Good day
Two weeks ago I asked the Lord what email to send out next and I believe it was for us to be at peace. This wasn't really a suggestion or something that had to be considered, it was more of an instruction, like a command which says, "Be at peace"
We know from the below passages that peace is available to those who hope in Christ and I believe what God is saying is that we shouldn't allow the enemy to rob us of our position of peace. We need to fight for peace. Now i'm not referring to peace in the natural but more to fight for the peace God desires us to have on the inside and not allow the enemy to bombard us with thoughts that cause stress, worry, anxiety and cause turmoil in your soul because if the devil can get us distracted and focused on all that's going wrong, then how can we be in a position of faith to believe God for a better outcome. If faith can be defined as acting on what we believe (James 2:14-26), and our belief is being tainted by all the negative thoughts the enemy brings our way, then what kind of action is being produced? There'll be negative talk, actions leading to disunity, there'll be doubt, depression, anxiety, worry, stress, ill-health, time lost, little to no bearing of fruit (John 15), little to no productivity for the advancement of the kingdom of God, little to no sharing of the gospel, little to no prayers of faith, church becomes stagnant, and all the while things continue to get worse and the cycle continues ... and it all started with the thoughts we chose to entertain and allow to take root in our hearts ... and God is saying, Be at peace!
Psalm 29:11
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
Matthew 11:28
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”
John 14:27
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 16:33
“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.”
Philippians 4:6,7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
What has also stood out more recently is the fact that God is good:
Exodus 34:6
Then the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with Moses as he proclaimed the Name of the Lord. Then the Lord passed by in front of him, and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness)
I want you to notice how God describes Himself (compassionate/merciful, gracious, slow to anger/longsuffering, abounding in loving kindness/goodness and truth/faithfulness), out of all the introductions He could've chosen this is how He chose to introduce Himself. Why? Because this is who He is!
Instead of describing how amazing, majestic or powerful He is He instead chose to focus on His character more than on what He can do! and this isn't someone else speaking on His behalf, this is He Himself saying that He is merciful, abounding in loving kindness/goodness and truth/faithfulness!
And given that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), it means that His goodness, mercy and faithfulness will never leave us nor forsake us! ... And then to think this is God we're talking about - His capacity to be good, loving and merciful far outweighs any measure we can conceive. He is infinitely, immeasurably and eternally good, true, faithful and merciful! ... and He cannot deny Himself!
2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.
God isn't going to resign or retire! He isn't taking any leave or going on a break! He is true to who He says He is and will always remain who He is!
Mark 10:18
No one is good but One, that is, God.
1 Chronicles 16:34
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 100:4-5
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
Psalms 27:13-14
I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.
Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good, A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.
This is why we can believe that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life:
Psalm 23:1-6
The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake. Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over. Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.
It is out of this knowledge of the goodness and mercy of God that Jesus encourages us to be confident when approaching God in prayer:
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will [instead] give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will [instead] give him a snake? If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.
Amen
The reason why I believe a teaching like this is important is because if we'll choose to make a decision to be at peace and focus more on the goodness, mercy and faithfulness of God and thereby getting our focus off of the problems around us, recognising that the enemy wants to steal our peace and discredit the word and character of God by keeping our minds preoccupied with all that's wrong/negative, then it means we can/should begin to focus more on our kingdom assignment, on God's will for our lives, on sharing the gospel and reaching others with the love of God, spending more time in prayer, etc. So instead of meditating on the negative and having our souls in a state of turmoil, peace allows us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be more attentive to whatever it is He may be wanting to accomplish through us in a given moment ... This is vitally important.
Again - If faith can be defined as acting on what we believe (James 2:14-26), and if our belief can be shaped by the word of God, then what kind of action would be produced? (It should be the opposite of everything mentioned in the opening paragraph above) ... and it all started with the thoughts we chose to entertain and allowed to take root in our hearts. If everyone was living according to God's word, imagine how different our community/society/nation would look today? ... part of that transforming process begins with the perspective/outlook we choose to take today.
So what will you choose to believe today?