Peace, not Fear or Anxiety

(my highlighting in bold for emphasis)

I felt it necessary to post this during the current Covid-19 realities we are faced with.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The strength of the almighty sovereign God of all creation makes these promises to you. Believe and trust in Him, and you will find peace. Our sovereign almighty God is more powerful than anything you can experience or imagine, and He is with you always, so stop having too little a view of what He is capable of doing for your good.

Deuteronomy 31:6 ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’

2 Chronicles 16:9 ‘For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.’

Joshua 1:9 ‘Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’

Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your path straight.’ Trust and faith go hand in hand. In order to trust in God, you must first believe in Him (that He exists).

What Jesus gives is far beyond anything we can experience of this world. John 14:27 NIV “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Philippians 4:6-9 NIV “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 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.”

There are at least two elements contained in this scripture I wish to highlight here. Firstly, that the peace of God exceeds our comprehension (is greater than we could ever imagine). Second, that there is power in positive thought. The more you focus on something, the larger it becomes in your life. Stop focusing on fear and anxiety, and rather focus on God, and the peace He brings you.

Charles F. Stanley says the following about peace in a You Version devotional I read:

God’s peace transcends circumstances, surpasses understanding, extends to all His followers (so, accept Jesus as your Lord and savior, and this peace can be yours), and is an abiding state of being (your daily norm you can tap into and experience).

Certain things undermine our faith and rob us of our peace. These are, inert alia:

· Sudden fear – being upset by all types of change in life, lacking emotional stability.

· The Enemy – he causes us to doubt and lose some faith.

· Sin – peace and rebellion cannot co-exist.

· Giving up peace – In times of crisis, we can abandon our peace and give in to anxiety.

· Losing focus – allowing the myriad of worldly bad news to affect our peace.

If you are a Christian, God alone is in charge of your life. He’s your security. And He’s never been out of control over His creation for one fraction of a second since the beginning of time. He hasn’t lost one measure of His power or might. He’s just as omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and all loving today as He was at the dawn of man. God is sovereign, He is your provider, He made you for a purpose and has a place where you truly belong, with a plan for your fulfilment.

The true opposite of fear is faith. Much of fear is rooted in threats – threatening words, behaviours or circumstances; threats of disease, unemployment. Faith says “I will not be traumatized by threats. I believe God will help me deal with whatever is thrown at me.”

We will experience difficult times in life, but so too has Jesus, and He is thus able to provide the support you need during those times. And, God is not mean, so He won’t place you in seemingly impossible situations. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Matthew 19:26 ‘Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ Ephesians 3:20 ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,’

It is difficult to experience peace if we hold on to grudges and resentment. Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Compare, complain and criticize less, and you will have less to be anxious or concerned about.

Communicate clearly, concisely, consistently, comprehensively and you will experience less misunderstandings and conflict in life. Listening empathetically is an essential element of proper communication.

Think clearly and calmly, and do not be afraid. God’s strength is within you.2 Timothy 1:7 KJV “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

God is our provider, and so we should not worry about finances or our provision. If I seek God more than anything else, I will eventually seek more of what God wants for me, and be content with that. Matthew 6:25-26 ESV “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, health) will be given to you as well.” Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

James 4:7 “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Stop using the excuse that you are unable to resist evil or falling into negative thought patterns. Self-control is precisely that - you control yourself (with the help of the Holy Spirit – that’s why it is a fruit of the spirit. Walk in step with Him, and His help for you is more than you can imagine.

It takes a change of character brought about by the Holy Spirit in your acceptance of God’s free gift of salvation through grace (and Jesus) in order to experience God’s peace. Romans 12:2 NIV “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” John 3:3 “Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”. Pride causes us to stick to a view until circumstances force us to admit that we need God’s view and guidance, and become properly receptive to it. Humility entails being less contentious, opinionated and argumentative (not having to be anxious about arguments or reprisals), thinking of yourself less, and of others more. It results in us being servant-hearted to others, and this makes them feel good, and respond well to us (see Matthew 5-9).

We experience God’s peace as we surrender our situations and concerns to Him in prayer with proper motives, and trust in Him (see James 4:2-10). Trust is like a muscle best exercised for peak performance and endurance (James 2:20-21). Trusting in our knowledge of how a bicycle functions doesn’t help us to gain from the exercise of actually riding it.

He is with us always, and no circumstance is too much for Him. Don’t let your circumstances affect your peace, or joy. Nehemiah 8:10 ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”