Peace: Priceless commodity

From the previous instalment we can understand that no dead person who has never been saved while living can rest in eternal peace.
The abbreviation R.I.P on the tombstone and the words of condolence, “may his soul rest in eternal peace” are just empty wishes that have no influence whatsoever on the eternal status of the deceased.
Eternal peace is not depended upon our wishes but upon whether one is reconciled with God through being born again or not. You do not pray for eternal peace. You are born into it. Also, you do not pray or fast to obtain internal peace; Christ gave it to you as a legacy or inheritance and the Holy Spirit will manifest it as a fruit, so you just receive it by faith.
However, you can pray and fast to maintain it since your mental focus has a crucial role top play in its maintenance. External peace is on one hand a natural fruit produced from the lives of those who have internal peace. On the other hand prayer and fasting is a prerequisite for peace in the world because those who have no internal peace always seek to cause strife, war and unrest. Intercession brings external peace, peace with each other on earth.
Now let me draw your attention to the priceless value of God’s peace in your heart. Actually none of the fruit of the Spirit (gentleness, peace, joy, faithfulness, goodness, love, patience, kindness, etc ) can be exchanged for any material gain. Divine peace in your heart is worth more than any amount of money.
If you allow the peace of God to rule in your heart you will live a life of heaven on earth. Peace in your heart can tell you whether you are in the centre of God’s will or not.  Inner peace gives no place to the devil. When you do not have peace in your heart, you easily become agitated, disturbed and unsettled. You can lash out at others unnecessarily. You can do wicked things to quieten your inner animosity. In fact, the Bible says in Isaiah 48:22, “there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.”
How can you maintain inner peace so that you can keep the devil out of your life and also help establish peace in the world? There are many ways but the major ones include the following. Number one: learn to hold your peace when the wicked people seek to disturb it through false allegations, lies and other malicious attacks. Understand that your life of peace is a constant rebuke to the wicked person’s inner turmoil so he or she will try to bring you down to their misery. Misery loves company. Isaiah 36:21 reads, “They held their peace, and answered him not a word.” Silence is the best reply to the allegations and taunts of the wicked. Silence is appropriate especially when you know that people want to trap you in you words. Hand over thy cause to God.
Number two: Lay up treasures in heaven. Increase in material wealth causes us to be insecure. The more we accumulate material wealth, the more we provoke envy and covetousness in others. Hence anxiety over the security of our goods will steal our peace. Jesus said to not lay up treasures on earth where moths and thieves are a menace but to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19). This is not to make us poor but to place our heart in the right place. If we make God our treasure, then we will distribute our goods rather than hoard. And we will have peace in our hearts.
Number three: Trust in God’s ability to provide for you tomorrow. Anxiety or double-mindedness over tomorrow is a “peace-stealer.”  If God takes care of birds and lilies which are not created in His image, how dare you doubt His care for you?
Begin to see yourself as worthy of much more care and provision than birds and flowers (Matt. 6:26) and live responsibly today while trusting God for tomorrow.
Number four:  Stay your mind upon God (Isaiah 26:3). If you allow mental drift from the goodness, ability, love, care and mercy of God to thoughts of fear, anxiety, doubt and panic, the peace of God will disappear.
Have your mind renewed and choose not to be anxious for anything but through prayer make your requests known to God.
Leave those things you have no right or ability to control in God’s hands.
 By so doing you will allow the peace of God that transcends all human understanding to guard and guide you in all your affairs.

– For prayer and counselling call 0772889766 or e-mail:mairos78@yahoo.co.uk