4.23.2015

9 or 1?

I shared on my blog last week about what we discussed in Sunday School...Rule of Peace.  It was so convicting to me and I wanted to share it with others.  This week was equally convicting to me as well!  We are studying the book of Colossians in our class and we are in chapter 3.

And have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.  So, as the chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.  (Colossians 3:10-17)

In this passage we are commanded to do several things:
1)  Put on the new self
2)  Put on a heart of compassion
3)  Put on kindness
4)  Put on humility
5)  Put on gentleness 
6)  Put on patience
7)  Bear with one another
8)  Forgive each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone
9)  Put on love
10)  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
11)  Be thankful
12)  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you
13)  Teach one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
14)  Sing with thankfulness in your hearts to God
15)  Do everything whether in word or deed in the name of the Lord
16)  Give thanks through Jesus to God

I don't know about anyone else, but I fall so short of obeying this list fully.  The life that a Christian is called to is an impossibility on our own.  We have been given a Helper, the Holy Spirit to take up residence inside of us the moment we become His child.  His job is to lead us, guide us, convict us, show us where we fail, and lead us to repentance.  To live each of these sixteen items out fully, we must have supernatural help.  It simply is out of our capability to produce lives like this apart from Him.  There is one item on the list that is repeated three times.  Be thankful.  I believe that if we focus on this one in particular and truly live thankful lives then the others will fall into place easier.

Last week, we discussed verse 15 about letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.  That lived out means we are free from any worry, anxiety, frustration, or stress.  In that same verse it says, "and be thankful."  It almost appears it is an afterthought.  I actually overlooked it when I was teaching about peace ruling.  Then I noticed that it appears in verse 16 and 17 as well.  When it's repeated three times consecutively, then you might want to take notice :)  I believe that this is one of the keys to letting the peace of Christ rule along with all the others listed.

We usually talk about being thankful at Thanksgiving time only, but as believers, we should live lives of thanksgiving.  It should constantly be on our minds all throughout the year, not just in the fall.  What would the opposite of a thankful life look like other than the obvious answer...unthankful.  Unthankful lives are acted out by a complaining or critical spirit, an entitled type of attitude, a covetous attitude, discontentment, and a victim mentality.  Ouch.  Which type of attitude are we surrounded with more? thankful or unthankful?  I'd say without hesitation unthankful.

I read a book recently called Respectable Sins: Confronting Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges.  This book made me feel like I went through a ringer.  There was conviction in every single chapter.  There was an entire chapter on unthankfulness.  Clearly as defined in Colossians we are commanded three times in a row to be thankful.  There are numerous other references to being thankful so anything other than being thankful would be considered a sin.  Unthankfulness is a sin we can tend to tolerate.

In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus tells a story about thankfulness.  During this time and before, when a person had leprosy, it was a disease that made them an outcast.  They were required by law to walk around continually crying out, "Unclean, unclean," so no one passing by would be contaminated by the disease.  Luke records that Jesus was once met by ten lepers who stood at a distance and cried out to Him, "Jesus Master, have mercy on us."  In saying this to Him, they were recognizing Him as Lord, thus believing in Him.  Jesus said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."  They were cleansed and completely healed of their disease before they even got to the priests.  Out of the ten that were healed, only ONE returned to Jesus to thank Him and praise God for this miracle.  He was a Samaritan, too.  Jesus then exclaimed, "Were not ten cleansed?  Where are the nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except for this foreigner?"

As I read this story, I can be quick to say, "Where were the NINE????"  How could they be so ungrateful that they could not even go back and thank Jesus for completely restoring their lives??  They could do nothing in society with this disease and they could now return to their lives completely free from the disease. However, when I really think about my attitude much of the time I am most definitely a part of the nine and not the one.  I have been healed of something much greater than leprosy!  Spiritually before Christ, I was dead.  I was a slave to the world, to satan, and to the passions of my own sinful nature.  Out of His great love for me and all mankind, He sent His Son to suffer to the point of death so that I could be cleansed of my sin, forgiven, and made spotless.  To say I have so much to be thankful for seems shallow.  The words don't fully express what my thankfulness should be for what has been accomplished and given willingly.

