The Armor - Peace
Ephesians 6:15
Message #8
We were happily studying verse by verse through the book of Daniel when we did that famous section in Daniel Chapter 10 that reveals some key spiritual battle insights. And that sent us onto a side series on The Spiritual Battle that is now at eight messages and not nearly done.
So, let me tell you a little about what’s been going on in my life. Basically, since we started this side series on The Spiritual Battle, I’ve been in a very, very difficult season spiritually. It started with fatigue, it grew to discouragement, and it settled into depression.
I thank God for my great wife and my family, who have seen me through every spiritual battle I’ve faced and every spiritual battle this church has ever faced. And I thank God for the incredible leadership team that he has brought to this church who love me and watch out for me and hold me accountable. And I thank God for the mentors and friends he has given me who have helped me see the difficult place I’ve been in and have helped carry my burden (as Galatians 6:2 says).
And, really, there is some connection between me choosing to dive into this series on The Spiritual Battle and my own personal spiritual battle. Often, God has me either teach what I am experiencing, or he has me experience what I am teaching. Either way, it’s one of the most difficult things about my teaching ministry. But it does cause me to have a passion for the truth of God’s Word and for the real power of God in our lives.
So, this message on the peace of God is where the spiritual battle really hits home for me. But the truth is, in our Body, it’s not just me that needs to win the battle for the peace of God. There’s been a wave of discouragement that’s hit this church like I haven’t seen in a very long time. We’ve had plenty of spiritual battles over the years and some incredibly difficult and intense ones. But lately, there has been what some would call “a spirit of discouragement” moving through this church. And so, this message, along with all these messages, is very applicable to all those here who have been hit by this wave of discouragement that’s been attacking so many in our church body.
The peace of God is something I have experienced often in my life. I’ve focused on it, I’ve grown in it, I’ve taught it, and I’ve genuinely experienced it.
And so let me say very simply:
Living in God’s peace is the path to victory.
Living out of God’s peace is risking defeat.
And like the first two parts, this crucial part of the armor must constantly be “put on.” We must constantly clothe ourselves (be immersed in) God’s peace. If we’re not, then we are definitely setting ourselves up as an easy target for the enemy to possibly take out.
Remember, there are three parts of the Spiritual Armor we must continually “put on” (clothe ourselves with). They are truth, righteousness, and peace. (We’ll get to the other three “take up” parts next – faith, salvation, and Word of God.) And so, peace is the last of the “put on” (be clothed with) articles of our spiritual armor. If we are not doing that, we are setting ourselves up to be an easy target for the enemy to take us out. We’re living in the opposite of peace, which is stress and anxiety, self-effort, worry, struggle, and all that stuff; we are just targeting ourselves as an easy mark for the enemy.
It reminds me a little bit of dove hunting. When you’re out dove hunting, here’s the one you want. You want the one coming straight at you. The one easy to take out; you almost don’t even have to look. And you take that dove out. And here’s the goal, it falls at your feet, so you don’t even have to move to get it. So that’s what you are if you are outside of God’s peace. The enemy is like I didn’t even have to look… “POW!” And when he’s done, you fall right at the enemy’s feet.
Paul uses the shoes of the Roman soldier to illustrate the peace of God that we are to “walk in” because there is no better way to “order your steps” in life than in the peace of God.
I want to mention Tony Evans and his book “Victory in Spiritual Warfare,” and I would suggest it to you for further reading.
So, to get going, let’s re-read the entire context leading into today’s focus on walking in the peace of God.
Ephesians 6:10–15 (NLT)
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore (because of this battle), put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then (if you do this) after the battle you will still be standing firm.
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
There are the three “put on” articles of our Spiritual Armor.
God’s TRUTH – God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS – God’s PEACE
And honestly, “putting on” (clothing yourself) in God’s peace may be the most elusive of all three. I think it’s because truth and righteousness may seem a little more tangible to us. We can pretty easily know what God’s truth is; we just have to choose to put it on. And we can pretty easily know what God’s righteousness is; we just have to choose to put it on. But God’s peace is not quite so tangible.
