Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
To listen to the podcast episode on this topic click below:
As we approach the Christmas season there is a lot of talk about peace. And rightly so. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. On the night when His birth was announced to shepherds, an angelic host declared, “Peach on Earth! Good will towards men!”
Lately I’ve been craving peace. I don’t mean the peace we look forward to when all the kids are finally in bed asleep or the feeling of checking off all the items on our to-do list. That’s often a short-lived, elusive peace.
I’m craving the soul peace only Jesus can bring, the peace that passes all understanding. His peace has nothing to do with my to-do list or accomplishments. It completely bypasses all of my earthly circumstances.
The peace Jesus brings breaks all of the rules we’ve made for how and when we can finally enjoy peace.
We imagine we will only have peace when that situation that has been troubling us is finally resolved. Jesus invites us to have peace right in the middle of that situation when it looks and feels irresolvable.
His peace is a gift for us to take and enjoy.
Though many things in this world promise peace, none of them can deliver. Only Jesus can give us that indescribable security of knowing that everything is going to be okay because He holds the whole world in His hands. That’s the peace of God.
Jesus offered His peace in John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”
The Greek word used in this verse for “troubled” means stirred, disturbed, agitated. Think of an agitator in a washing machine. It’s constantly stirring and moving, not allowing the contents of the tank to stay still. That’s a word picture for a troubled heart.
Jesus has given us this wonderful, amazing peace, the peace that can only be found in Him. But to enjoy this peace, this gift from above, we have a part to play. We must not let our hearts be troubled. But how?
Keeping our hearts from being disturbed, even in the face of disturbing circumstances is definitely a challenge. It’s our responsibility but it’s only possible with His help, and He knows it.
Keeping His peace while walking in the world requires us to walk closely with Him.
So many things come to steal our peace. How do we prevent them?
The battle to keep the peace of God is fought in the mind. And, yes, it is a battle.
But it’s a battle that’s worth fighting.
If you are already struggling in your mind trying to find peace or keep it, can I encourage you today to struggle well?
To struggle well means to fight the good fight of faith. Since you’re already fighting, you should start fighting to win and not just survive. Fighting to win is fighting with the knowledge that God is fighting with me and for me. When we fight the good fight of faith we always win, if we don’t give up. So today I encourage you to do these four things to fight the fight of faith in your mind so you can experience more of God’s peace in your life.
Believe the Peace of God is for you.
God’s peace passes all understanding, it is supernatural, unlike anything this world has to offer. He wants you to live in it. But in order to do that you must believe it is a gift He wants you to have.
You can not receive a gift from God you don’t believe in. God has freely given the gift of salvation to whosoever believes, but He never forces it on anyone. It is an act of our free will. He tells us, shows us, and draws us, but never makes us believe or accept His gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The same is true of His gift of Peace. When Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace I give unto you, my Peace I give you,” He meant it. And it applies to us today also. Don’t live your life short of the blessings Jesus died to secure for you. Believe His peace is for you today and decide you will walk in it in a greater measure.
Receive the Peace of God
The best way I know to receive the peace of God is to pray. Prayer is the great exchange. It’s where we trustingly go to God and cast our cares and burdens upon Him, and, in exchange, we receive His peace that surpasses understanding. His peace goes right past our need to figure everything out.
Often when I’m burdened and heavy I’ll write down all the cares that are weighing on my mind. Sometimes that’s easy because I know exactly why my soul is disturbed. Other times I’m not really sure until I start writing. I start with the things that are irritating me at the moment, but as I continue to write, the root cause will often pop up. Catching my cares on paper makes it easier for me to bring them to the Lord.
After I’ve written them down I take them to the Lord in prayer. As I pray I visualize myself putting each of them at His feet on His altar. No, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Yes, they pop back up. But I continue to give them back to Him, over and over again. I never run out of things to pray for! Somedays it’s easier than others. But handing God all my worries, fears, troubles and doubts is a wonderful way to make room for and invite His peace to reign in our minds. I highly recommend it.
Rarely does His peace instantly rush in, filling my soul and mind. I’m not against that and welcome it if that’s how the Holy Spirit wants to bring it. But more often His peace is a subtle knowing that those things are safely in my Father’s hands. It comes from trust. Trust brings His peace in prayer.
Renew Your Mind in God’s Word
Since the battle for peace is fought in our minds, renewing our minds with scripture is a great way of “not letting our hearts be troubled.”
There are so many great scriptures to help us renew our minds in God’s peace. If you struggle in this area, I encourage you to print off the scriptures I’ve listened below or write them in your journal and commit them to memory. As you meditate on them and ponder what God is speaking to you through them, your faith will grow in this area and you will enjoy more peace in your mind and heart. I strongly encourage you to do this. You will be so glad you did.
Click here to receive a downloadable PDF with these 10 PEACE SCRIPTURES.
- Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” – John 14:27
- Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
- You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. – Isaiah 26:3
- Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7
- Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8
- I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
- Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
- Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. – 2 Thessalonians 3:16
- Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:9
- Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 5:15
These are just a few of the many scriptures on peace you can find in the Bible, but they are a great place to start. If you take just one, write it down, commit it to memory, and meditate on it as you go about your day, you will be amazed at how God will use His Word to safeguard your heart. Please start today.
Monitor the Thoughts You Allow into Your Mind
We can’t prevent fearful or disturbing thoughts from crossing our minds, but we don’t have to allow them to stay and take root there either.
Along with renewing your mind with God’s Word, comes guarding your mind against thoughts that are contrary to His Word.
1 Peter 1:13 tells us to gird up the loins of our minds. At the time this verse was written men wore long flowing garments that made working and running difficult. So when a man needed to work or move quickly he would “gird up” his garment with a belt around his waist. This was preparation for work.
In order to do the work God has called us to do we must “gird up” our minds. It doesn’t serve us well to have a free-flowing mind that wanders from one thought to another. We must prepare our minds for work, not letting them hinder or trip us up. We must tell our minds where to go instead of letting our minds take us where we don’t want to go.
Colossians 3:2 says “Set your mind on things above.” Where ever we set our minds, that’s where we will go. We get to determine where we will set our minds, on the things above, or the things below. Set them on the things above. Set them on God, on His peace and His purpose for your life. Renew your mind in His Word. Let His Word transform you and bring you His peace that passes understanding.
This is within your ability with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is a skill that takes time to develop but will help strengthen your walk with God and help you keep your peace when circumstances become unsure and rocky.
As Christians, this is our work, and it is never finished. All of our lives on earth we will have to maintain our thought lives if we are going to walk with God. We never outgrow or get to a place of maturity where we no longer have to deal with, work on, or maintain our thought life.
Our enemy, Satan, is after our minds. He’s constantly sending thoughts our way. He knows that if he can influence the narrative in our minds, he can influence our decisions and the direction of our lives. He never stops throwing his lies at us to see if we will pick them up and keep them as our own thoughts. He tried this with Jesus. He will surely try it with us too.
But as we walk with God and become more aware of his tactics we become more skilled at using God’s Word as our shield and defense. When we know the truth, it’s easier to recognize the lies.
As the holiday season approaches, I can’t encourage you enough to put these skills into practice. God so wants you to experience His peace in your life. He’s paid a great price for you to be strong in your heart and mind. He endured so much so you could have hope and peace.
He loves you and wants to see you mature as a believer and live free from the troubled heart and mind that steals your peace and joy. Let’s thank Him by believing His Word and walking in the freedom He’s provided for us.
Thank you, Lord, for your great gift of peace. Lord Jesus, You are our Prince of Peace. You are the rest we need for our troubled minds. We put our trust in You.
© Audrey McCracken, 2022
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