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Peace During Conflict

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. —John 14:27

Conflict is part of every person’s life. A common problem today is that most people don’t know how to deal with conflict—nor do they understand the source of real peace. As a result, we have become somewhat ignorant. We see the issues around us, but we often choose to ignore them. It seems that most people have a common goal of avoiding conflict at all cost.

People tend to define peace as the absence of hostility and anxiety, but the biblical term actually refers to something far broader. The Greek word eirene means “to bind together.” So in today’s verse, peace has the sense of wholeness or inner completeness that brings stability to a person’s walk, regardless of what is happening in his or her life. Jesus spoke not of the kind of peace that comes today and goes tomorrow but of prevailing, or undefeatable, peace.

The key to lasting peace is found in a relationship. If you want tranquility that is unending, you need to build a relationship with Jesus Christ. We, too, can enjoy the oneness that He and the Father experienced. When the Lord says, “My peace I give to you,” He is not referring to a loan. His peace is a free gift, available to every one of His children.

If we focus our attention on the Son of God, He will give us perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). That does not mean we are immune to sudden shocks or occasional times when we are thrown off balance by circumstances. But the power of the Lord’s prevailing peace is adequate to carry us through anything He allows us to experience.

God’s Perfect Instruction Book

Even in this age of technology, there are still many people who don’t know how to work many simple things, for example: a flashing “12:00” on the oven clock. Isn’t it odd that a person can operate a motor vehicle at 70 mph, microwave an entire meal in three minutes, and navigate through the internet’s information superhighway and yet not know how to set a simple clock?

Is it so hard? Is the answer to this riddle so deeply hidden that only a few brave souls dare to seek it out? No, of course not! There’s only one reason why this technical tip-off is so common: People do not read the instruction book.

When we purchase a new gadget or appliance, we always find inside the instruction book. And what does this book contain? It has all the answers we need to either the object up or how to use it.

Do you realize the Christian life is like that? Scripture declares that when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, he or she is a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV). To get the most out of our new life, we are given an instruction book: the Bible. This is far more than a simple guide that teaches how to act or what to say; this Book tells us exactly how to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Is your Christian walk stuck? Do you have the proverbial “12:00” flashing in your life, indicating that you have set aside your Instruction Book? Pick it up today for a fresh look and enjoy God’s perfect how-to manual.

Can You Hear?

…I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. —Philippians 4:11-13

We are always willing to follow the Holy Spirit into blessings, but we can get “hard of hearing” if His leading means we are not going to get what we want.

After his conversion and baptism in the Holy Spirit, Paul heard from the Spirit about some of the difficulties he would be required to endure (See Acts 9:15,16). Paul went through many difficult situations, but he was also to be blessed in his lifetime. He was privileged to write a large portion of the New Testament, under divine inspiration. He had spiritual experiences so magnificent he could not even describe them. He saw visions, received angelic visitations and many other wonderful things. Yes, he was blessed, but he also had to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit when things weren’t so full of blessing. He heard and obeyed the voice of God whether it was convenient or inconvenient, comfortable or uncomfortable, to his advantage or not to his advantage.

In today’s verses, Paul wrote of being content whether he was enjoying blessings or facing struggles. In the following verse, he declared that he could do all things through Christ Who gave him strength. Paul had learned to draw on the strength of God that was in him. He was strengthened for good times, to enjoy them and keep a right attitude, and also for hard times, to endure them and keep the proper attitude in the midst of them, too.

The Holy Spirit leads us during good times and during difficult times. We can count on Him to speak to us, teach us and help us—no matter what is going on in our lives.

Let It Roll Off Your Shoulders

There are some things you can control in life—who your friends are, what you eat and when you go to bed, for example. There are other things you can’t control, such as what other people say or the flat tire you got last night. The way you respond to things you can’t control helps determine your stress level and your quality of life and health. I have two suggestions about dealing with things you can’t control. First, if you can’t control them, don’t take responsibility for them. And second, I like to say, “Do your best, pray, and let God do the rest!”

People who regularly get upset over small things suffer in many ways. People who let it roll off their shoulders do much better. Shrugging off certain things doesn’t mean you are indifferent; it simply means you’ve accepted the fact that you can’t do anything to change them at that time. The flat tire has already happened. Calling someone to come fix it makes sense; throwing a tantrum and kicking the tire does not. We need to deal appropriately with each stressor as it arises so that we don’t end up exploding in frustration over the unavoidable bumps in the road of life.

