Conflict

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

 

“But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭57‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

 

Solution 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

We are reconciled with God through the cross and therefore enter into peace with Him. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

We are reconciled with one another

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

1. Let us thank God for providing a way to reconciliation through the cross of Jesus.

2. Let us pray for the spread of the gospel through which God’s plan of reconciliation and peace is made known to people. 

 

The Nature of peace

The New Testament speaks of two kinds of peace—the objective peace that has to do with your relationship to God (discussed above), and the subjective peace that has to do with your experience in life.

 

“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 ‭NKJV‬‬

 

The peace the Lord speaks of here is a subjective, experiential peace. It is tranquility of the soul, a settled, positive peace that affects the circumstances of life. It is a supernatural, permanent, positive, no-side-effects, divine tranquilizer. (John MacArthur)

 

This is the peace that Paul speaks about in Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The peace of God is not based on circumstances like the world's peace, so it doesn't always make sense to the carnal mind; Paul says it is a peace that surpasses comprehension. It doesn't seem reasonable that such peace could exist in the midst of the problems and troubles Christians go through. But this is divine, supernatural peace; it cannot be figured out on a human level.

 

The word guard" in  Philippians 4:7 is not the word that means to "watch," or "keep imprisoned." It is a word that is often used in a military sense, meaning "to stand at a post and guard against the aggression of an enemy." When peace is on guard, the Christian has entered an impregnable citadel from which nothing can dislodge him. The name of the fortress is Christ, and the guard is peace. The peace of God stands guard and keeps worry from the corroding our hearts, and unworthy thoughts from tearing up our minds.

 

We ought to be able to lay hold of this peace. It is there, it is ours; but we must take hold of it. It is interesting that He says "I give you peace," then He says, "Do not let your heart be troubled." The peace He gives has to be received and applied in our lives. If we lay hold of the promise of the very peace of Christ, we will have calm, untroubled hearts, regardless of external circumstances.

 

Perfect peace comes when our focus is off the problem, off the trouble, and constantly on Christ. Isaiah 26:3 says, "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You." 

 

 

Prayer points:

3. Thank God for His peace that guards our hearts and minds 

4. Lay hold of the peace of God. Let us repent of any unbelief and/or failure to trust God. 

5. Commit to walk more closely with the Holy Spirit as He is the only one who can keep our focus on Jesus.

 

Any testimonies?