Stagnant Peace

Numerous scriptures mention peace. We are told that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7); that in peace we will both lie down and sleep (Psalm 4:8); but we are also told to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15). I find that interesting. That implies we may also resist letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Paul tells us in Romans 8:6 that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. We must seek and pursue peace as mentioned in Psalm 34:14, 2 Timothy 2:22, and 1 Peter 3:11. To be able to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, we must develop a lifestyle of immersing ourselves in the Word, declaring his truth, deepening our gratitude, and focusing on and trusting in God’s sovereignty daily.What’s the danger in not actively pursuing peace? It opens the door for Satan to use adversity, doubt, unresolved guilt and shame to revert our mindset from one of peace to one of fear, worry, despair, apathy…the list could go on. Why would Satan care whether we have peace or not? Peace is critical because if we have no peace, we have no joy. And we find in Nehemiah 8:10, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The joy of the Lord is our what? Our strength!The next time our peace is waning, may we remember 2 Thessalonians 3:16, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” There is no circumstance that can disturb our peace nor our joy of the Lord as long as we actively seek and pursue peace. May our peace never become stagnant.