Ever since the very contentious election of 2016, I have found that many people are still so angry because their candidate of choice didn’t win. Also, they tend to be very vicious against those who voted for the candidate that won the election. It has come to the point where I don’t even want to try to discuss politics with anyone! Personally, I thought that the vitriol would have calmed down by now, but it seems to be getting worse every day. How very sad…
No matter which side of the political spectrum you are on, dear readers, many believe that we are living in fearful times. What’s more, the enemies of the United States and Her allies (enemies that include worldwide spread of Radical Islamist Terrorists, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and yes…Russia) stand ready to attack at any time. Some are doing a lot of sabre rattling, others are terrorists who continue to attack in Europe and elsewhere; while others are downright determined to destroy the West from within our borders and are patiently planning and plotting our ultimate demise.
Personally, I thank God that we have a strong military (and, a friend in the White House who allow our military to do its job!) which stands ready to do whatever it may take to keep our enemies in check and/or do what is necessary to protect our beloved United States of America and Her allies. “Peace through strength” used to be our motto, and I’m hopeful that it is back again.
With that brief synopsis written, the real purpose of this post is to share how we, as Christians, can have peace in fearful times.
Pastor Doug at NewLife Christian Fellowship in San Diego had this to say back in March, 2017:
Today we will be talking about “Peace.” If we read the New Testament letters looking to find Bible verses about peace, we find a specific greeting used sixteen time: “Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Yet, there is more to “Grace and Peace” than a simple greeting. Peace, like creation is not an accident. it is not a condition invented by psychology. God designed it, understands it, and gives it to those He calls. True peace comes from a saving knowledge of Jesus. Peace was designed by God, and comes through the blood of Jesus.
Peace is listed in the top three characteristics of the fruit of the spirit. Without love, joy, and peace, there is little hope of accomplishing forbearance (longsuffering), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control. All of those characteristics are predicated on the love, joy, and peace of God. The peace of God must be evident in us. Others need to see what we have and desire to have it. Then we can be peacemakers, able to share the love of God with a troubled world. All too often we lose our peace in the midst of tragedy and the circumstances of life. When we do that, we have nothing to offer a watching world. If a neighbor comes to us distraught over tragedy and finds us just as undone, what testimony have we given about the peace of Christ, which He promised? It is the Christians in a community who should be able to offer a word of encouragement and comfort during difficult times. But we can only do that if we possess the peace of Christ – that peace which He purchased for us at the price of His own blood.”
There is nothing more blessed than sewing peace into the lives of those around you. They need Jesus, the only source of peace, and you have what they need. Be a peacemaker!
~ Pastor Doug
The Book of Acts 18:1 – 22:29 helps us to discover the answer to peace in fearful times.
How can we have peace in such a time as this?
- Learn to fear (meaning, “be in awe”) of God. See Hebrews 12:28-29; Ephesians 6:5; Philippians 2:12; Proverbs 3:7; 14:27; Matthew 10:28; Psalms 56:11
- Tell God. Philippians 4:4-7; Matthew 23:37
- Trust God. Acts 22; 2 Corinthians 1:9-10; 2 Timothy 1:12
- Obey God. We need to know what God wants us to be like in order to obey Him! We find this in His Word, the Bible, and in the Living Word, Jesus Christ! See Acts 18; 19:11, 20
What is the single most common command in the Bible?
Answer: “Fear not.”
The terms “fear” and “not” appear 129 times in the NKJV and 11 exact phrases shown first at this link.
In my notes at the end of the sermon, I wrote:
Trust in spite of appearances. Fear makes things worse than they are. When we obey God in spite of our fear – that is when we are equipped by God.
Talk Wisdom 