Most believers, I think, would recognize that all things come from God, but how often do we stop and give Him thanks for what He gives us?  One of my greatest desires as a mom is to have grateful children, but I cannot impart on my children what I do not bestow.  What are my children seeing modeled before them? They are watching. They see the real me.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says not only to give thanks, but we are to give thanks in ALL circumstances, for it is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  What exactly does this mean?

Recently I read a short biography to the boys about Corrie ten Boom.  Her story is amazing and a beautiful picture of grace.  She and her family were from Holland and harbored Jews during the rise of the Nazi regime.  They were caught and Corrie and her sister were roughly pushed into Barracks 28 at Ravensbruck, a "work camp" for prisoners.  The barracks were crowded, covered with dirty, stinking straw.  There wasn't even enough room to sit up.  Corrie jumped up and cried, "the place is crawling with fleas!"  Her sister reminded her of a Bible verse they had read that morning.  "Be joyful always, pray continually.  Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  Corrie said to her sister, "Oh, Betsie, that's too hard in a place like this!"  Her sister encouraged her to give it a try.  Corrie agreed and said, "Well, if we must be in this awful place, I'm thankful we're together."  Betsie added that she was thankful that the guards didn't find the Bible she had hanging down her back.  Corrie then said, "Maybe we should thank God for how crowded we are in here because that way more women will hear the Word of God when we read it aloud."  Betsie's eyes danced and said, "That's right!  And thank you, God, for the fleas."  Corrie cried, "No, Betsie, I can't thank God for the fleas.  There's nothing good about them." Betsie answered, "we'll just have to wait and see."

Every day, the prisoners were awakened at 4:30 a.m. and forced to stand outside in the cold for roll call. They worked eleven hour days.  They were given black bread for breakfast and a thin soup of turnips for supper.  The only thing they had to look forward to was when all the women stumbled back to the barracks at night.  Before they went to sleep, Betsie and Corrie would open up their smuggled Bible and read God's Word to the other women.  Anyone caught with a Bible would certainly be killed, so they were on the lookout for the guards.  After two days passed, no guards came into Barracks 28.  Soon they read the Bible twice a day, and more and more women listened.  No one bothered them.  One day, Betsie grabbed Corrie's arm and whispered, "I know why no one has bothered our Bible studies.  I overheard some of the guards talking.  None of them want to come into Barracks 28 because of the fleas!"  Corrie wanted to laugh.  "All right, Lord," she said.  "Thank you for the fleas!"

In this story of Corrie and Betsie, they had to make up their minds and purposefully be thankful.  That's what it takes.  It is intentional.  It will not happen by accident.  I have not endured anything close to these two sisters, and yet they chose to be thankful in their time of suffering.  How does this apply to me personally?  I have such a long way to go in this area of a thankful lifestyle, but I can think of a few times when I have intentionally shifted my thinking and on purpose chose to be thankful instead.I'll share a few examples.  One day I was driving in Cookeville and there were people everywhere.  I was annoyed because they were in my way.  I wasn't even in a hurry, but I was frustrated with having to wait on everyone around me.  Suddenly, in my moment of silent complaining about all the people, I thought to myself that I should be thankful for all the people because that meant that there would be businesses that would be supported so that I could shop.  Without the people I wouldn't be able to have the selection I was enjoying.  So instead of being annoyed at all the people, I purposefully switched my thoughts in that moment to somehow be thankful for them instead.  It was a huge moment for me.  It may sound silly, but if we continually practice this, our lives will be much different.  There is always something to be thankful for, in every circumstance.

