Did you know peace is available for you right now? At the moment, we are dealing with one of the most jarring and tumultuous situations I’ve ever seen in my lifetime (and I believe you could probably say the same) with the Coronavirus.
One feeling that comes from something like this is the lack of peace. It’s the opposite of peace. In fact, it’s a fear. An unsettling feeling. A feeling where we are stuck and just waiting for somebody to fix it. I mean, that’s how I feel.
You can’t plan anything: Not your travel, your daily life, your kids’ schedules, nothing. You can’t even plan church services outside of streaming! I mean, it’s just wild what’s happening! All of this creates an unsettling feeling. Maybe you got laid off. Maybe you’re living on unemployment, wondering what happens when unemployment runs out. Maybe you’re looking at your mortgage and considering going into forbearance or wondering what to do about your car. These are all responses to the issues brought on by COVID-19.
Inevitably, you’re filling your time with things that are not good things. These are responses to this pandemic. Every time we do something that isn’t what we originally wanted, we feel out of control and PEACE is not found there.
But there is a way out.
A way to access peace, even in the midst of the situation that you’re going through. Here are four steps to find peace:
- We have to ACCEPT that peace is our inheritance as a follower of Jesus.“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.” – John 14:27 (NIV)
“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 (NIV)
So Jesus told us all these thing so we might have peace. Step one in having peace in our life is that we have to accept it. First of all, as He told it to us, it’s your inheritance! It’s for you, it’s for me, and it’s for anybody who has faith to believe it!But, it’s not enough just to accept it…
- We have to ALLOW peace in our lives.“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
It’s interesting that the Bible tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. That means there’s an action on our part (a responsibility). It’s not enough just to accept We have to actually allow it into our lives.All the drama and all the things going on? We have to say no to the feelings, fear, and despair that they cause and say YES to peace! We have to let it in and allow it into our lives!
- We have to PRAY and BE THANKFUL until that peace comes.This is the most important one, in my opinion.“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
That means for every situation that you’re in right now, the Lord is saying to you “peace is yours, allow it to live in your life, and here is how you access it: through prayer”.
And not just prayers, but prayers with thanksgiving. Many times when we are in the flesh, when we’re dealing with problems and stress and it seems overwhelming, we like to complain. Our flesh loves to complain.If we’re not careful, our flesh will get the midst of our prayer and say “God, I’m not grateful for anything. Why are you doing this to me? Why are you allowing this to happen?,” and stir up within us a self-righteous anger that demands an answer right now.
That’s not the way to approach the Lord.
We have to die to our flesh so that the Spirit of the Lord can come forth. See, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. Jesus says “when I go, I will send you the Holy Spirit and He is your comfort and your peace”. We have to breakthrough our flesh and get it out of the way; prayers of thanksgiving are the way to do that! We have to say “God, I’m thankful!”
Thankful that I have breath in my body!
Thankful that I’m alive today!
Thankful that my kids are healthy!
Thankful that I may not have much money, but I have something!
There’s always something to be grateful for. When we pray with thanksgiving then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
- We have to DISCIPLINE OURSELVES to seek peace DAILY.“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:9It’s not enough to simply THINK about peace or PRAY for peace. We have to put it into practice each and every day. As you’re putting that into practice, you’re going to have peace every day of your life.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)Discipline is painful. Committing to doing something every day, every week, every month, etc, is hard. It’s difficult to know where to start, especially when you’re trying to figure out how to get your prayer life going.
For me and my wife, we’ve found this to be true; when you make a habit of praying every day, it begins to get easier and become much more enjoyable as time passes.
Your harvest from the seeds you’ve sown over time is PEACE.
That’s what I love about Hebrews 12:11. Our harvest is peace!
And how do we get to that harvest?
Accept that peace is your inheritance.
Allow peace to function in your life.
Pray and be thankful until that peace overwhelms you.
Discipline yourself to do it every day.
If you follow these steps, you will have peace! You will overcome! No matter what the world is throwing at you, remember what Jesus said: He’s already overcome the world.
If this post helped you discover peace, be sure to share it with someone else who needs peace!
Praying for you always,
Aaron Bagwell