Peace in your heart
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.”
(John 14:27)
Here is one of the wonderful promises of God: “He will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Peace in our hearts is not only a promise and reward of God – a state that unbelievers often envy in an increasingly frenetic world – it is also a condition that we are commanded to enter. Jesus said: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” [John 14:1,27]
John 14:1,27
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.”
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
×Here is another example of the importance of peace in the heart and mind [2 Corinthians 2:12-13]. The apostle Paul said that he went to Troas to preach the gospel. That was his call – to spread the good news of Jesus Christ – so he was doing what he needed to do. He also reported that the Lord had opened a door for him – a confirmation that his journey was according to God’s will. However, he moved on quickly. Why? Because he “had no peace of mind”. That’s how important it is to have peace and to keep that peace always.
2 Corinthians 2:12-13
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
×There are many ways we hear from God and, since there is such a fine line between soul and spirit, it is advisable to seek confirmations. We have the example of Gideon, who put out fleeces [Judges 6:36-40], which, by the way, teaches us another lesson: Make it hard on God and easy on yourself.
Judges 6:36-40
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew – a bowlful of water.
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
×But the final confirmation, when seeking out what God wants you to do, is to have peace in your heart. Significantly, the Israelites in the wilderness did not move on until the cloud lifted. [Exodus 40:36-37 and Numbers 9:17]
Exodus 40:36-37
In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out – until the day it lifted.
Numbers 9:17
Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.
×Decide today that carrying the peace of God is vital to your spiritual well-being. Accept the promise of God found in Isaiah 26:3.
Recognise that God will endow you, supernaturally, with the blessed gift of peace when, as an act of your free will, you do one thing: Keep your thoughts fixed on Jesus.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You
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