Another time when I shifted my thinking from complaining to thanksgiving was after a trip to the grocery store.  Shopping with all three kids can be mentally draining and when I pulled into the garage, I just sat there with absolute dread at the thought of unloading the groceries and putting them away.  It hit me in that moment that instead of complaining about unloading my groceries I should instead be thankful that I could go to the store to shop for whatever I need with a large selection.  Instead be thankful that I had a vehicle to drive to the store and money to purchase food.  My whole attitude changed in that moment.  I realized what a spoiled brat I was being.

If we really think of what we have compared to those in other countries, they we should be even more thankful for what we have.  The reality is that most everything in our lives in the American culture would be classifies as a luxury, not a necessity.  The computer I am writing this on, the food that I eat, and the bed and pillow I will sleep on tonight (in addition to many other things in my life) are all luxuries.

A few years ago, I read several Little House on the Prairie books to Logan.  I remember thinking and saying, "I'm SOOOO glad I was born in this time period."  I would have had trouble having to plant a garden, raise animals, and prepare every single meal, or live without electricity.  In our modern society with our conveniences that make life easier, how often to we pause to give thanks.  I am guilty of taking so many things for granted....hot water, a microwave, a refrigerator, oven, air conditioning, heat...I could go on and on.

I have been more aware of my attitude of unthankfulness and have tried to work on it more, especially in front of my children.  Once again, this has to be intentional.  It takes NO effort to be a complainer or critical.  In the story that Jesus told, more than the majority of them were unthankful.  The exception was the one who came back to give thanks.  It is our natural tendency to be unthankful.  Since this has been on my mind, I have focused on saying things that I am thankful for out loud in front of my kids.  Like I said earlier, I want to have grateful children, but they need to see a grateful mom to model after.  We were in the drive thru the other day, and we prayed before we ate, but instead of my usual prayer, I thanked God for the vehicle to get there, the gas that we had in the vehicle, for the money to buy the food.  These are all things that I can take for granted, but I wanted my kids to hear these things so they could also note that this is a luxury that many do not have.

Thankfulness is not just in our words, but it is in our hearts.  God sees and knows our hearts, so even if I bite my tongue and do not utter words of complaints, I could be unthankful in my heart, which clearly is defined as a sin.  When we choose to give thanks in all things, our focus is shifted toward God rather than our circumstance.  We can't have both a thankful heart and a critical or complaining heart.  They don't mix.

Learning to live a life of thanksgiving will also help with discontentment.  When I am tempted to dwell on what in my house I want to change, if I instead walk through my house and thank God for providing everything in it, my whole attitude will change.  When I am tempted to be discontent with my weight or body image, if I instead thank God that I am healthy, that I can walk, that I am not struggling with a disease, then my focus shifts and gives me a much better perspective.  I do long to be able to say like Paul, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed of hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12)  I think the secret to true contentment is through learning to live a life of thanksgiving.

If I have a thankful heart, then I won't have an attitude of self-entitlement.  This is a difficult attitude to combat with conflicting messages we hear so often.  I hear so many times, "You deserve it."  "Do more of what makes you happy."  Actually what I deserve is death and hell, but because of God's great love and mercy for me, He sent His Son so that I might have eternal life.  If I can keep that thought in my mind then I realize that everything I have is much more than I deserve, and I should be thankful!!

Being thankful can also help in difficult relationships.  We will always have difficult people in our lives. They are there for a reason.  This is something that Landon has taught me to do in regards to people who I am having a difficult time with.  He will often times remind me of a good quality or character trait in that person and it quickly shifts whatever I am frustrated with toward the good in the person and help us to "bear with one another."  I have not mastered this fully, but it works!  Try it!

Thankfulness relates to letting peace rule also.  If I am giving thanks to God for what I have then I am less likely to be filled with worry or anxiety.  Why?  Because the focus is on God, not our situation or circumstance.

