Peace Is A Choice: Revelation Through Experience
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27 MEV
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” - John 16:33 AMP
Fruit from a relationship with God is abundantly produced when we abide in Him and Him only. God loves to show off and reveal His glory in our lives because it testifies of His goodness. This revelation is the product of choosing to do our part the way He instructs us to in His word. “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27), this isn’t merely a suggestion or recommendation from God but a command. We have a responsibility regarding the condition of our heart and what we allow to settle there. Scripture tells us to “Guard your heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23), this is our responsibility, something we have to do through actions not passivity. God promised to keep us in peace when our mind, heart, focus & attention remains on Him (Isaiah 26:3). That’s a fact, regardless of what is going on in the world around us, I’m a living witness. We have promises from God Himself that are available to us IF we regard & abide in Him. We have a responsibility in this. “Let not” or “Do not let your heart be troubled” from John 14:27 means we (through Jesus Christ) have control over heart & whether or not it is troubled which is why we’re told to “guard” it (Proverbs 4:23). Though sometimes what we go through seems impossible to overcome & to painful not to indulge our emotions of fear or despair, it is very possible. God wouldn’t have given us the command to not let our heart be troubled or afraid if it was not in our ability to do it. This would make Him unjust, & no matter what, He is a good Father & very just & fair. The only impossibility in doing this is if we attempt to do it in our own strength. The things God instructs us to do are always from the standpoint of Christ’s power working in & through us thus enabling us to do it.
Last year on June 5th, when my daughter died the most visually horrific death while staring right into my eyes, I had a choice to make. I had to choose to be distraught, frantic & breakdown in hysterics or remain in peace, resist & pray. I chose the latter & was far more effective because of it, but it was my choice. I remained at His feet, abiding in Him/His word when waters were calm which enabled me to stand in faith & keep my focus on Him when the storm came. Like Peter, I was able to walk on water (figuratively speaking) when the storm raged & the wind was against me & not sink (Matthew 14:22-32). Because I had God’s words & promises hidden in my heart, I was able to have composure & focus. I was able to draw on His word, activate my faith in His goodness & mercy for not only me emotionally but also my daughter’s deliverance from death. I am human & a mother, so of course fear & anxiety were present but I chose not to embrace those emotions. Instead, I chose to draw on the promise of peace that I knew from God’s word. Every scripture I had hidden in my heart became my anchor & gave me the ability to stand for those 17min of death over my daughter until I heard the nurse say “she’s breathing strong on her own!” Through this experience, my understanding of God’s faithfulness to His word when we do our part was solidified. I earned another notch on my faith belt so to speak. This is only possible when we choose to allow the instructions found in God’s word to dictate our response to trouble instead of our emotions. This is so no matter how difficult the situation appears.
I was able to not only see my daughter brought back from death but God used my experience to touch others who witnessed my reaction first hand that night in the ER. Nurses who were frantically working on my daughter, the security guard who sat with me by the door of the room my daughter was in, the social worker who tried her best to give me some semblance of support & the janitor who happened to be there as a bystander while sweeping the floor that night all testified of their awe at my peace. It was interesting to me that “peace’ or “peaceful” was the word they all used to describe my disposition. They were unable to understand how I was so peaceful instead of frantic while witnessing my daughter die & calm during the chaos in trying to save her life. This was “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) on full display. These beautiful interactions with these sweet perfect strangers opened an incredible door of opportunity. I had the absolute privilege & honor to tell each of them about Jesus, through witness & words. He was the ONLY reason I was able to remain in peace.
This peace is readily available to all who truly put their trust in Him, take Him at His word & choose to live their lives according to the instructions contained in His holy scriptures. Things don’t just happen because His will for us is good or because we may want something to go a certain way. We have a part to play. We have to be active participants in our own deliverance & acquisition of His promises working in our lives. Christ never promised us that walking with Him would give us freedom from troubles or trials. In fact He said just the opposite. (“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident]; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 AMP), also (2 Timothy 3:12) Scripture tells us that we are redeemed from the curse of the law (poverty, sickness, disease, etc. (Galatians 3:13)) but we are not redeemed from persecution. All who walk with Him will suffer persecution but He also promised to deliver us from it. In addition, He left us a Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16) so we’re well equipped to overcome anything the enemy throws at us. That’s the benefit of living life with Christ & the gift of salvation. Everyone breathing air is going to go through trials & suffering in life to some extent. The difference between a true believer in Christ & those who aren’t is the help & deliverance from them available to us through Christ. Strong faith & trust in His word enough to step out & actually do what He says to do, the way He says to do it, is the only way to overcome, in peace, any obstacle we face in life. Abiding/remaining in His word, communing with Him through prayer & simply spending time in His presence all lead to a secure relationship with Him. Choosing Him & His ways will always yield fruit & reveal His glory in our lives. That’s His promise & I’m a living witness!
The test is not the test, how we respond is the real test. - Greg Mohr
