IS PEACE FLOWING LIKE A RIVER IN YOUR LIFE?

IS PEACE FLOWING LIKE A RIVER IN YOUR LIFE?

 Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

You will keep him in perfect peace

God will hold you close, guard you and watch over you.

God will keep you in completeness, soundness and peace from war for that which fits the need for certain situations or for a certain purpose .

Whose mind is stayed on You

That is if your purpose and imagination leans upon and is upheld, supported and sustained by God Himself.

Because he trusts in You.

And the reason that you would do this is because having likeness of mind with God you feel safe, have confidence in and rely upon Gods abilities, faithfulness and promises.

Did you get that from the above passage?

I know that when I read the first line You will keep him in perfect peace,

That I immediately claimed that promise!

Now what if I just stopped there? What if I said that I didn’t need to read the rest of the passage because I want and need Gods peace in my life so I have to work on that first.

By not reading the rest of the passage, I would be setting myself up for a constant falling short of Gods perfect peace. I would have had no idea why I had no lasting peace in my life even when I had been claiming it as one of Gods promises!

By reading further I would see that for God to keep me in perfect peace, it is my purpose and imagination that needs to be stayed, I need to lean upon God to be upheld by God!

Why is that so important? Why is leaning upon God necessary for me to have Gods perfect peace?

Because it demonstrates that I trust in Him!

Think about walking with crutches.

Your foot is in a cast so you need something that will not only heal your bones, but something that will give you support but and balance so that you can not only stand, but you can also walk.

Your other option would be to ignore the crutches and just sit there.

When you walk with crutches, people know it.

It’s obvious.

How about your walk with Jesus?

Is it obvious to people that you walk with Jesus?

Are you willing to make it known that you desperately need Jesus?

By definition, Isaiah 26:3 could be read like this…

If you will rely upon God and demonstrate it by your confident, care free attitude, and keep your imagination and inner person leaning on and supported by God, God will see to it Himself that you have everything you could possible need to have completeness and soundness of mind for that exact situation that you are experiencing.

4 Simple Truths

God is a responsive God.

You act in faith, God will act in response.

You step towards God, God steps towards you.

You trust in God, God will show Himself worthy of your trust.

Check out 2 Chronicles 16:9. This is truly a wonderful verse but it also reveals an important truth about God and us.

2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

This verse should give you the image that God is searching all over the earth to give help and assistance to the one who deep down in their heart wants a real, active, life long relationship with Him.

BUT Show Himself strong doesn’t mean what we think it means.

Show Himself strong means to grow firm, to strengthen, to become strong, to be courageous.

It is GOD who is increasing in firmness, strength and courage!

“Show Himself strong” implies growth takes place in the relationship.

It means that YOU will experience a growing, constantly increasing loyalty from God.

It means that the more loyal you are to God, the stronger God reacts on your behalf.

Its cause and effect.

You cause God to be effective in your life by demonstrating loyalty.

I really hate this kind of talk because faith has been so corrupted wrongly taught by the word of faith movement and those pagan preachers that you see on television.

God gives each of us a measure of faith.

God is always the one who reaches out first.

God responds to our faith whenever it is seeking after, placed in and on Him.

It says in 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

We need to understand what heart is completely His means.

The New King James says, “whose heart is loyal to Him”

The King James says, “whose heart is perfect towards Him”

The New American Standard says, “whose heart is completely His”

The New International says, “whose hearts are fully committed to Him”

Loyal, perfect, completely, fully committed…

They all mean, “at peace”.

So who gets to experience Gods growing strength in their life?

The heart that is at peace with God.

Is there a place in your relationship where you find yourself struggling with God?

Are there moments of hesitation and doubt because all that faith that you used to think you had has just skedaddled right out the door?

Can you honestly say that YOUR heart is at peace with God?

Maybe you need a fresh perspective?

I would certainly admit that I frequently need a fresh perspective.

Take a look at the following passage and lets see things from God’s perspective.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

God acts first by offering a sacrificem His Son, Jesus Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

God reestablishes communication and fellowship.

15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

God clears the way for a relationship and wipes the slate clean.

16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

God is the one who makes it all possible not by overlooking or compromising, but by upholding righteousness and justice.

17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

Far or near, God is preaching to you.

18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Jesus is the door, the Spirit is the guide.

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

More than just adopted, joint heirs with Christ.

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Is sound biblical teaching important? Does your life and walk demonstrate that you are built on a strong foundation? Well, is Jesus the cornerstone of your foundation?

21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Again, are you getting sound biblical teaching? Is your walk with Christ meshing and growing? Do you think, act, live and talk like you are continually growing into a proper dwelling place for Jesus?

22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Do you desire the same for other believers?

Are you helping, encouraging and praying for other believers walk and growth in the Lord?

Lets face it, we will all struggle with our faith from time to time.

Some seasons of dryness and testing will leave us wondering;

Where are you God?

Why are you allowing this to happen to me God?

God, have you forgotten the promises you made to me?

God, I never thought your plan would include this…

God, this hurts.

God, I don’t understand.

God, are you there?

Let’s admit that the majority of these questions are brought on by fear which produces doubt.

These are the complete opposite of the peace that God promises us.

These are two things that you will never find in God.

Gods love is perfect and it casts out all fear.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Fear does not come from God.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

When that old man or woman starts to rise up in rebellion within you and to challenge what God has given, gifted and granted you, turn to

Colossians 3:3 and say to yourself.

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Do you believe that?

Do you believe that your life is hidden with Christ in God?

How do you know? Well, what does “hidden” mean?

HIDDEN-to hide, conceal, to escape notice. To conceal (that it may not become known)

Now that’s what I call protection. That’s what I call security.

So, do you believe it?

Do you really, really, really believe you are safe and secure in Christ?

Well, do you live like you are hidden with Christ in God?

If you don’t live your life that way then you not only believe a lie, you are actually refusing to acknowledge, believe and adhere to the truth.

Is truth important?

Psalm 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

This is so simple people.

God wants you to know the truth.

God wants the truth to be deep within you.

God wants to teach you the truth so that you will be wise.

That word wisdom in Psalm 51:6 is not really wisdom to avoid trials, tribulations or temptations; it means “skill at war”.

A God given skill that comes from your inward parts.

That is the part of you that is closed, concealed and cut off from the enemy.

Apparently the writer of Psalm 57 has had some experience with some life threatening battles and full scale wars because he writes,

Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.

2 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.

3 He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

When was the last time you cried out for mercy?

When was the last time you proclaimed your trust in God?

When was the last time that you ran to God and sought refuge in Him?

When was the last time that you watched calamity pass you by because you were safely tucked under His wing?

When was the last time you recognized God moving in your life?

Was the last time that God saved you when you were born again?

Did Jesus win your salvation and then leave all the rest of the battles up to you?

Are Gods mercy and truth new every morning, just like his faithfulness and loving kindness?

Yes, there will be some life threatening conflicts in your life, and

for trusting in Him,

running the race to win,

enduring to the end,

God will give you crowns of glory

that you will one day be able to cast at His feet.

If there is anything to remember,

anything to know way down deep in your heart,

its that God is sovereign.

It is God who has supreme rank, power and authority.

It is God who is above all.

Question is, is God above all in your life?

Let me share one major truth about God with you.

Daniel 4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

But He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?”

This is God my friend.

Knowing this verse, can you honestly say from your heart,

God, thy will be done.

All you need to do is exercise the faith that God has already given you and just believe.

How do I know?

Genesis 15:6 says,

 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.