Do you feel like your life has been robbed of the peace you so desperately need? Peace is a right Jesus died to give you. You can take back your peace and keep it for good!
There’s a thief in our midst. No alarm system, security camera or armed guard can keep him out. There’s only one thing that can stop him—YOU. He’s come around quietly in the past, taking small things here and there. Maybe you didn’t even notice. But over time, perhaps he’s been able to steal something much bigger, and much more important—your peace. Maybe he’s even been able to get away with it, too—until now.
Peace is valuable. So much so that the world will go to extremes to acquire it. They’ll pursue money and fame, use drugs and commit adultery. With all this effort, they’ve found one thing—it doesn’t work. That’s because you’ll never find peace through sin or the world’s way. The world has no peace to offer you. There is only one way to enjoy true peace—Jesus—the Prince of Peace.
Through His peace, you can live free of anxiety, depression, fear, poverty, lack and sickness. You can live in contentment, joy, security, rest and wholeness. In fact, Jesus died to give it to you. He said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives” (John 14:27, NKJV).
That’s why the peace you have through Him is worth fighting for.
If you aren’t experiencing that kind of peace in your life, are you ready to deal with the thief? Here are four ways to take back your peace.
1. Expect Every Promise
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” –2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV)
If you want to take back your peace, you need to start where it was stolen in the first place—right at the promises of God. If you really believe—if you know—that God’s promises are “yes” and “amen” for you, there is nothing to fear, nothing to question, nothing to consider. So, if the devil wants to rob you blind of your peace, he’s going to go for the jugular—your faith in THE BLESSING.
You see, he knows every promise of God already belongs to you. His only hope is to swindle you out of them by convincing you otherwise. You might say, I believe in the promises of God, and I want them. But do you expect them? Do you believe, without a doubt, that you will have them, or do you sometimes wonder if they’ll ever come to pass? It’s in that tiny area where belief and unbelief intersect that Satan lies in wait to ambush your faith.
Find out 3 Ways to Overcome Unbelief here.
Let’s set the record straight. Every promise of God is for you. To have peace is to trust God—completely. Jesus took the chastisement of our peace upon Himself so that we might enjoy the kind of peace that passes understanding every day—in every area of our lives.
That’s where peace comes from. Enjoying every good thing. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, which means “nothing missing, nothing broken,” or “to be whole.” That kind of peace has always been God’s plan for His covenant-keeping people. No promise missing, no part of it broken.
What does that mean?
It means you don’t have to tolerate any kind of sickness, disease or allergy. It means you don’t expect to have debt because “everyone has debt.” It means you don’t expect divorce simply because others entertain that notion. It means you don’t expect your teenagers to rebel just because society says it’s normal.
We don’t want to model our expectations after the world—they’ve never experienced the peace of God—but you already have it. Psalm 29:11 says He “blesses His people with peace” (NIV). He did that through the blood of Jesus—the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). The Bible tells us He bore the chastisement of our peace the same way He bore our sins and sicknesses and diseases (Isaiah 53:5). He is our peace.
Peace isn’t just the absence of trouble; it includes everything that makes for man’s highest good. That’s what God wants for your life. He wants your peace and prosperity to be like an abundant, flowing river.
2. Refuse to Entertain the Triple Threat
“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.” –John 14:27
Peace of mind—doesn’t that sound good? Where does it come from? There are three powerful gifts of the Spirit that bring abundance, joy, blessing and—peace. What are they? Faith, hope and love. Together, they are unstoppable, uncontainable and immovable. They can move mountains and overcome any attack of the devil. You could call them the triple threat in obtaining victory—a triple threat to the devil.
Well, Satan is a counterfeit and an opposing enemy. So, he has come up with his own triple threat in an attempt to dismantle your victory and steal your peace. Just like faith, hope and love, they work together only to achieve the opposite of peace. What’s worse, is that the world not only justifies them, but often encourages us to engage in them. You may even think they’re a normal part of life. What is Satan’s triple threat? Doubt, worry and fear.
God never intended for doubt, worry or fear to be part of our lives. Along with the torment they bring emotionally, they affect us physically as well. In fact, according to science, worry affects your concentration during the day and your sleep at night, and can even make you ill. That’s not God’s plan!
You see, true peace doesn’t come from the absence of trouble; it comes from the presence of God. That means you can live in the peace of God even when you have serious trouble because your peace doesn’t have anything to do with circumstances. When you live in that kind of peace, your circumstances will automatically get in line.
That’s why God says He will keep those who trust in Him in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). When we trust in His plans for us, which are to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11), we won’t entertain worry, doubt or fear. We won’t even consider it!