Failing to give God thanks for all things--temporal and spiritual blessings that God has so richly bestowed on us and failing to give Him continual thanks can be considered a "respectable sin".  It can be easily overlooked and be a blind spot in our lives.  It has been for me!!  We are commanded over and over in Scripture to give thanks, so when we don't, it is indeed a sin.  I don't think during this lifetime we will ever be free from a complaining or critical heart, but it is something we should strive for.  It won't happen accidentally.  It must be intentional, but when we do, we will live a life of peace. We will also STAND OUT in a critical world.  I want to be the one not the nine.




















4.13.2015

Rule of Peace

For the last several weeks I have been in a stronghold of anxiety, fear, and worry.  It has completely been crippling.  I won't go into all the details about it, but I will say that it has brought me to a point of complete desperation and dependance on God.  I prayed about it begging God to release me from this.  I was on my face before the Lord, quoting Scripture, and literally singing to myself, "I Need Thee Every Hour."  I had a loss of appetite and couldn't sleep well for almost two weeks due to nightmares.  The only relief I would get was when I was reading the Word.  As I have talked with others over the last few weeks, I have discovered that many people, women mostly, struggle with anxiety as well.  It is actually more common than I even realized.  

In our Sunday School class we are studying the book of Colossians right now.  In chapter 3, there is a verse that really stood out to me, especially since I was struggling.  Colossians 3:15 says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful."  I knew that peace wasn't ruling in my life during this time. Yesterday, Landon and I taught about this verse, and I thought I would share since I feel that it applied to many in our Sunday School class...ME INCLUDED!!!

According to the verse I quoted above, peace is to rule.  If peace isn't ruling then what is?  The opposite of peace is stress, anxiety, fear, worry, or frustration.  Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of God.  We are commanded to let peace rule, so that would make the opposite a sin.  

Recently I read this article that was referring to the impact of sexual sin, but it could apply to any sin. I love the description of sin in the article.  Call sin what it is...  

"Now that it is in the house, don't buy it a collar and a leash and give it a sweet name.  Don't "admit" sin as a harmless (but un-broken) pet.  Instead, confess it as an evil offense and put it out!  Even if you love it!  You can't domesticate sin by welcoming it into your home.  Don't make a false peace.  Don't make excuses.  Don't get sentimental about sin.  Don't play the victim.  Don't live by excuse-righteousness.  If you bring the baby tiger into your house and name it Fluffy, don't be surprised if you wake up one day and Fluffy is eating you alive.  That is how sin works, and Fluffy knows her job. Sometimes sin lurks and festers for decades, deceiving the sinner that he really has it all under control, until it unleashes itself on everything you built, cherished, and loved.

Be wise about your choice sins and don't coddle them.  And remember that sin is not ever "who you are" if you are in Christ.  In Christ, you are a son or daughter of the King; you are royalty.  You do battle with sin because it distorts your real identity; you do not define yourself by these sins that are original with your consciousness and daily present in your life." 

I think many people struggle with this and instead if eradicating sin from our life, we tend to just learn how to deal with it.  That is not what God desires for us.  He desires for us to have peace to rule and for us to live life abundantly.  

I am not diminishing the fact that sometimes life is hard.  It can be difficult and sometimes painful.  If my car breaks down, that is a difficult situation.  If I have an accident and am permanently disabled, that is painful and life changing. There are these two extremes and anything in between.  Difficulties usually occur in the ordinary activities and responsibilities of life, but the question is: How do we respond?

In the New Testament, there are twenty-seven character traits.  Love is the most repeated, with humility in second.  What would the world be like if we actually did these?  In third, trust in God is mentioned approximately thirteen times.  The opposite of trust in God is either anxiety or frustration. Jesus had much to say about anxiety.  In Matthew 6:25-34, He deals directly with this issue. "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do now sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing?  Observe how the lilies of the filed grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive to day and tomorrow is thrown in to the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?  You of little faith!  Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?  or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care of itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  

If you are familiar with the Bible or have been in church, this is a passage you have probably heard many times, but do we really take these things to heart when we live in a state of worry or anxiety?  Do we nod our head and get all warm and fuzzy when we hear these words and yet not apply them to our lives?  I have been guilty.  

Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."  Did you read that???  Be anxious for NOTHING!!!  Not one thing!!  Take it to the Lord instead by prayer and supplication.  Then in verse 7...good news!!  "and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 

Anxiety is a sin for two reasons:
1)  It is distrust in God.  When I give way to anxiety, I am, in effect, believing that God does not care for me and He will not take care of me in that particular circumstance.
2)  It is a lack of believing in God's sovereignty.  God is in control over all things.  When I am anxious, then I am saying He is not in control.

Worry is a synonym for anxiety.  Most of the time we worry, it is over something we have no control over anyway!!!  We worry about things that more than likely will never happen.  Worry will do no good.  It will not change the circumstances at all.  It just creates turmoil within us and shows that we have a lack of faith.  

Both fear and anxiety are battles of the mind.  In 1 Peter 1:13, we are commanded to "prepare our minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  This same terminology is used in Ephesians when we are told to put on our armor so we will be prepared for the schemes of the enemy.  We are told to "gird up the loins with truth..."  In the 1 Peter passage, we need to "gird up the loins of our mind." This was an image that the people of that time understood well.  When they went to battle their uniforms were basically like a dress.  In order to be prepared to run, they would have to tuck in their "dress" into their belt so they wouldn't have any loose ends to trip them up.  That's exactly what we are to do with our mind.  Don't let your mind just go!  We must tie up any loose ends so we aren't tangled up in thoughts that will trip us up.  

We must Philippians 4:8 our thoughts.  "Whatever is TRUE, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."  Once again, this isn't just a suggestion.  It is a command.  We must take control of our thoughts.  


2 Corinthians 10:5 is another scripture that we should memorize!  "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."  As soon as a thought enters into our head, we must do the Phil. 4:8 test to decide if it can stay.  If it is not true, pure, lovely, excellent, praise worthy, worthy of praise, we need to take the thought captive!!  In that we destroy speculations, things that are not TRUE, and we kick the thought out to the obedience of Christ.  Does this seem radical or extreme?  It did to me, but this is what we are told to do.  This is the only way to live in freedom from anything besides letting peace rule our lives.  


Also, if we "set our mind on the things above, not on the things of earth," our attitude in every single situation will change.  (Colossians 3:2)

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Frustration

This section was highly convicting to me!!  Where anxiety involves fear, frustration usually involves being upset or even angry at whatever or whoever is blocking our plans.  How often does someone or something block my plans?  Almost daily!!  When I am trying to get out the door for a practice on time and my child can't find all their gear they need, I can simply lose my mind.  Or when I am in a hurry to get somewhere and traffic doesn't part like the Red Sea for me, I can be tempted to be frustrated.  When my computer won't work properly when I'm trying to send an email or print something important and nothing is cooperating, I can wig out.  Frustration invades, peace is gone!  In these moments, do I stop and think about God?  According to my responses, sadly I would have to confess no.  Here is a Scripture that I read in a book on this specific issue that had an entirely new meaning for me.  "All the days are ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  Psalm 139:16.  This verse is familiar to me, but I haven't ever thought about it in this context.  Our days are ordained before we were even born, yes, but what about the circumstances of my days?  Of course they are are ordained as well!!  I believe God is sovereign in all things including the circumstances of my daily activities.  When you think of it in this way, then everything changes.  When I discovered this "sin" in my life, I have really been aware of the times I get frustrated over so many little things, things that block my plans.  

Instead of allowing frustration to rule, we need to learn how to respond in a godly manner.  We can pray for wisdom in the situation.  We can pray for our nerves to be calmed and for peace to rule.  We can ask if there is something we need to learn or if there is something we need to be attentive to. For me, usually in these situations when my frustration level is high, it does more harm in the situation anyway.  Above all, we need to remember that there are no events in our lives that do not ultimately come to us from the invisible hand of God, even through they come through some visible cause.  

