The Hebrew word used for peace is shalom which not only means peace, but a sense of well-being, prosperity, and wholeness. Jesus is the source of our peace; well-being, prosperity and wholeness. The scripture says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
God desires all of us to be at peace with Him. Being at peace with God makes it easier to be at peace with others and completely trust Him. Our peace with God starts from accepting His gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ… God says He will keep us in perfect peace when our mind stays on Him because we trust Him. (Isaiah 26:3)
We wonder why we don’t have peace… We allow our minds to focus on the wrong things. You can’t stop the wrong things from coming to your mind but you can stop them from staying in your mind! All that wrong stuff and negativity is draining your energy, taking your creativity and stealing your joy.
If the enemy can keep you distracted and focused on things that don’t matter, cluttered by negativity, then he can keep you from your destiny. The scripture says to be aware of the enemy’s schemes and strategies. (2 Corinthians 2:11)
The negativity is a strategy to steal your time, get you worried, and frustrated, fighting battles that don’t matter. No, you have a destiny to fulfil, there is a calling on your life, an assignment to accomplish.
And there is nothing more the enemy would love than for you to waste your time being distracted by the wrong stuff, frustrated over things you can’t change, responding to people that are not part of your destiny, and letting the negative issues keep you worried and upset.
Sometimes the negativity and wrong stuff can be loud all around you but you will be at peace because you know that God is in control, you know He is fighting your battles, so you are calm in the chaos, you are at rest even when the challenges are so loud.
If you are going to stay in peace, you have to be on the offensive. It’s not going to happen by accident. We are living in a day where the negativity has been turned up louder than ever. There has never been a time when there have been so many distractions and so much competing for our attention.
Since the negativity has been turned up, we have to become experts at fixing our minds on God, tuning out the wrong stuff, and not dwelling on it. You have control, you get to choose what you allow in your mind.
See, so much is fighting for your attention today, it’s because peace is power. When you are at peace, you are more creative. When you are peaceful, you make better decisions.
When your mind is not cluttered, you can hear from God. Many times He is speaking, but so much negativity around us, so loud with anxiety and worry, we can’t hear Him.
He speaks in a still small voice. One translation says “A whisper”. If you are going to hear a whisper, you have to get quiet. If you are going to stay on the best path for your life, you have to clear out the things that are distracting, bringing frustration and worry.
Stay in peace, that is where the power is. When you are in peace, God is fighting your battles. When you are at rest, angels go to work, things will happen that you couldn’t make happen.
This is what Peter did. In the book of Acts, King Herod had him arrested for sharing his faith. He was put in the dungeon, his hands and feet in chains, 16 guards outside his cell. The apostle James had been killed just a little earlier. He knew this could be the last night of his life. (Acts 12:1-24)
You can imagine the negative thoughts that flooded his mind, how loud those thoughts were telling him, “You are done, it’s over. There is no way out of this, Peter”. All this worry, fear and panic. But I love what it says about Peter, “While he was asleep that night, an angel showed up to rescue him”.
How could he be asleep? You would think Peter would be stressed out, overcome with worry, but Peter knew this secret of how to fix your mind on God. I can imagine before he laid down that night, “Father, my life is in your hands. I know nothing can snatch me away from you. If it’s not my time to go, I’m not going to go”.
THE SIGN OF YOUR BELIEVE!
The scripture says, “Those who have believed, enter into rest”(Hebrews 4:3). One sign that shows that you believe is when you are at peace. You are not worried, stressed out or wondering if you are going to make it. You know God is in control, you have seen His faithfulness, so you too can sleep in the storm. You rest when you could be worried.
The scripture says the enemy goes about as a roaring lion. The thoughts, the roars, the threats, that is what he specializes in; being loud and overwhelming. The good news is that he is all bark and no bite, it’s just a roar (1 Peter 5:8)
He is not a lion, he is like a lion. He doesn’t control your destiny. He can’t stop what God has purposed for you. Now, the key is that don’t let the roar intimidate you, cause you to quit believing, or give up on your dreams.
Turn down the negative stuff and turn up what God promised you. “No weapon formed against me shall prosper” God is restoring health unto me. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.
In the middle of the night, an angel showed up in the prison. This light shined so brightly, like sunlight, all this commotion, but the scripture says Peter didn’t wake up. He was sleeping so soundly, that the angel had to go shake him to wake him up.
He was so at peace, so at rest, even though the next morning he could have lost his life. That’s what happens when you have the peace of God. You don’t let the roars and threats dominate your thinking, but you keep your mind on Him.
That means keep it stayed on what he says about you. When that thought roars, “You will always have this illness, you saw the medical report”, turn that down and turn up, “With long life God will satisfy me. I will live and not die”.
“You will always struggle with your finances, and your business isn’t going to make it” Fix your mind on God’s word, “I will lend and not borrow. I live under the open windows of heaven”.
“Well, you will never meet the right person, look how long it’s been”. “No good thing will God withhold because I walk uprightly. That divine connection is already on its way to me”. Or maybe you haven’t been able to have children, all the reports say you can’t conceive.
Medically speaking that may be true, but we serve a God who can do what medicine cannot do. Turn down all the doubt, and turn up the promises, “God, you said in (Psalms 113;9) that you would make the barren woman a happy mother and children. That my children are a gift from God. So, Lord, thank you that my baby is on the way”.
When you can sleep in the storm, you are showing God that you trust Him. When you are in peace when you should be upset, you are up at rest when you could be worried, or afraid, that’s when supernatural things will happen, angels show up, you conceive that child, your business takes off, and your health turns around.
The angel walked Peter out of the prison, doors opened of their own accord. The soldiers didn’t see Peter leaving, God made him invisible to the enemy. See, Herod thought he was going to stop Peter, but the scripture says right after Peter got out Herod got sick and suddenly died. Peter went on to fulfil his destiny.
The Psalmist said, “They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah” (Psalm 57:6) Don’t believe all the roars in the form of a lion telling you it’s never going to work out… Fix your mind on God. What God started He will finish.
You can’t stop all the worries and negative thoughts, but you can stop it from staying in your mind… If you will do this, I decree and declare; the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, angels are going to open the right doors for you, bring healing, favour, abundance and the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus’ name.
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’!
