82
PEACE OF GOD
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
—COLOSSIANS 3:15 KJV
When God speaks to our hearts, He gives us a deep sense of internal peace to confirm the message is truly from Him. Jesus said, “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” (John 14:27). When confusion, chaos, and disorder is all around us there is nothing like having the peace of God. The peace of God is something that I have come to learn to understand. I have learned how to tap into the inner peace of God that surpasses my own understanding. I know how to close myself in and hear the voice of God.
The peace of God will calm every inner storm that arises. I remember when there was a fire several doors from my home and everyone on the block was panicking because they didn’t want the fire to reach their homes. One neighbor asked me why I was so calm. I responded that I was happy that I was still alive and made it out safe and no one was hurt or killed. That is the peace of God. God spoke to me right then to respond to my neighbor.
I didn’t have much of an answer, but I heard the Lord bring to my mind, “Hakeem, you are alive, and you can build another home, but I cannot build another you.” God speaks to us even in the midst of disarray and turmoil. I have learned how to mute the noise and get focused on what the Lord desires to reveal to me. We as believers must not allow the enemy to distract us. You have the power to take control of the situation and not panic but release the peace of God.
When the devil comes to speak to us, he cannot give us peace in our hearts. We might experience peace emotionally, but emotional peace won’t last. Only spiritual peace of the Lord will endure to the end. If we attempt to solve things with our own reasoning, power, and understanding, we cannot experience lasting internal peace. The mind of the flesh (which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit) is death (death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter). But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and peace (both now and forever) according Romans 8:6.
When this happens we need to go to prayer; sometimes we need to ask, and other times just to be still and listen. When we do and we hear from God and we know we are doing His will, we will have peace. There will be an uneasiness or check in our spirit when we are not to do something. If we have conflict within ourselves God tells us how to resolve it. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isa. 26:3).
Therefore, we must keep our mind on the Lord and trust Him and we will have that inner perfect peace in our lives because we trusted totally in God in all things. Maybe it will take a little time to build up that trust. When we permit this peace of God to rule and reign in our hearts, our lives can be directed by the Lord through the recognition of His peace. If there is inner peace we can proceed. If our inner peace is gone there is a problem and we need to look to God. Ask the Lord to speak to your heart and download His peace.
I remember a time when I lost several close family members back to back and I felt so overwhelmed emotionally. I felt targeted by the enemy. When I started to pray, God supernaturally brought peace to my heart out of nowhere; I felt unnecessary burdens and stress lift off my heart. God’s peace overwhelmed my heart. God’s peace resolved any fears, paranoia, and depressions. God’s word breaks the power and stronghold of the enemy over our mind.