Peace

Definition – Freedom from disturbance, tranquility, calmness.

Hebrew Meaning- Shalom: not the absence of war, BUT a positive state of rightness & well-being.

Ask –

The moment we are in need of peace we are to ask God for it.

Matt 21:22 – “All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Gal 5:22 – “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self control;”

•As Christians we have access to all of these 24/7.

•All we have to do is pray & ask Jesus.

•When ever we are in need of one of these we can;

⁃Ask specifically for it.

⁃Believe/have faith that we will receive it.

⁃& Receive it.

Receiving Peace:

Mic 5:5 – “This One will be our peace.”

•Jesus is “our peace”.

Col 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; & be thankful.”

•We can only receive peace from Jesus.

•Allow a peaceful attitude to rule your heart.

•Do not fill your heart with bitterness & arguing.

•This peaceful attitude should rule in ALL your human relationships.

Number 6:26 – “The Lord lift up His countenance on you, & give you peace.”

•Countenance – A person’s face or facial expression; to be in favor of.

•Jesus lifts up His face with an expression of favor & a smile to those He is pleased with.

•He gives us an inner peace of mind.

•A peace given to us by the Peacemaker & Peace-giver Himself.

•Peace given through the blood & righteousness of Jesus.

•Peace that over takes all worry & brings happiness.

•This peace comes ONLY from the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:25 – “I will make a covenant of peace with them & eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness & sleep in the woods.”

•“Peace” is more than absence of hostility; its fullness of life enjoyed in complete security.

•It is feeling safe in a dangerous place.

Ezekiel 37:26 – “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. & I will place them & multiple them, & will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.”

•In Jesus we have everlasting peace.

•We have peace in knowing that God is in control of everything going on in our lives.

•We have peace knowing He will place us where He wants us & in His will.

Phil 4:7 – “The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus.”

•As humans we won’t ever be able to understand & comprehend the peace of God.

•We don’t need to understand it tho.

•We only need to ask for it, believe in our God, receive it, & thank God for it.

•This peace is not a psychological state of mind, but an inner tranquility based on peace with God.

•It is a peaceful state of those whose sins are forgiven.

•There is no anxiety or worry.

•This is peace that comes when we commit all our worries to God in prayer & stop worrying about them.

Requirements for Peace:

It is real easy to say a quick prayer & ask for peace, BUT in order for God to actually give it to you there are few requirements.

Jude 1:1-2 – “To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, & kept for Jesus Christ; May mercy & peace & love be multiplied to you.”

•Only true children of God will receive these from the Father.

Is 48:18 – “If only you had listened to my commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, & your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

•We must obey God in order to receive His abundant & overflowing peace & righteousness.

Jer 6:14 – “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.”

•Example of false prophets.

•The wicked cannot expect to enjoy peace.

Is 48:22 – “‘There is no peace for the wicked’, says the Lord.”

Is 57:21 – “‘There is no peace’, says my God, ‘for the wicked.’”

Luke 2:14 – “Glory to God in the highest, & on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

•Peace is not assured to all, but only those pleasing to God.

Mark 11:24-25 – “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray & ask, believe that you have received them, & they will be granted to you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your transgressions.”

•We must believe that we have received peace for it to be given to us.

•We are to forgive others & anyone we are holding things against.

Constantly –

We cannot expect to ask God for something once, receive it, & it last forever. It just doesn’t work like that. God wants us to trust in Him & rely on Him to take care of us. He wants us to need & depend on Him. Asking for “Peace” is a repetitive thing.

Ps 34:14 – “Depart from evil & do good; Seek peace & pursue it.”

•Definition of Pursue (of a person or way) – Is to continue along a path or route.”

•We are instructed to continue along a path of peace.

•We are to have a constant life of peace.

•To seek peace means we must ask Jesus to give us peace.

•This is a repetitive task.

Discussion –

If you are having a really stressful day you may have to pray & ask for peace multiple times that day. Or days where it feels like you can never get away from the chaos. Maybe you keep having anxiety attacks. Don’t get aggravated or discouraged if you keep finding yourself in not so peaceful situations. Always remember that God loves having you come to Him for help. He loves hearing you talk & pray to Him. Put your trust in Him 100% & you will never have to worry again.

Prayer –

“Dear Lord, Please give me peace in this very moment. Please let calmness & peace overwhelm me. Let me feel safe & sound knowing I am in Your hands. Help me to stay focused on you & not to worry about the things that are out of my control. Continue to let Your will be done in my life. Thank you so much, Lord, for giving me this peace & comfort. I believe & receive this peace right now in Jesus name! Amen.” ~ BlessedBabe