Kenneth E. Hagin once shared his strategy for dealing with fear. He said you have to deal with fear and doubt the same way you deal with the temptation to commit any other sin. For example, you would never allow the thought of stealing money to remain in your mind for even a moment. You would take that thought captive and cast it out as quickly as you could. We need to treat doubt, fear and worry the same way—as unacceptable thoughts that have no place in our lives.
Struggling with fear? Learn How to Pass the Fear Test here.
Don’t entertain the triple threat—don’t ever permit yourself to entertain thoughts of doubt, worry or fear. Throw them out like you would the thought of robbing a bank. If you’re up in the night worrying and becoming fearful, take those thoughts captive. Say, “I refuse to doubt God’s promises. I refuse to worry. I refuse to fear. I take a stand against them right now in the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ.” Then turn over and go back to sleep.
Build your faith for protection with these 7 Strategies to Build a Psalm 91 House.
3. Follow Your Inner Witness
“To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit.” –Romans 8:6, 16 (NKJV)
Sometimes the devil tries to steal our peace, and sometimes people do—but often, we are to blame! Making poor choices and failing to hear or heed God’s instructions can rob Christians of the peace we’re meant to enjoy every day.
How can we avoid this?
By listening to the inner witness. At one time or another, you may have found yourself caught in confusing circumstances and needing guidance— yet even after praying and reading the Word, you still weren’t sure what to do. Maybe it was something that isn’t addressed specifically in the Word of God, like whether to move to one city or another, for example.
When you find yourself in that situation, one thing is holding you back—your ability to know that you are doing the right thing. That’s where the inward witness comes in. God expected Israel, for example, to obey His written Word. But He also said to them, “Obey my voice” (Jeremiah 7:23, KJV) because He wanted them to know His will in specific situations.
An inner witness is not a feeling or your own thoughts. It is the ability to eliminate the voices in the world and only hear God, either through His written Word or the inward witness. These are two different things, but they never contradict each other. They’re both a vital part of our walk with God.
Tuning in to the Spirit of God as He talks to you will save you a whole lot of trouble in this life. If you don’t heed His voice, you may take a wrong turn, which could lead to unnecessary trouble. The inward witness will help you know what to do and what to avoid.
What Is Discernment and How Should We Use It?
That is a function of peace. If you don’t have peace about something, don’t do it. If you have to wait, then wait until you do have peace.
So, let your peace be your umpire, commit and trust everything in your life to Him, and then your plans will succeed, and you will have peace (Colossians 3:15, AMPC, Proverbs 16:3).
Tune in to that inward witness, to that quiet knowing, that urging, prompting and leading arising within you. Then the peace of God that passes understanding will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7, NKJV).
Learn more about the peace that comes from being whole in this video with Gloria Copeland and Billye Brim:
4. Love Others
“Love never fails.” –1 Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV)
Love never fails. That sounds like the key to guaranteed victory! Love for God, love for others—those are the two greatest commandments in the Bible. Sounds simple, but it can be a struggle for many of us.
Why is it so important to walk in love? Because someone will steal your peace if you don’t. If you’ve been making great strides in your faith—spending time in God’s Word, standing on His promises, and confessing His truth over your life, Satan will take notice. He’s going to try and take that from you (he comes to steal, kill and destroy). How? He’ll use circumstances, and he will also use people. He knows people have a way of really throwing a wrench in our day, our peace and our joy. If he can send someone to ruffle your feathers and throw you off course—he will. Your job is to not take the bait.
Strife is the enemy of peace. Unforgiveness is venom to a contented life. The antidote? Walking in love.
Looking for A Prayer to Live in Total Peace? Find it here.
What is walking in love?
Jesus said, in John 13:34, (NIRV): “Love one another, just as I have loved you.” That’s a powerful love. One that forgives even the worst sin, one that shows mercy and grace—even when we don’t deserve it.
How can you love others—even when they don’t deserve it?
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a great place to start. Try working through each characteristic mentioned in these verses one at a time. Start with “Love is patient” (verse 4). Ask God to help you be patient with those around you. Spend the week meditating and focusing on patience. It’s all right if you mess up along the way—you can ask for supernatural help! When you focus on loving others through patience, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you begin to change. Then, move to “love is kind” the next week. One by one, move through each one until you’ve renewed your mind to walking in love. While others will enjoy the new you, you’ll benefit the most!
This will be well worth the effort, because you are not going to have peace in your life without that foundation of love. Peace is built upon love and joy. Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. When you were born again, these fruit were put inside you, but you have to make the decision to grow them and let them out.
Walking in love is a decision. It’s a decision that will bring you great peace. You decide.
When you start operating in these truths—expecting every promise, refusing to worry or fear, listening to your inner witness, and walking in love—you will take back your peace and keep it for good. You can live the life most people only dream of. The thief has been found—now go get back your peace!
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A Prayer to Live in Total Peace
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