Hindrances to Peace
by James Robison
“My 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, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27)
Joyce Meyer has a divine enabling to impart insight from God’s word. On her recent appearance on LIFE Today she inspired us to pursue peace, a fruit of the Spirit that is not always evident in Christians’ lives today.
Joyce gave her personal definition of peace. “It’s knowing that no matter what is going on in my life and no matter what will happen, God is still in control and He loves me.” Joyce encouraged every believer to go after peace intensely—to seek it with God, with ourselves, and with other people.
We all laughed as she described her addiction to worry, and her inability grasp God’s peace while her husband, Dave, lived in contentment. At the same time, we recognized some familiar behavior in our own lives.
Joyce’s book, In Pursuit of Peace, tells how God led her from living in a state of panic to abiding in a peaceful trust. Most of us have made futile attempts to help God take care of His business. As we compared experiences, some common hindrances to God’s peace surfaced. We agreed that if we don’t learn to trust Him, we won’t go any farther on our journey.
Joyce pointed out that you can’t trust God if you don’t know that He loves you unconditionally. She spent a year studying the love of God. “Sometimes I would look in the mirror, point to my reflection and say out loud, ‘God loves you.’”
If God, who is perfect, loves us, then we should learn to love ourselves in a balanced way. Joyce struggled to accept God’s gracious love and acceptance because she grew up with the mentality, “You won’t get anything if you don’t earn it and aren’t totally pleasing all the time.”
She admitted, “I fought the guilt so much that I didn’t feel right if I didn’t feel guilty. I finally came to the place where I believed I am the righteousness of Christ more than I believed how I felt.”
Emotions can be a believer’s worst enemy. We must recognize Satan’s lies and identify feelings that are not in line with God’s word. Joyce listens to what people say in conversation now, and she measures it by the word. She isn’t condemning, or being judgmental or self-righteous. She is searching the word to see if those things are true.
Jesus said, "Peace I live with you." The Amplified Translation says, "Peace I leave with you. My own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled." (John 14:27)
If Jesus left His peace for us, why aren’t people taking it? I think people react emotionally and allow their pride to steal their peace with God and with others. When we believe Satan’s lies; when we worry and fail to trust God’s love, we block the peace that is available to us.
Joyce learned that she couldn’t have peace with others without humility. Even if I am right in a disagreement,” she admitted, “I don’t have to have the last word.” Her desire to keep the peace in relationships is greater than her need to be right.
Through the years, Betty and I have learned the importance of living in God’s abiding peace. He has invited us all to “enter into His rest,” and to allow His peace to guard our hearts.
This week
Determine how you will handle things that come your way. Believe that God loves you unconditionally and trust Him for direction. Measure everything by His word instead of feelings. His peace will come when you believe Him more than lies and emotions.
Prayer
“Jesus, I want to possess the peace that You left for me. I reject the lies that rob me of peace, and I choose to believe You.“
Order Joyce Meyer’s bookIn Pursuit of Peace from Life Today and watch the programs with James Robison and Joyce Meyer online.
