Following Peace
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
God promises in His Word that when we follow the protocol of scripture, when we are willing to not just be hearers only of the Word but doers of the Word ( James 1:22), when we will pray, petition and present our requests with thanksgiving unto God, He WILL grant us peace.
His peace is the kind of peace that doesn’t always make sense in the natural realm. The kind of peace that tells us that no matter what it looks like to the naked eye or the opinions of man if God is in it and He has called us to it, He will put a guard of peace in our hearts and minds concerning the “thing."
When determining if an open door is from God or if the opportunity that has presented itself is from God we will need to check to see what is present in the atmosphere of our hearts. If chaos or a spirit of fear is present in the offer or invitation or if peace is not present, I would consider that you may want to reconsider who or what might be trying to get you to move through a door that isn’t being opened by the presence of the Prince of Peace.
If you are praying about an open door, you should have peace in the “yes” or peace in the “no". If you are experiencing stress or anxious thoughts about the decision to “walk” through the door or fear when thinking of taking the opportunity, you may need to wait until you can connect again with the peace that God has promised.
That may look like not making a hasty decision. You may need to give yourself more time to discern. It may mean you go back to prayer and re-present your request to the Lord until peace returns and God gives clear instruction through His Word, confirmation and the presence of peace in a decision.
Because the enemy likes to confuse, deceive and counterfeit the promises of God I think it is a good idea to give definition to what the peace of God is and what it is not.
According to Webster’s dictionary, peace is a state of tranquility or quietness of spirit that transcends circumstances.
In other words, it is that presence of quietness and state of being and feeling secure and at peace no matter what is happening around you, it’s a calm that cannot be explained by circumstances that speak inside me all is well outside it maybe confusing or uncertain but inside my heart and mind are being protected by the peace of God.
The lack of peace being present often displays itself through an unsettledness in our inner man an anxious or fearfulness is present and we depend on the circumstances to change or be fixed in order for us to feel safe, settled or peaceful.
Our goal as Believers in Christ is to be lead in decision making by the Presence of Peace, Himself. Jesus, promises that when we put our trust and confidence in Him, He will lead the way and if He is leading we can have peace in following.
Today’s Prayer: Father God, thank you for the promise of peace. My desire is to walk and live in a place of peace. May you grant me the grace to discern and know when peace is not present and give me wisdom to make adjustments in my heart to find and remain in peace. In Jesus’ Name…
Today’s Challenge: Ask God to help you tangibly encounter the peace of God for your own heart. Make note of what you sense and feel concerning when peace is present and when it is not.