Maybe it’s because peace is so hard to truly define. In the ’60s and ’70s, peace meant to get high, do what you want, and disconnect from reality as much as possible. And if you want to see a generation that failed miserably at achieving any true peace, just look at that generation. Today, peace can mean anything from no nuclear war to a baby’s nap time for a stressed-out mom.
But God’s peace is much easier to define. The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is EIRENE. It is the equivalent of the Hebrew SHALOM. Both words mean, in essence, “wholeness, completeness.” At the core of SHALOM is the phrase “nothing missing, nothing broken.” (Everything in its place.)
But here’s the definition of peace I’d like to use.
God’s Peace: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
Now, having that peace is putting on some serious spiritual armor that will definitely enable you to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy.
God’s Peace: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
Paul illustrates the armor of God’s peace with the shoes of the Roman soldier for two reasons, I think.
1). Because we are to walk in God’s peace – which means “order our steps” – set the direction of our life – in God’s peace.
2). Because God’s peace gives us a sure footing to stand firm against many of the attacks of the enemy.
As verse 15 says, so that you will be fully prepared (to stand firm)
The Roman soldier’s sandals literally had nails driven through the sole to give the soldier “sure-footedness.” And that’s exactly what God’s peace gives us, sure-footedness, to make us fully prepared for attacks of the enemy.
So often, the attacks of the enemy are F.E.A.R. You know what F.E.A.R. stands for, right? False Evidence Appearing Real. And so often, the enemy gets us to take ourselves out by stirring up fear in our hearts that causes us to make destructive choices in our lives. God’s peace gives us a sure-footed standing against the enemy’s tactic of F.E.A.R. (among other things).
And finally, notice in verse 15, that this is the peace that comes from the Gospel (good news.) The peace of God is only available through a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
You putting your complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ and receiving him fully into your life is the only way you can have access to this supernatural peace of God that passes all understanding.
Okay, one more time, here is my best definition of God’s peace which comes only through a real relationship with Jesus Christ and which make us fully prepared for the spiritual attacks of the enemy.
God’s Peace: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
So, first, notice closely in the definition God’s peace is an INNER resting of the soul;
Not a resting that comes from the OUTSIDE – IN
But a resting that comes from the INSIDE – OUT
Tony Evans tells the story of two painters both commissioned to paint a picture of God’s peace. The first painter paints a beautiful, calm, serene lake in the most peaceful setting you could imagine. The second painter paints the ocean, not calm but instead, the ocean is in a violent storm, with waves crashing, lightning, and fierce wind. And in the very bottom corner of the painting was a small bird, totally protected from the storm, standing on a rock with a solitary beam of light shining on it, and the bird was obviously singing in perfect peace in the midst of that raging storm.
And THAT is God’s peace that passes understanding. God’s peace is not an inner resting of the soul because everything around you is in harmony. God’s peace is an inner resting of the soul in spite of the storm that’s raging around you. That is the peace Jesus died to give us. That is the peace that stands firm when the attacks of the enemy and the world bring the worst of storms right to our doorstep.
And Jesus promised us that peace on the edge of his own horrific storm. On the night that he was betrayed and arrested, on the night before he was to bear the sin of the world, on the edge of the greatest storm all creation had ever seen, Jesus promised us his own peace.
John 14:27 (ESV)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus says I give you my peace, and my peace is a gift that the world cannot give. So don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t let them be afraid. This is a supernatural inner peace that comes directly from the presence of God (my peace), and it is contrary to all the false peace the world tries to give.
Guys, the context here in John 14 is Jesus sending the Holy Spirit to live in the believer, and the best scholars will tell you that “in context,” Jesus is most probably referring to the presence of the Holy Spirit IN you – that is HIS PEACE. Because the Holy Spirit IS the presence of God living inside of you, and God’s miraculous inner rest (peace) comes literally from the very presence of God inside you.
