Good Morning family. I want to talk about access to divine and uncommon peace as believers. A peace that we can choose to engage in or completely ignore. There was a time I thought peace was just sprinkled on us during worship or prayer. Getting older has proven that situations will come when I need God’s peace now, but I’m not in prayer or worship. I’m at my desk, in traffic, in a meeting, maybe at a dentist’s appointment (dentist appointment for me), or perhaps I’m lying in bed. I need peace. How do we access that instant peace? My simple answer: turn your attention to Jesus, who he is, what he’s done, and what he is doing.
You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you. Isaiah 26:3
There are three ways that I know the Lord sweeps in with his peace when I begin to fix my attention on him. But first, what does it mean to fix your attention on him? From my experience, it means that I actively think about how good God is right now, even in this moment of frustration. Second, it’s acknowledging that God is ready and available to help me right now – just ask. Third, it’s being aware that God is so close to me right now that he’s shielding me from the eternal damage of any problem I face in this world. When I think this way, three things happen: the Holy Spirit calms, corrects, and reassures me.
When we fixate our focus on God, we pull on him. The Bible says draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. If you’ve ever felt physically close to God, you know what it’s like to take a deep breath because he’s there. You know the ease that comes over you as you exalt him.
Not only have I felt at peace, but I have also been 100% corrected. Sometimes we go through a frustrating situation, and we are the problem. The Holy Spirit doesn’t use the word or his wisdom to shame us but to steer us in the right direction and to show us ourselves. I was so agitated at work, and I just took a second to ask God for help. Immediately, the Holy Spirit began to show me that I was causing my frustration because of my unwillingness to accept correction. He could have easily said, “A fool hates correction, Proverbs such and such!” Instead, he walked me through my thoughts, mistakes, and even my email and said, “Kayla do you see that”? Oh, the peace I felt that (1) knowing God saw me and (2) he’s still working with me gently. I would have never experienced this had I not fixed my thoughts on him.
Last, the Holy Spirit reassures you. He can do this in many ways through an encouraging thought, a call from a friend, or a random scripture that comes to mind. Do you know that the Bible says the Holy Spirit will bring the word of God to mind? When you need a word, the Holy Spirit will bring scripture to the forefront of your mind. He will send someone to say something to you that may trigger that thought or memory of scripture. I believe he does this subtly whether we pay attention to him or not. But if we are focused on him, we will reap the benefit of not missing that reassurance we desperately needed.
So how do I do this? Guys, I pause, breathe slowly, and imagine myself with Jesus. I imagine myself in his presence. I see his hands, the color of the atmosphere, and I see myself relaxed. Then I wait. It never takes long because he eagerly responds to us when we pull on him. But it is the trick of the enemy to enlarge our problems, so we miss out on the benefit of exalting him. Don’t take the bait. Wait for the calm, the correction, and the reassurance. Wait for your peace. It’s so freeing to focus on Jesus. You realize nothing in this world can outdo him.
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