THE PEACE OF GOD THAT PASSES ALL
UNDERSTANDING
Topic:
Peace that Passes Understanding
Text:
Phil 4:7
Verse 6: Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about
a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering
your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.
Tell him every detail of your life,
Verse 7: then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human
understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus
Christ.
Introduction
What is Peace?
Origin and Purpose of God’s Peace?
Features or Attributes of God’s Peace
When Humans often do when God’s Peace is absent
How to have access to the Peace of God?
Introduction
Life is full of many troubles and as humans, no matter how
conscious or careful we think we are, we will always find
ourselves in one trouble or the other. And that's because life and
troubles are inseparable. As a matter of fact, trouble is
inevitable no matter how conscious we are.
In fact, from Christ's words in John 16:33, we can deduce that
it is a certainty that we will have problems. We will make
mistakes and errors. The problems we find ourselves in, are
either because of our personal errors or the errors of others;
either because of our wrong decisions or the wrong decisions of
others.
The truth remains that, as long we are here on earth, as long as
we interact with ourselves and other substances in life, we will
always find ourselves in one trouble or the other.
However, many of us don't know what to do when we are faced
with the challenges of life. If trouble is something inevitable, it
means we need a trouble. Just the way we have waterproof and
bulletproof, we also need a trouble-proof. And that trouble proof
is peace. Get the link. If trouble is always going to be around us
(without), then it means we need something that can hinder it
from gaining entrance into our hearts.
What is Peace?
Peace is a state of tranquility and calmness irrespective of the
situations or circumstances that surround a person. It is a state
of not being offended or bothered by anything; a state of
deadness to the unpleasant issues of life.
Peace is not about the absence of trouble or conflict without
(surrounding environment). It is about the ability to guard one’s
heart from being affected or troubled. As long as we are here on
earth, issues of life will keep hitting us but, being peaceful
means that when those troubles come, they will not gain
entrance into our hearts.
Consider this analogy;
When you put a child in a locked room during a riot outbreak.
The child will feel at peace because he knows no danger can
come near him as long as the door to the room remains locked.
Yes, the child will hear all the noise from the chaos but he won’t
be disturbed because he knows he is secured.
This is exactly what peace does to our heart. Peace is like a
guard. It is an inner virtue that guards our heart from fainting
in times of trouble. As we have established, trouble is always
going to be there. Peace does not come to eradicate the troubles
of life.
Christ said, “in the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Though, most times, Christ’s statement that he has overcome
the world, sounds ambiguous, to us. We question the fact that
he has overcome the world. We say, if Christ has truly overcome
the world, why then do we still have problems and challenges in
life.
Christ’s victory over the world is not in the absence of troubles.
Rather, it is in the provision of a potent and unconquerable
guard/trouble-proof, which is PEACE.
Origin and Purpose of God’s Peace
There is a peace that is true, valid, genuine, authentic, potent,
everlasting and inimitable. If you have not leveraged this peace,
you can never know what it feels like to have rest of mind. As a
matter of fact, this peace is able to stabilize human’s mental
health beyond any psychological idea.
This amazing peace comes from God. It is divine and perfect.
The world’s version of peace cannot stand it or be compared with
it.
John 14:27 “I leave the gift of peace with you-my peace. Not the
kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace.
Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts-instead, be
courageous!
The purpose of this peace is to place a guard on our heart and
prevent it from failing in times of trouble.
Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest”
The labor mentioned is not some sort of physical motion work.
The heavy load is not the load you out on your head. They are
rather the cares and burdens of life. The things that will come
and try your faith in God.
Christ has promised us the rest of mind. It is left for us to make
a deliberate decision to accept his call. We will have to make
that deliberate decision before we can leverage the peace he has
for us; before we can unlock the door that leads to peace of mind.
Features or Attributes of God’s Peace
 It is the spirit of sound mind – 2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.
When you have the peace of God, your heart becomes
courageous and brave. The spirit of fear gives way and
worries flee.
This is because you find your hope and confidence in Christ
and you refuse to define your identity by the circumstances
you are faced with.
 It passes the understanding of men – Phil 4:6-7
The way you see challenges will become different from the
way the world sees them. The peace of God makes it
possible to see the intention of God in every circumstance.