Remember our definition – the peace of God is: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence.
And that is exactly what Jesus promised when he said, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
Later, on that same night before his crucifixion, Jesus again promises us HIS miraculous peace.
John 16:33 (ESV)
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
The peace of God is found only in Jesus. It is in your identification with Jesus, by your faith, and it is in your ever-increasing relationship with Jesus.
The peace of God – you can only have
In real identification with Jesus and
In real relationship with Jesus.
And notice the complete identification with Jesus in this verse: in me you may have peace . . . because I have overcome the world. Jesus has overcome the circumstances of this world, and Jesus is our peace.
Ephesians 2 says:
Ephesians 2:14 (ESV)
14 For he himself is our peace . . .
So, we are no longer moved by our circumstances because we are not walking by our circumstances.
Because as 2 Corinthians 5 says:
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)
7 for we walk by faith (in Jesus Christ), not by sight.
Because Jesus has overcome the circumstances of this world, and Jesus IS our PEACE. So, we walk by our faith in him, not by the circumstances that we can see. And as we learn to do that, we learn to walk in the peace of God. It’s all about what our mind is set on. That’s why Isaiah 26 says:
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
God’s peace comes from us learning to fix our mind on him, to trust in him alone, and to walk by faith in him alone.
This is actually what Paul is referring to in his famously misused verse, Philippians 4, verse 13.
Let me read portions of the context.
Philippians 4:11–13 (NLT)
11 . . . for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
12 . . . I have learned the secret of living in every situation . . .
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
It means his circumstances no longer affect him because his contentment (his peace) does not come from his circumstances. His contentment and his peace come through Jesus Christ, who gives him the strength to face any circumstance or situation. That is some bulletproof spiritual armor when you learn to walk in that!
And this same peace of God that comes from the real life of Jesus Christ inside you, this peace of God will also keep you from making stupid and destructive choices in your life.
Colossians 3:15 (NLT)
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts
let the peace that comes from (The Person of Jesus) Christ rule in your Deepest Inner Life (Your Heart)
The word “rule” means – “act as an umpire.” Learn to let the peace that comes from God’s real presence in your life make the decisions you’re faced with. If there’s one thing your spiritual enemy is good at, it’s tempting you to make wrong choices. But you can learn how to allow the peace that comes from your real relationship with Jesus Christ “call the shots” in your life. If you will learn to do this, I promise you will not fall so easily to the simple schemes of the enemy to get you to make choices out of fear or your flesh.
That’s why learning to put on the peace of God is such a crucial part of your spiritual armor. In fact, it is such a crucial part of your spiritual armor that we are going to do another week on it. Because I can’t get into the “how,” there just isn’t time. So, next week we’ll spend the entire message on the “how.” How do we put on the peace of God as a crucial part of our spiritual armor?
If this subject is important to you (and I hope it is), I just want to ask you to do one thing during this week. On either the church website (calvarynuevo.org) OR on the phone app (search wordbymail), go to Resources / Scripture By Topic / Peace and spend some time meditating on some of the scriptures there.
Today we’re looking at the WHAT. Next week we’ll look at the HOW.
And we have one more text for today, and it’s a big one.
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Oh, man. This is a huge verse in my family. These verses were first given to Pam and I when we were young Christians, and we couldn’t get pregnant. And these verses stayed on our fridge for seven years until the paper turned brittle – while we waited on God. Until God finally said “Enough” and gave us three beautiful babies.
God says, don’t worry because your spiritual enemy will use worry to literally destroy your life. So instead, pray. Roll your burden over to God and thank him for all he’s done. And then, the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds IN Christ Jesus.
The peace of God will stand guard.
The peace of God will protect your heart and your mind with a supernatural inner resting of the souls that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
THAT is the peace of God. An inner resting of your soul. It comes from experiencing God’s presence in your life, and it does not fluctuate based on your circumstances.
And next week, we’re going to take the whole time to talk about HOW to get it. HOW to learn to walk in it. HOW to learn to direct your life by it, and HOW God’s peace will guard your heart and mind as you live IN Christ Jesus.
