All Christians struggle to find God’s perfect peace at some point and few actually find it. Why do some find it and others don’t? Honestly, most people don’t even know where to begin. That’s why it is so important to have a good preacher in your life (the Bible warns against false prophets so be careful and ask God to lead you to the right church). They can help us see things we never did before. The 2 reasons you are missing out on Gods perfect peace are so easy to overcome and I want to share with you what my pastor first shared with me.
Isaiah 26:3 tells us, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” You may say, but God I pray and read my Bible all the time. I do trust you and follow your commands so why don’t you want to see me happy? It can make no sense to us. Why did He save us just to allow us to feel miserable? Does He not care about us? (I don’t know many times I’ve been there my friend) It’s so easy to start feeling sorry for ourselves if we aren’t careful.
Take a look at this scripture from Matthew 11:28-29. “28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
We can feel like Jesus is not living up to His word if we don’t really understand what He is saying here. Look at each of these verses separately and you will find the answer to finding God’s perfect peace. The answer isn’t enough, though. If you do nothing with it, the answer won’t give you the rest you so desperately seek.
1.Water and Holy Spirit Baptism
First Jesus says to come to Him. This means we need to give our lives to Him and follow His teachings. The first order of business as a new Christian is to turn from our sins and get baptized. Some Christians believe that you don’t need to get baptized to get to heaven. Jesus and all of His disciples were baptized. Only a foolish “Christian” would choose to defy Jesus. In John 3:5, Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” If you die today, are you going to heaven?
On the day of Pentecost, the men asked Peter what they should do next. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) Notice how no one was baptized in the name of the father, son, or holy spirit? Those are mere titles. The NAME is Jesus Christ.
Notice how Jesus separates being born of water and of spirit? They are not the same thing. “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance“(Acts 2:4). I highly recommend reading the entire Book of Acts to get a better understanding of this. God will give it to you. All you have to do is ask Him.
We can’t completely rely on our pastors and please don’t just take my word for it. We have to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12). If you have never heard this before, just know not every Church preaches this message because it is not popular and many people reject it completely (in other words, there is no profit in making people uncomfortable). Why would the devil want you to put into action the most important verse in the entire Bible?
First, you must get baptized to ever receive any peace in this life. Check out these other verses on Salvation.
2.Take upon His Yoke
At this point, you’re going to heaven but you will not feel the peace God is talking about without taking His yoke upon you. What does that even mean? If you’re like me, you just gloss over some parts of the Bible that seem a bit confusing. A better approach (which I’m still working on) is to meditate on certain scriptures until you get what God wants you to get out of it.
This means to take up His cross. Look to Philippians 4:9. “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Are you doing what Jesus taught? Spreading the gospel?
Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). How would you feel if someone you loved only told you they loved you, but never showed it? And who else is going to do it? Look around you! People need Jesus. It’s sad how lost most people actually are.
Remember how He said His burden is light? We just need to plant seeds and God will do the rest. Let people see God in you. His love and kindness will attract people. They will wonder why you are different and they will ask you. That’s when you share how Jesus’ has changed you. God doesn’t want you to become the person that people see walking up to the water cooler and they run away! But everyone shows their love for Jesus in different ways. This picture isn’t meant to offend. I just find it extremely amusing because this is exactly how you feel before you’re saved.?
Everyone’s calling is different. Not everyone is chosen to become a preacher or sing in the choir. The greatest Christian woman I know, Sister D, is a woman who greets people at the door and helps serve the church in any way she can. She is so kindhearted and is the type of woman who will cry with you if you are going through tough times or will laugh with you during the good. You can tell she is at peace through her words and actions.
So what do you do now?
You may have no idea what God wants you to do. That’s why you need to pray about it. Ask Him what His plans are for you. The desires you have are not by accident. If you enjoy speaking to crowds, God placed those desires in you. If you want to help clean and decorate the church, God also placed those desires in your heart.
Trust Him and ask for guidance. There is no greater feeling than being a soul-winner and living up to your God-given destiny. That’s how you find His perfect peace. Get baptized and set your mind on what is really important, the Kingdom. Luke 12:31 “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Related: Two Prayer Strategies That Will Change Your Life
What is it that you would love to do for God? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
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