Living in peace. To some that may seem impossible in these days of so much turmoil in our world. Looking back to when I was very young, I think I had the idea that peace came from without; that peace came from when everything was going right. But that isn’t entirely true.  Certainly, there is a peace when there is no turmoil or strife in the family, the neighborhood, or at work, and when nations are not at war with one another. However, real peace comes from within.  Isaiah 26:3 teaches us that peace comes from trusting God and keeping our mind on Him.

I knew that there were a lot of Scriptures on peace in the Bible but was surprised that 420 popped up when I did a search on the word peace on Bible Gateway! There were 311 in the Old Testament and 109 in the New Testament.  That will keep a person reading for a while. I’m referencing several Scriptures from the New Testament which is where the New Covenant is located – in and with Jesus. Here is what we learn.

Living in peace with others is possible when we have and live in peace with God. (Romans 12:17-19) This is because the kingdom of God is about righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  When we follow peace, we edify one another. (Romans 14:19) When we put our hope in God by believing His Word, He fills us with joy and peace through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13) We must always remember that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33) This doesn’t mean we don’t stand up for what we believe just because it may offend someone who doesn’t share our beliefs; it means we are not to purposely try to irritate others.

Real peace comes from within with the power of the Holy Spirit reigning in our heart. According to Galatians 5:22, peace is a fruit of the Spirit.  So, I’m thinking that the closer we are to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the more peace we will have in our lives. From my experience; when I stay close to God, my mind and heart are peaceful. This is because when I am close to Him, I not only believe His Word but act on it. For example, I endeavor to not worry or be anxious about anything. These are tools of the devil and I choose NOT to live by them. I choose to live by what God says.

According to Philippians 4:7, God’s peace surpasses our understanding when we keep our heart and mind on Jesus.  In other words, my mind may not understand this God-kind-of-peace, but my spirit does, and it’s by walking by faith that I allow my spirit to rule over my mind. This is what 2 Corinthians 10:5 means when it tells us to cast down imaginations (worry and anxieties) that don’t agree with the Word of God.

We must learn that the peace of God is manifested in our lives when we control our thinking. Philippians 4:4 is one tool we need to bring peace into our heart, mind and home.  We are to rejoice always.  We are not to rejoice for the struggles themselves in our lives, but we rejoice over them; because we know God always causes us to triumph in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14) Another tool for us to us master is our thinking and Philippians 4:8 gives us the guideline for our thinking.  We need to flood our minds with what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtue, and praise.  I call it the measuring stick for my thinking. If we find that we are feeling unrest, anxious, or worrisome, we need to think about what we are thinking about. Then make the necessary changes in our thinking, our words, and actions to line up with what God says, and then the peace of God will reign in our lives.

God is love. When we have the love of God in our heart, then we also have joy and peace in our heart.  They go together.  It’s all about choice.  We choose to show the love of God to others. We choose to have joy regardless of circumstances. We choose to walk in the peace of God.