So, let me tell you a little about what’s been going on in my life. Basically, since we started this side series on The Spiritual Battle, I’ve been in a very, very difficult season spiritually. It started with fatigue, it grew to discouragement, and it settled into depression.
I thank God for my great wife and my family, who have seen me through every spiritual battle I’ve faced and every spiritual battle this church has ever faced. And I thank God for the incredible leadership team that he has brought to this church who love me and watch out for me and hold me accountable. And I thank God for the mentors and friends he has given me who have helped me see the difficult place I’ve been in and have helped carry my burden (as Galatians 6:2 says).
And, really, there is some connection between me choosing to dive into this series on The Spiritual Battle and my own personal spiritual battle. Often, God has me either teach what I am experiencing, or he has me experience what I am teaching. Either way, it’s one of the most difficult things about my teaching ministry. But it does cause me to have a passion for the truth of God’s Word and for the real power of God in our lives.
So, this message on the peace of God is where the spiritual battle really hits home for me. But the truth is, in our Body, it’s not just me that needs to win the battle for the peace of God. There’s been a wave of discouragement that’s hit this church like I haven’t seen in a very long time. We’ve had plenty of spiritual battles over the years and some incredibly difficult and intense ones. But lately, there has been what some would call “a spirit of discouragement” moving through this church. And so, this message, along with all these messages, is very applicable to all those here who have been hit by this wave of discouragement that’s been attacking so many in our church body.
The peace of God is something I have experienced often in my life. I’ve focused on it, I’ve grown in it, I’ve taught it, and I’ve genuinely experienced it.
And so let me say very simply:
Living in God’s peace is the path to victory.
Living out of God’s peace is risking defeat.
And like the first two parts, this crucial part of the armor must constantly be “put on.” We must constantly clothe ourselves (be immersed in) God’s peace. If we’re not, then we are definitely setting ourselves up as an easy target for the enemy to possibly take out.
Remember, there are three parts of the Spiritual Armor we must continually “put on” (clothe ourselves with). They are truth, righteousness, and peace. (We’ll get to the other three “take up” parts next – faith, salvation, and Word of God.) And so, peace is the last of the “put on” (be clothed with) articles of our spiritual armor. If we are not doing that, we are setting ourselves up to be an easy target for the enemy to take us out. We’re living in the opposite of peace, which is stress and anxiety, self-effort, worry, struggle, and all that stuff; we are just targeting ourselves as an easy mark for the enemy.
It reminds me a little bit of dove hunting. When you’re out dove hunting, here’s the one you want. You want the one coming straight at you. The one easy to take out; you almost don’t even have to look. And you take that dove out. And here’s the goal, it falls at your feet, so you don’t even have to move to get it. So that’s what you are if you are outside of God’s peace. The enemy is like I didn’t even have to look… “POW!” And when he’s done, you fall right at the enemy’s feet.
Paul uses the shoes of the Roman soldier to illustrate the peace of God that we are to “walk in” because there is no better way to “order your steps” in life than in the peace of God.
I want to mention Tony Evans and his book “Victory in Spiritual Warfare,” and I would suggest it to you for further reading.
So, to get going, let’s re-read the entire context leading into today’s focus on walking in the peace of God.
Ephesians 6:10–15 (NLT)
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore (because of this battle), put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then (if you do this) after the battle you will still be standing firm.
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
There are the three “put on” articles of our Spiritual Armor.
God’s TRUTH – God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS – God’s PEACE
And honestly, “putting on” (clothing yourself) in God’s peace may be the most elusive of all three. I think it’s because truth and righteousness may seem a little more tangible to us. We can pretty easily know what God’s truth is; we just have to choose to put it on. And we can pretty easily know what God’s righteousness is; we just have to choose to put it on. But God’s peace is not quite so tangible.
