THE SPIRIT AND
PEACE: HOW GOD DESIGNED IT.
Jesus said, “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.” John 14:27
Have you noticed
there is an order to how peace is given, absorbed and acted upon?
Paul
writes, “Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Do you see the
order? Do you see how the order meets the very core of the soul need? (Spirit,
soul, body not body, spirit, and soul.) God, who is Spirit, touches/stirs the soul, which gives “sound”
or ”disciplined” or “self-control” ability. He is the fulfilling source of the soul need.
Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh
profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”(John
6:63)
All good things
begin with the Spirit. Shadows are
seen but don’t sway. Hope is
remembered. And peace is given.
Look at the
following verses carefully with me.
Jesus said, “God
blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of heaven is
given to them.” Matthew 5:3
“For if you live
according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you will live. For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For
you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the
Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:13-15
To
whom does the soul cry out? To
whom do we see our need in, in God or to act accordingly to the flesh?
If we embark and
stay on the titanic of the understandings of the flesh then there is hopeless
and death. Oh the understandings
of man’s eye look sound but what happens when the icebergs come and rip a hole
in the hull of whatever they consider sound? How many times have seen people end their lives because they
placed their hopes in the material hopes of man and not God. It’s only when the Spirit of God directs the understanding
does the soul and body have LIFE. It is only through the Spirit of God are the actions of
temple of God-the body sanctified/blessed.
What
happens if you stagnate your mind on a problem instead of trusting God? What happens to your body? What happens to your spirit? What happens to your soul? What happens in regards to the problem?
We
must ask ourselves at the edge of all the uncertainties of life, "Am I anchored
securely to my certainty- who is God? Am
I in the Spirit of Truth or the flesh?"
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our
lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Here there is not conflict with the
law.” Galatians 5:22-23
The law in which
Galatians is speaking is this:
Jesus said, “‘You
must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your
mind. ‘ This is the first and
greatest commandment. A second is
equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the
prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40
The law it is not
for God’s benefit but for ours.
God knows what happens when we try to find comfort in the flesh or in
the world, which is never satisfying nor good -so He says, “Love ME”.
Love God…. Put Him above what is seen, thoughts,
imaginations, what is perceived, what is unseen, what has happened and what
will happen. In this way he will direct
our ways “purposefully” in His Spirit.
“Trust
in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6.
God, who is Spirit,
gives peace, which allows us to glorify Him. It is all God’s design.
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