“not as
the world gives do I give to you”
I hope this encourages you to be a devout pursuer of the Holy Spirit. In Him
you will have peace. Train your thinking lest the sin that is crouching at your
door finds it open. (Genesis 4:7)
Jesus’
peace is not something we automatically receive when we become born-again. In
this hour of history finding peace is
impossible. But we can have His Peace. The peace Jesus talks about has certain characteristics and is found only in
one place. Let’s
look at what Jesus said about His peace so that we too can live in peace during
this hour.
For
context, John 13-14 was a hard time for the disciples. It was the Last
Supper where Jesus clearly spoke of His departure and betrayal, and where satan
entered Judas. To Peter Jesus prophesied, “you will deny Me three times.”
Following is John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God,
believe also in Me.” Following, towards the end of John 14, Jesus again picks
back up on His leaving. But right before, in the middle of His discussion,
Jesus once again brings up peace. He says (25-27),
“These
things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 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.”
Peace, the
Peace Jesus talked about, is found only in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus
said, “My peace I leave, My peace I give.” This is the same language He used when He
spoke of the Holy Spirit’s coming—Jesus would send the Holy Spirit and He would
abide with us forever. Peace from God is only found in the Holy Spirit.
However,
it is not a casual receiving of peace when He comes into our life. It is
something we must do. ‘Let’ is a verb and demands action on our part. We must
“Let not our hearts be troubled.”
Look at
Romans 8:6 (NASV), “For the
mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and
peace…” Life and peace come as we submit our thinking to the Holy Spirit. When
we are bent towards worldliness we cannot have His peace; worldliness only leads
to death. It is deception to think otherwise.
We have
to fight to overcome the world and its system that darkens our thinking. Worldly
thinking is a stronghold that often manifests through loving our lives: the
here and now, comfort, and ease. The only way to have Peace is to have a
relationship with the Holy Spirit. And through that relationship learn to have
a new way of thinking.
Throughout
John 13-17 a theme keeps repeating: trouble is coming; do not give into fear;
the Holy Spirit is coming; He will help you; I have told you before it all
happens so that you will believe and have peace…
John
16:33 “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.”
Jesus
states “in Me you may have peace.” It
is not a given that we will have
peace. But we may have peace.
I had a
word of knowledge at Bible study the other night. It was about people awakening
in the night in intense fear. The Lord said that it was demonic in nature; we
need to war spiritually and not give into this demonic fear. Fear is crouching
at our door—we must master it. We master fear by living in Jesus’ Peace that He
provided for us when He sent the Holy Spirit. We apprehend that Peace as we
live a life sanctified to God with a renewed mind.
To wrap
this up as I was studying Peace, I came across this scripture:
“Glory
to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” God's heart towards mankind, as the angels declared the coming of Messiah, Jesus, is for peace.
I trust
this post has helped give us understanding leading to a life in the Peace of
God.
For
further study see Philippians 4.