My Peace I Give Unto You...

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

This verse (found in John 14:27) is a great reminder that the Lord gives you His peace. This is not the same as the peace you find in the world. This is real, authentic peace. Let's dig into this verse a little more.

Worldly Peace

God gives us peace "not as the world giveth". What does this mean? I can think of several times in my life when I would have a problem and I would just decide to not worry about it anymore. I would distract myself, tell myself it was no big deal (even though I knew it was!) and generally try to ignore the problem. At first I would feel peace, but it was always there, in the back of my mind...nagging. I could never shake it, no matter what I did. Then I found how to have true peace.

True Peace!

Sometimes I forget that I can't have real peace in any other way than through Jesus. I can try all I want to ignore things, but they always come back (and never really leave anyway). I've found that when I have a problem that I don't know how to deal with I can say a simple prayer asking God to take this problem and do with it what He will. That my life is dedicated to Him and I will do whatever He asks of me, that prayer gives true peace. Sometimes I have to do what I need to do to take care of the problem first, but real peace does come.

Steps to True Peace

Anyone can have real peace no matter what they are going through. here are some steps to take to receive this free gift:

• Relationship. You need to have (or start) a relationships with God. Get in the Bible and pray. Live a life that aligns with what you read in the bible.
• Pray. Pray specifically about whatever it is you need peace about. Don't ignore any feelings. Tell God just what you feel. 
• Stop. Stop talking, stop walking, just be still. Ask God to guide your thoughts about this problem. Think about the principles you've learned from the Bible. 
• Think. Think about what God has written in the Bible, think about what Jesus may be asking you to do. Realize that you aren't in control. 
• Let Go. Realize that God has His own ways of dealing with things that they are not your ways. Submit yourself to whatever God may have for this problem. 
• Take Action. God will likely ask you to do something. Sometimes he will ask you to simply not worry about it and he will take care of it. Sometimes you will need to have a serious conversation with someone. Sometimes you will need to change a habit or action. When you see what God is asking of you, take action...do it.

Conclusion

Worldly peace is like an infomercial...it seems like a good idea, but after you try it you realize you just got ripped off!

God has something much better! It's available to anyone who wants it. You can have real, true peace about anything you are going through. Take some time and follow the action steps above to find true peace.