Peace within you

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

In the time the Lord gave me pastoring for about a year, I closed most services with the reading of this passage before prayer. No matter where God had us that day, the peace of God could fill us that day. We could be stung by the conviction of sin, or challenged by our lives, or even as a affirmation of what Jesus has done for us, but the peace of God is always available to us. This passage speaks of the gift of God, the Holy Spirit given to us, God living inside of us, changing the way we do life once we grasp that understanding. Sadly, so many of us do not grasp the gift of God that comes with the Gospel, that comes to the humble, repentant heart before God. Jesus said it was better for him to ascend into heaven; better for those that even walked by his side that he was to leave them, so that he could live within them. John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

I was actually reading this passage in Romans 5, that study lead here this morning. 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (ESV) Suffering abounds today, just as it always has since the beginning of time. God uses the trials of life to point us to our need for him. You are enduring nothing that someone has not endured before, and you either rebel against God, or draw closer to him as you see your need for him. Many times we realize coming out of the tribulation that we were closer to God than we had ever been as a result of being knocked to our knees. When you are at the bottom, you only can look up.

I openly struggle with anxiety; it is a spiritual battle and one that continually points me to my need for time with God. I find strength in his Word; I find strength in preparing myself for a war I cannot see, but very much feel and endure. Even on it’s worst days, the days I want to retreat into solitude, my bedrock faith and peace are never shaken. A life of struggles, whatever God allows in your life, only points you to your need for daily time with Him. You are not strong enough to do life without Him. Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. The more time you spend with God, the more you feed His Spirit living inside of you. The closer you get to God, the more his peace fills your soul. This requires more than religions church attendance and dry prayers, but a heart for God such as King David. I promise you, that if you will truly seek God, you will find the peace of God……living inside of you.