God works in mysterious ways. You never know when He may use some inconvenience or frustration for your good. He is in control, and if you trust Him to work things out, you’ll be able to ride the ups and downs of life with peace, joy and strength.

Love Yourself Today: Refuse to live in frustration. Take life one day at a time, and when things happen that you don’t like, say, “It is what it is and God is still in control

Prayer

Read John 17:20-26.

God has total authority over all people and events. He also knows their hearts. He knows how each person will act, and what steps are needed to achieve His purposes. At the same time, He calls us to pray.

Colossians 4:2 says we are to devote ourselves to prayer. Communication with God is so vital, in fact, that we are told to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Our lives should be characterized by continuous listening, talking, and relating to our heavenly Father. The Scriptures explain why this is so important:

Prayer changes us. As we seek God’s face and spend time in His Word, we will be transformed. Our desires will be replaced by His, and our thinking will align more closely with His thoughts. As our understanding of His character grows, we will have a better idea of how to pray in accordance with His will.

The Lord answers prayer (James 5:16). God has promised to listen and respond to the prayers of His children (Isa. 65:24). He assures us that He will act when our petitions are in Jesus’ name—which is to say, when they match His will and His timing and only then. Sometimes we expect answers right away but they don’t happen. DON”T get upset. He is a God of order. (John 14:13).

Prayer invites God to act. Praying doesn’t alter God’s purposes or plans, nor does it cause Him to change His mind. What He has decided will occur, and His decisions will be exactly the right ones to accomplish what He wants to achieve. Our prayers are powerful when, without reservation, we invite God to do His work in our lives and the lives of others.

What impact, then, does prayer have? It allows people, who are inadequate, to connect with an all-sufficient God. Hallelujah!

Unmovable Faith

Read Isaiah 40:9-14.

…Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” —Isaiah 40:9

Unshakeable faith develops as we embrace the foundational truths of the Bible. The sovereignty of God is one of those truths. To have faith that bears up under the hardest trials, we need to know that the Lord is always in control.

What do you accept as true about your heavenly Father? God’s sovereignty can be hard to believe when a loved one gets a catastrophic diagnosis or the place where you work is closing down. And when you hear news reports of scandal and destruction, you may find it even harder to reconcile that biblical truth with the evidence around you.

God invites us to discover the reality of His sovereignty through the pages of His Word. He bids us come to Him in faith. He beckons us to draw near to know the Truth—Jesus Christ (John 14:6). He is waiting for us to turn to Him with our fears and doubts so that He may reveal the depths of His love and wisdom.

God has filled His Word with assurance of His sovereignty, care, and concern for us. Do you honestly long to know Him as He really is? If so, be encouraged by the promise He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). Set aside any preconceived notions about how God should act, and the Holy Spirit will reveal that He is exactly who He says He is. Then, as we come to know Him more fully, our faith will grow in depth and steadiness.

Jesus invites us to come near and learn from Him (Matt. 11:28). Won’t you accept the Savior’s invitation and discover the truths that lead to unshakeable faith?

Cheer Up!

Did you know that anything can cause stress? Stressors can be big or little things. In addition, what causes you stress may not bother someone else. And what bothers you today may not bother you tomorrow. For example, going to the grocery store and becoming upset by high prices may be a stressor for you. Then the process of paying for your groceries (especially if money is tight) may become a stressor. The checker in your lane runs out of change and has to shut down temporarily. You switch to a new lane and learn five of your items don’t have a price on them. The checker has to call for a price check on each one while you wait, and the line behind you grows.

These small, seemingly innocent circumstances pile up until you feel you’re going to explode from the pressure. Nobody can remove all the big and little things that cause stress in our lives. That’s why we must be prudent in identifying the stressors that affect us most and learn how to respond to them correctly. We must recognize our limits and learn to say no to ourselves and others.

Stressors not managed properly can mount up one by one, bringing us to our breaking point. We may not be able to eliminate or reduce many of the stressors in our lives, yet we must concentrate on reducing their effects on us. We can’t control all of our circumstances, so we must adapt our attitude and not let them pressure us.

It seems the very atmosphere of the world today is charged with stress and pressure. But the good news is, we don’t have to operate in the world’s system—reacting like people in the world who have no hope for peace in their lives. The world responds to difficulties by becoming upset and stressed, but our attitude and approach should be entirely different. We need to have a change of attitude. The right attitude and approach can completely turn a situation around.