Maybe it’s because peace is so hard to truly define. In the ’60s and ’70s, peace meant to get high, do what you want, and disconnect from reality as much as possible. And if you want to see a generation that failed miserably at achieving any true peace, just look at that generation. Today, peace can mean anything from no nuclear war to a baby’s nap time for a stressed-out mom.
But God’s peace is much easier to define. The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is EIRENE. It is the equivalent of the Hebrew SHALOM. Both words mean, in essence, “wholeness, completeness.” At the core of SHALOM is the phrase “nothing missing, nothing broken.” (Everything in its place.)
But here’s the definition of peace I’d like to use.
God’s Peace: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
Now, having that peace is putting on some serious spiritual armor that will definitely enable you to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy.
God’s Peace: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
Paul illustrates the armor of God’s peace with the shoes of the Roman soldier for two reasons, I think.
1). Because we are to walk in God’s peace – which means “order our steps” – set the direction of our life – in God’s peace.
2). Because God’s peace gives us a sure footing to stand firm against many of the attacks of the enemy.
As verse 15 says, so that you will be fully prepared (to stand firm)
The Roman soldier’s sandals literally had nails driven through the sole to give the soldier “sure-footedness.” And that’s exactly what God’s peace gives us, sure-footedness, to make us fully prepared for attacks of the enemy.
So often, the attacks of the enemy are F.E.A.R. You know what F.E.A.R. stands for, right? False Evidence Appearing Real. And so often, the enemy gets us to take ourselves out by stirring up fear in our hearts that causes us to make destructive choices in our lives. God’s peace gives us a sure-footed standing against the enemy’s tactic of F.E.A.R. (among other things).
And finally, notice in verse 15, that this is the peace that comes from the Gospel (good news.) The peace of God is only available through a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
You putting your complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ and receiving him fully into your life is the only way you can have access to this supernatural peace of God that passes all understanding.
Okay, one more time, here is my best definition of God’s peace which comes only through a real relationship with Jesus Christ and which make us fully prepared for the spiritual attacks of the enemy.
God’s Peace: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
So, first, notice closely in the definition God’s peace is an INNER resting of the soul;
Not a resting that comes from the OUTSIDE – IN
But a resting that comes from the INSIDE – OUT
Tony Evans tells the story of two painters both commissioned to paint a picture of God’s peace. The first painter paints a beautiful, calm, serene lake in the most peaceful setting you could imagine. The second painter paints the ocean, not calm but instead, the ocean is in a violent storm, with waves crashing, lightning, and fierce wind. And in the very bottom corner of the painting was a small bird, totally protected from the storm, standing on a rock with a solitary beam of light shining on it, and the bird was obviously singing in perfect peace in the midst of that raging storm.
And THAT is God’s peace that passes understanding. God’s peace is not an inner resting of the soul because everything around you is in harmony. God’s peace is an inner resting of the soul in spite of the storm that’s raging around you. That is the peace Jesus died to give us. That is the peace that stands firm when the attacks of the enemy and the world bring the worst of storms right to our doorstep.
And Jesus promised us that peace on the edge of his own horrific storm. On the night that he was betrayed and arrested, on the night before he was to bear the sin of the world, on the edge of the greatest storm all creation had ever seen, Jesus promised us his own peace.
John 14:27 (ESV)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus says I give you my peace, and my peace is a gift that the world cannot give. So don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t let them be afraid. This is a supernatural inner peace that comes directly from the presence of God (my peace), and it is contrary to all the false peace the world tries to give.
Guys, the context here in John 14 is Jesus sending the Holy Spirit to live in the believer, and the best scholars will tell you that “in context,” Jesus is most probably referring to the presence of the Holy Spirit IN you – that is HIS PEACE. Because the Holy Spirit IS the presence of God living inside of you, and God’s miraculous inner rest (peace) comes literally from the very presence of God inside you.
Remember our definition – the peace of God is: An inner resting of the soul that comes from experiencing God’s presence.
And that is exactly what Jesus promised when he said, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
Later, on that same night before his crucifixion, Jesus again promises us HIS miraculous peace.
