fascinating. This is the best way to make people like you, but others can become your friends if it fails. Friends and relationships are extremely important, but most efforts to force friendship usually fail and cost us our peace.

Conclusion

Most people do not fully understand the need to “change ourselves.” It goes beyond mere positive thinking or change of behavior. The deeper meaning is a change in how we view God. God is the source of true peace and freely gives it to those who, through His Son, Jesus Christ, are willing to have a relationship with Him. God gives a change of heart, a desire to repudiate that which is wrong, which is a defiance against Him. It is a change from horizontal living to a vertical relationship with God. It is a transformation from that which is old to something that is new, a new self. It is a change that brings peace beyond our understanding; it makes life more profound and meaningful. Faith in God through trusting Jesus as savior will help you experience a new freedom and peace you have never known before.