So, when the world expects you to throw yourself down and
wail over a situation, they will be confused to see you stay
calm, undisturbed and perhaps joyful.
 It brings relief and a refreshing feeling
When you launch into the rest of Christ, your spirit would
be lifted above all anxieties. You will no longer be a slave
to worries and mental bondages. Your shoulders will feel
light and you will be lively and cheerful (A cheerful spirit)
Matthew 11:28, John 16:33
What Humans often do when God’s Peace is absent
Worrying seems to be the easier thing to do or to choose
whenever we find ourselves in the challenges of life. It is like
our first resort when we are in troubles.
We all know that worrying doesn't solve any problem. Rather, it
worsens the situation. The fact that it doesn't solve any problem
should tell us that it should not be an option for us.
Worrying is a bondage. Prov 24:10. It is the opposite of strength
and an evidence of weakness. Worrying only affects your mental
health.
Let us look at some of the dangers of worrying. I believe when
we know the effect of something on us, it helps us to decide
whether want to stick to something or to stay away from it.
1. Complication of problem. Worrying is like a magnifying
lens. Worrying magnifies your problem. When you worry,
you attach more importance to your problem making it look
weightier and more significant than the way it is. It
appears like you are worshipping it. They look bigger than
they really appear
2. Worry hinders our sense of appreciation. When we worry,
we are only seeing those things that are not working well
for us. You forget the fact that there are things that are
working for you. The gift of life alone, despite the issues of
life that surround us, is a big reason to be appreciative unto
God. When we worry, we are telling God that He cannot see
our problems and he cannot solve them and the only thing
you can do to help yourself is to worry. By worrying, you
are saying you have the shoulders that can bear your
burdens. Meanwhile, nobody has the shoulders to bear the
burdens of this life except God. You must get to the point
where you put your loads of cares on God, in order to get
the liberation and peace of mind that you need. When we
worry, we appear ungrateful to God. Thank God for the
things that are working in your life.
3. It blurs our vision. Worrying does exactly what fog does to
the windscreen of vehicles. It blindfolds you. When fog
covers the windscreen of a vehicle, it hinders the driver
from seeing things ahead of him. So, when we worry, our
mind is usually filled with anxious thoughts. And once
these thoughts occupy the essential space of your heart, it
will be difficult for you to be conscious or to be aware of the
simple and silent things that God will be dropping in your
heart. And once you can't recognize those things from God,
solution may never come. So, when you worry, your vision
is blurred, you are confused, because a lot of unorganized
and anxious thoughts are running through your mind.
Your mind becomes fussy and restless. Whenever we find
ourselves in problems, God expects us to calm ourselves
down, review the problem, check the root cause, find out
where you made mistakes and meditate. The purpose of the
meditation is to find solution. Meditation is different from
worrying. While worry is a pattern of thoughts that has to
with blames, regrets, anxiety, bitterness, feelings of guilt
or disappointment, meditation is a set of constructive
thoughts and analysis which is aimed at solving problems.
It can be likened to critical thinking. Check where the
problem stemmed from in order to amend them (if possible)
and move on.
Ignorance is a disease. When you don't know what you have,
when you are not aware of your possession, you will suffer for it.
The availability of the peace of God is obscure to many of us and
this makes us to wander away and keep looking for rest of mind
where it cannot be found
Stop it! Stop bearing the burdens you are not supposed to bear.
Stop bearing needless pains, please. I know how overwhelming
the problems of life can be. I can relate because I was once found
myself in some. But I can tell you with all assurance and
confidence that there is peace and contentment in serving the
Lord. He is bigger than your troubles.
Yes, you may have problems but worrying won't solve them. You
need to be still, calm and mentally sane if you must see the
solution God is bringing your way. Bothering your head is equal
to you disregarding God's potency.
He said come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I
WILL GIVE YOU REST. Stop forfeiting your PEACE. Reach out
for your peace today. Don't shoulder your problems by yourself.
You can crash if you do that. Take them to God in prayers. You
don’t have to struggle or wander around.
Worrying is negative in all sense because it takes away a lot
from you. It practically drains you of your God-given strength.
How to have access to God’s Peace