“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

At any given point in life due to the circumstances of life, one may find themselves in deep worry. This can happen to both believers and non-believers, but does God want us to live a life full of worry? God has spoken in His word in several scriptures about us worrying about life. Instead, God needs us to completely trust in Him and His promises concerning our lives.

God has promised us peace that when we obtain, we will live lives that are free from worry and anxiety.  Did you know that most of the time when the word peace is mentioned it can be easily mistaken with the absence of tribulations or war?  However, look at what Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples while promising them His peace. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The perfect peace that God gives is only found in Christ Jesus, it is the kind of peace in the midst of tribulations. As Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and apart from Him there is no peace. What the governments and the humanitarian organizations preach as peace is only the peace of this world that is temporary but the perfect peace is only found in Christ Jesus. “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.

The question should be how can one obtain this kind of peace? The first step for one to experience this kind of peace is first placing their faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work of the cross to get born again. But how is this kind of peace related to what I may be passing through? Does it mean that when we get born again, we will never experience tribulations?

One thing that everyone born in this world should understand is that everyone born in this world is born with a sinful nature that makes them have enmity with God. This is because of the single act of one man known as Adam. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”  Romans 5:18

From the above scripture we see that just by a single act of disobedience from one man known as Adam, judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation. Apostle Paul through the revelation of Jesus Christ clearly shows us the state of a man who is not yet born again. Just look at the description below.

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:1-3

Before one believes in Christ Jesus he is termed as dead and by nature is a child of wrath. At this stage, one is in enmity with God. Just as Apostle Paul writes in another place like this;  “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.” Colossians 1:21

The secret is this, for one to experience the perfect peace they must first make peace with God. This is by no other means but believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and being born again. This is what Apostle Paul when writing to the church in Rome refers to as reconciliation through the death of the Son of God. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”  Romans 5:10

All this process of reconciling man to God is entirely the work of God, who is motivated by His mercies and love by sending His only Son to die on the cross and pay the penalty of sin and reconcile man back to God.  “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Now Christ came to preach peace that those who believe in the Son of God are forgiven their sins and justified freely by His blood. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. “And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:14-18

Someone may be asking, how does the peace with God help in bringing peace to our lives? Most of the time when we are facing spiritual warfare that is when we are having challenges in our lives, we can easily conclude that God is punishing us and He is mad at us maybe because of the sins we might have committed and this is the greatest tool of the enemy.  The enemy will always wait when you are passing through difficult times in life and whisper to you that all what you are passing through is because of the sins that you have committed and that God is against you.

This is why when Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus about putting on the whole armor of God, he reminds them that their minds should be prepared and armed with the gospel of peace that says; “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:31:35

This means that there should be nothing or no situation that we may be passing through that should ever make us get worried and doubt the love of God. God is assuring us in His word that we have peace with Him because we have been justified by faith and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  Romans 5:1-2

When we develop this mentality, we will walk with boldness even in the midst of challenges and tribulations knowing well that in all these things “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37. That instead of living a life full of worries, we should instead cast all our cares and burdens unto Him for the Lord God cares for us.

Finally, we will develop a kind of peace that no human mind can understand. We will always remain calm without worry even in the midst of a storm knowing that He who promised is faithful and it shall all come to pass if we keep on trusting in Him. This will enable us to enter into the peace of God which is able to guide our hearts and minds from worrying.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. “Philippians 4:6-7

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