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How do we obtain God's peace?  "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."  2 Peter 1:2-3.  God's peace comes from true, experiential, not just theoretical knowledge of the Source of peace, God and Jesus Christ our Lord.

One of the names of God is Jehovah Shalom, which means God is Peace.  It is first found in the book of Judges.  Quick summary of the time during the Judges...In those days there was no king in Israel.  They were to let God be their king.  They were supposed to be a holy, called nation, and set apart from all others around them.  However, they were not holy and set apart.  When Moses dies, he passed on the responsibility to Joshua.  However after Joshua's death..."A generation...arose who...did not know God or the work which He had done for Israel and they forgot the Lord their God." Judges 3:7.  Then Israel, "did evil in the sight of the God and served Baals (Judges 2:11) and they provoked God to anger (Judges 2:12) and they forsook God and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.  In sum, Israel forgot God's person and power, forsook Him and began to fear other gods who are no gods at all.  

In Judges 6, there had been forty years of peace in the land.  However during this time of peace, Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.  Thus, God gave Israel into the hands of Midian and they prevailed against Israel.  How did Israel respond?  They hid in dens, caves, and strongholds instead of running to hide in the cleft of the Rock of their salvation, they run to the rocks and clefts.  They are afraid and terror stricken, filled with anxiety.  They have lost their peace by doing evil in the sight of God which will disturb peace. They were brought low and cried out to the Lord.  He responded to their cry by sending His Word by a prophet and reminded them that He had brought them out of Egypt, out from slavery, and He delivered the from the hand of all oppressors and gave them the land.   But despite all that God did for them, they did not obey.  

During this time of oppression from enemies, Gideon found himself in the winepress--threshing out the wheat that would sustain both his life and the life of his family.  Threshing wheat was a job to be done outside because the wind helped in the process.  He was inside because he was afraid of the Midianites.  This is where the Angel of the Lord called him to be a valiant warrior.  Gideon asked how was he to do this great thing since his family is the least and he is the youngest of the least.  This shows, once again, that God can use ANYONE!  He uses the unexpected to show His power lest we boast of our own strength and abilities or prestige.  God sees what we do not see.  He sees our potential, not who we are at the time.  He is in the business of transforming lives.  He takes our inadequacy and transforms it by His adequacy.  God sees beyond our fears and frailties.  God does not save us and use us for what we are but for what by His grace we may become in Christ.

What did God promise to Gideon? He promised him HIs presence, that He would be with him, he will defeat Midian as one man, and PEACE.  God reveals His name as PEACE and that He would pour out peace in a time of war.  Like I said earlier, peace isn't the absence of conflict but the presence of God.  We can have a supernatural peace in the most difficult and trying situations through God alone.  

True peace comes from the source of peace, Jehovah Shalom.  Jesus is called the "Prince of Peace" in Isaiah 9:6, and Jesus says right before He is crucified, "Peace I leave with you."  At Pentacost, the Spirit of Peace in the form of the Holy Spirit was poured out on all who believe.  So all three parts of God, declare and pour out peace.  It is Their nature.  

As a believer, we are to have peace.  We are to let peace rule in our hearts.  It is also one of the nine fruits that we are to bear, not produce ourselves.  It comes through the power of the Holy Spirit alone.  The secret of genuine peace with God is founded in trusting Jesus Christ, not just a one time event, but every single day for the rest of our life.  It is dependence and surrender to Him.  This complete trust in Him will manifest itself in obedience and the ongoing sense of the peace of God.

God grants us peace and grace when needed in situations.  Steven was granted peace at the time of his death.  There have been numerous other martyrs for their faith in Jesus that have died willingly. They were given peace unto their earthly death as they were ushered into eternity with Him forever.  

We won't achieve complete freedom from anxiety or frustration in this life, but we should never accept them as part of who we are or as part of our temperament any more than we would accept something like adultery as part of our temperament.  If anxiety, frustration, fear, or worry is ruling, then peace is not. 

"God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there.  There is no such thing."  C.S. Lewis


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