Instead of stressing out and tensing up, calm down, take a deep breath and try to get some perspective on the situation. When we approach a circumstance already stressed out, we’re setting ourselves up for misery before we begin. Instead, refuse to allow your circumstances to dictate how you’re going to feel. You may not be able to control the situation, but you can control how you respond to it. Take an offensive approach and decide beforehand what your attitude will be. Then the door will be opened for God to supernaturally help you through your choice to calm down and cheer up.

Fear of God

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. —Proverbs 8:13

People are frequently confused by talk that has to do with fearing God. Scripture admonishes us to fear the Lord (2 Tim. 1:7), but at the same time, we are told that God has not given us a spirit of fear. So how are we to understand this phrase?

Fearing God does not mean always looking over your shoulder in anxiety to see what He will do next. The fear of the Lord is something positive and healthy that is clearly defined in several different scriptures. A particularly helpful one is today’s verse, where we are told, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”

Many people are bothered by the thought of hating anything. Yet God says we are to hate evil because He Himself hates it in all of its forms for a simple reason—namely, the Lord sees the corrupting, destructive influence that wickedness has on us. We often fail to see any corruption at all. In fact, we sometimes look at evil and think that it’s not really too bad.

Satan’s job is to camouflage iniquity until it appears quite innocent or even attractive. In fact, the enemy is so successful in his deception that we often fall into his snares without any compunction. That is why we must learn to view things as the Lord sees them. We need to develop such a holy hatred for evil that we shun and refuse it at every turn. When we get the Lord’s view of transgression, the Devil will be stymied in his efforts to seduce us. Although it may not be a popular stance, we can choose to love the Lord and to hate evil.

Don’t Forget God’s Promise

Abraham, having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained [in the birth of Isaac as a pledge of what was to come] what God had promised him. —Hebrews 6:15

God gave Abraham the promise of an heir, but he had to wait much longer than he could have ever imagined. Today’s Scripture says that Abraham “waited long and endured patiently.” During those times, I am sure he had to remind himself of God’s original promise over and over again. Extended periods of waiting can tend to cause us to doubt that we ever heard from God at all.

Perhaps you are waiting on something right now and need to remind yourself of what God originally spoke to your heart.

Doubt and unbelief did attack Abraham and, when they did, he offered thanksgiving and praise. When Satan attacks, we must not be passive, taking no action at all. We should war against him and his lies by reminding him of God’s Word and promises to us. Speak them out loud, meditate on them and write them down. When Habakkuk was waiting on God he was instructed to write the vision on tablets plainly so that everyone passing by might read it (see Habakkuk 2:2). Perhaps this was an Old Testament version of a billboard!

Fight the good fight of faith and hold fast your confession. No matter how you might feel right now, don’t give up because God is faithful, and just as He fulfilled His promise to Abraham at the appointed time, He will also fulfill His word to you.

God is Not Slow—He is Patient.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. —II Peter 3:8-9

The Lord’s seemingly slow reaction to sin often puzzles believers. Why doesn’t He immediately punish those who violate His principles? The succinct answer is found in 2 Peter 3:9—The Lord is patient so that all people have an opportunity to repent.

In our humanness, we at times want people to suffer for wrongdoing. Jonah ran away from his duty to preach in Nineveh, because he expected that if the inhabitants repented, his gracious, compassionate God would relent about destroying the city. And that is precisely what came to pass. Instead of rejoicing in the Lord’s success, the prophet complained about His treating the Ninevites with patience and mercy (Jonah 4:2).

Jonah was angry at God despite the fact that he himself had received divine mercy. (Unpleasant though it was, there are worse forms of discipline than being swallowed and regurgitated by a fish.)

More often than not, believers have ample reason to be thankful that the Lord, unlike human beings, is slow to anger. When we are stubborn and unrepentant, He waits patiently for us to respond to conviction. Discipline is painful to both the recipient and the one carrying it out. God prefers that we see the error of our ways, stop thinking that we’re getting away with sin, and turn back to His righteous path.

The Lord places such a high value on repentance and maintaining fellowship that He is willing to delay punishment of sin. But only for a time. Eventually, His justice demands a penalty. Do not wait for discipline. Instead, do what’s right, and turn your heart back toward God.