Chapter 4 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 1 |
Quest for Peace By Roxy J Nolin Chapter 3 The Guiding of Peace |
Chapter 1 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 |
"The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7. Often as children of God, we can't always fully explain the working of peace because God is so boundless and endless while man in himself is limited. Yet, God in His love has allowed mankind to see Him through His Word-Jesus. To take it further He has placed within man-by the new birth every communication tool to communicate God's will and purpose. One of these communicating tools is peace! So it is vital that we be sensitive to the working of the flesh, not allowing sin to present it or hinder God's will and purpose for our lives. That is why He communicates through His Word so we can produce God's peace to keep us in the will of God and out of the flesh. God Has A Plan Ephesians 1:4-5 says, "Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]." God did not just re-create us to be a part of His family but He established before the foundations of the world-His perfect will for us. In other words, the Father, and Son and the Holy Spirit met in conference millions and trillions of years-eternity before, before we accepted Him on earth. There the Godhead established the perfect God-plan for us. Yet even though we have God's perfect plan for our lives, this doesn't guarantee perfect completion here on earth. Why? Because He gave us a free will-the right of choice-freedom. Now that we are saved, we have the responsibility for finding the perfect plan of God, then allowing it to take its course-true freedom. By doing this we will also find peace because God's will produces peace. Now this is not an easy task to accomplish, to just "jump onto God's plan." With all the obstacles of life, it can seem like overwhelming odds, at least in the flesh. But God in His love for us has established the communication tool of peace to rule and guide us down that road to victory and stability. Peace, the Decider Colossians 3:15 says, "And let the peace (soul) harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]." The word "rule" in this Scripture is translated from the Greek word; "Brabeuo" this word was used in the New Testament to articulate an athletic event or a court proceeding. Simply, this word is emphasizing a decision made in court arbitration, or to act as a decider in a sporting event, such as a referee or an umpire. To say, "Let the peace of God rule our hearts," means that peace-which is the arbitrator or referee will make the decision in the respective areas of authority it is asked to rule. In other words, peace will settle all the conflicts, then bring them to adjustment. Remember: we must let peace rule. Simply, it will not rule if we don't allow it to. The problem with many believers is they let cares, disappointments, and fears and doubts rule. That's like letting the spectator's rule instead of the referee! Now it is not really hard to tell when we are out of God's boundaries of peace. Confusion, heaviness of heart or disturbed feelings are all signals that something is wrong out of peace. At this point we must be sensitive to the working of peace within, then adjust our course to God's rest. The spirit of peace, the referee or umpire, does this! For example, in a football game if a player steps out of bounds with the ball, the referee will blow the whistle signaling that the player is outside the boundaries of the game. Now the referee must be allowed to rule the game. It would be detrimental if we let anything else rule. Peace is the same for us. When we begin to go out of the boundaries of God's Word or His perfect plan-will. Peace as the referee will blow the whistle on us. It will let us know in our heart we are off track. Again like the referee-peace must be allowed to rule in order to get us back into peace or the plan of God. Peace, the Referee, the Discerner As children of God, there are many times we face great circumstances or situations. In facing these obstacles the greatest dilemma is having to decide what is right or what is wrong. Our Father God never trains His children contrary to His Word. So depending on how well we have listened, studied and pondered the Word and understood the leading of God's Spirit, will determine ultimately, the decisions we make. To bring it even further, our dilemma can be of greater significance because sometimes our decisions face more than one area of choice. In other words, we may have several areas that are right, yet we have to discern what fits for each situation for our good. This is where the referee can help. Now the referee will only rule according to the proper rules, which comes by the Word of God. What we need to do is find the area of the Word that deals with our situation-within the boundaries. By doing this we must be convinced that this is right in God's will. From this point on we need to allow the umpire of peace to direct or make the right decision. Part of Isaiah 55:12 says, "Be lead out with peace." In other words, we must allow the peace of God to make the call like a referee. By doing this we are allowing our life to be ruled by God, not our feelings which will only disturb our peace. This is how we can tell what is of God or not. By being in tune with the peace of God, we will be shown what alternatives we are to follow. Simply, we will be led by peace into the proper direction. Peace as an Arbitrator Now an arbitrator is similar. An arbitrator is someone who makes decisions in order to settle disputes. Many times our flesh and our spirit are at war with each other. Our mind-soul needs to make the proper decisions. Of course, we want to follow the Spirit but when we are faced with circumstances it can be sometimes difficult to discern. This is where the arbitrator-peace comes in. Peace will settle the dispute, always lining up with God's Word-and will for divine direction. Yet not only will the arbitrator keep us in divine direction but also it will keep us in God's protection. In other words, it will keep us from walking into the devil's traps. Simply, our emotions may say one thing but the arbitrator will make the adjustment according to God's perfect plan of life. And peace will be the deciding factor. There have been times in my life where I didn't have peace to go up a certain street or road. I found out later there was an accident. But by me allowing peace to rule it kept me from heartache, maybe even death. Now this can also occur when dealing with personal relationships. We may feel we needed to confront someone but we didn't have peace to do so. Later on we realized that this decision saved us from a disastrous breakup of a relationship. Peace as the Guard Philippians 4:7 says, "And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Now not only does peace assure us of our salvation, but having peace rule in our heart is like having a military troop protecting us in the battles we go through. For example, there may be a battle raging all around us-life circumstances. Our eyes may see the battle, our mind may agree with what we see but in our heart there is an incredible peace-contentment. Simply, it's the garrison or guards around our heart-a place where we take cover and make decisions in life. Friend, we must never let the guard of peace down. We must always keep our eyes on the maker of peace Jesus! Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mine [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You." Today, God has placed in us everything that pertains to life and godliness. He wants us to live a life of victory. Peace is one of the victory tools God has placed in our hands to stay in victory. And as we learn the guidance of peace, we will be saved from much troubles and the advance of darkness. Friend, as we understand the working of peace we will be able to ward off the attacks of life. So take every advantage of the peace that's within! Understand that which God has placed in our hearts! Simply, let peace rule. |
Copyright Roxy J Nolin 2002 |
About the Author Roxy J Nolin has been a Pastor-Teacher since 1985. He has a gift to minister God's Word with vibrant and uncompromising effects. He has ministered across US, Canada and Asia. As well as pastoral and pioneering several churches, he was Director and overseer of a Denomination in Canada. He has a Business Management and Marketing background, a Degree in Biblical Studies and has authored several books. He and his wife Jan have four children, one grandson and reside in the City of Calgary Alberta Canada. |
The Book Quest for Peace |
Word of Grace Media Ministries |
