The PEACE of God
The PEACE of God give us REST for our souls:
The peace of God is the very state that God intended us to live in.
Num 25:12-13 ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace;
Rom 14:17-19
(17) for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
(18) For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
(19) Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
PEACE relates
– to be safe (mind, body, or estate), to be completed, make amends, friendly, restoration & restitution.
When we have peace we are living in the realm of God’s TRUTH to live in His boundary of favour, welfare, happiness, prosperity & health.
As we pray God’s PEACE over a person or situation we bless and pray for these conditions to manifest.
Php 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Rom 16:20
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly…
GOD’S REST refers to ‘settling down’:
We move by FAITH from focussing on the physical reality in front of us rather to BELIEF the TRUTH written in His Scriptures about our lives.
Heb 3:12-14
…lest there be in any of you an evil heart of UNBELIEF in DEPARTING from the living God;
but exhort one another daily,… lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our CONFIDENCE steadfast to the end,
Heb 3:18-19
And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not OBEY? So we see that they could not enter in because of UNBELIEF.
EXHORTATION
AS we look at the Scripture above (Heb3) it is clear which conditions will hamper or even completely stop us from living in God’s PEACE & cause us also NOT to enter into His REST.
“Hardened hearts”, “deceitfulness of sin”, disobedience, & ‘unbelief’ will cost us our rest in Him.
It says here that it is as if we have DEPARTED from God if we fall into the temptation of ‘unbelief’, to fear, worry; allowing stress or anxiousness to take hold of our hearts.
BUT, when we hold on to our confidence, obedience, FAITH & trust in God we are secured to stay in the unifying spirit of His PEACE – even in His BOND of PEACE
Eph 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Col 3:14-15
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
PRAYER & BLESSING
Father,
we belief in Your love for us.
We can only come to ask forgiveness where we have fallen trap, allowing the spirit of fear, doubt, confusion, unbelief & worry to take hold of our hearts.
We come and lay down every care & concern at the feet of Your cross.
Now to come in faith, letting go of unbelief. We embrace the bond of the peace of God that surpasses all understanding to guard our hearts
2Th 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.
Amen and Amen