John 16:33 (ESV)
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
The peace of God is found only in Jesus. It is in your identification with Jesus, by your faith, and it is in your ever-increasing relationship with Jesus.
The peace of God – you can only have
In real identification with Jesus and
In real relationship with Jesus.
And notice the complete identification with Jesus in this verse: in me you may have peace . . . because I have overcome the world. Jesus has overcome the circumstances of this world, and Jesus is our peace.
Ephesians 2 says:
Ephesians 2:14 (ESV)
14 For he himself is our peace . . .
So, we are no longer moved by our circumstances because we are not walking by our circumstances.
Because as 2 Corinthians 5 says:
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)
7 for we walk by faith (in Jesus Christ), not by sight.
Because Jesus has overcome the circumstances of this world, and Jesus IS our PEACE. So, we walk by our faith in him, not by the circumstances that we can see. And as we learn to do that, we learn to walk in the peace of God. It’s all about what our mind is set on. That’s why Isaiah 26 says:
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
God’s peace comes from us learning to fix our mind on him, to trust in him alone, and to walk by faith in him alone.
This is actually what Paul is referring to in his famously misused verse, Philippians 4, verse 13.
Let me read portions of the context.
Philippians 4:11–13 (NLT)
11 . . . for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
12 . . . I have learned the secret of living in every situation . . .
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
It means his circumstances no longer affect him because his contentment (his peace) does not come from his circumstances. His contentment and his peace come through Jesus Christ, who gives him the strength to face any circumstance or situation. That is some bulletproof spiritual armor when you learn to walk in that!
And this same peace of God that comes from the real life of Jesus Christ inside you, this peace of God will also keep you from making stupid and destructive choices in your life.
Colossians 3:15 (NLT)
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts
let the peace that comes from (The Person of Jesus) Christ rule in your Deepest Inner Life (Your Heart)
The word “rule” means – “act as an umpire.” Learn to let the peace that comes from God’s real presence in your life make the decisions you’re faced with. If there’s one thing your spiritual enemy is good at, it’s tempting you to make wrong choices. But you can learn how to allow the peace that comes from your real relationship with Jesus Christ “call the shots” in your life. If you will learn to do this, I promise you will not fall so easily to the simple schemes of the enemy to get you to make choices out of fear or your flesh.
That’s why learning to put on the peace of God is such a crucial part of your spiritual armor. In fact, it is such a crucial part of your spiritual armor that we are going to do another week on it. Because I can’t get into the “how,” there just isn’t time. So, next week we’ll spend the entire message on the “how.” How do we put on the peace of God as a crucial part of our spiritual armor?
If this subject is important to you (and I hope it is), I just want to ask you to do one thing during this week. On either the church website (calvarynuevo.org) OR on the phone app (search wordbymail), go to Resources / Scripture By Topic / Peace and spend some time meditating on some of the scriptures there.
Today we’re looking at the WHAT. Next week we’ll look at the HOW.
And we have one more text for today, and it’s a big one.
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Oh, man. This is a huge verse in my family. These verses were first given to Pam and I when we were young Christians, and we couldn’t get pregnant. And these verses stayed on our fridge for seven years until the paper turned brittle – while we waited on God. Until God finally said “Enough” and gave us three beautiful babies.
God says, don’t worry because your spiritual enemy will use worry to literally destroy your life. So instead, pray. Roll your burden over to God and thank him for all he’s done. And then, the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds IN Christ Jesus.
The peace of God will stand guard.
The peace of God will protect your heart and your mind with a supernatural inner resting of the souls that comes from experiencing God’s presence and does not fluctuate based on circumstances.
THAT is the peace of God. An inner resting of your soul. It comes from experiencing God’s presence in your life, and it does not fluctuate based on your circumstances.
And next week, we’re going to take the whole time to talk about HOW to get it. HOW to learn to walk in it. HOW to learn to direct your life by it, and HOW God’s peace will guard your heart and mind as you live IN Christ Jesus.