“What is your vision of God? How you see Him is how you see yourself. It determines how you view your life, your church, even the events that are going on in the Body of Christ. If you fail to see Jesus as your Prince of Peace, that may be why you cannot find any rest. Seeing Him as your personal Prince of Peace means you’re not allowed to worry anymore; peace and worry simply can’t coexist. The way we live is profoundly shaped by our image of God.”
As the world gets worse, life can look quite scary. Foreboding thoughts of danger and disaster can overcome and paralyze. For many of us, there is the strong temptation to worry and become anxious. When we are faced with an economic crisis, an increase in crime, loss of jobs, and natural disasters, what is natural is the temptation to let these things overwhelm us.
But what is supernatural is to trust in our Prince of Peace to overcome every trial we face.
The devil tries to put fear into our heart. There was a professional thief named Blake Bart who struck fear in the hearts of people in the 1800’s when he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. He was known to bring danger to the frontier all the way from San Francisco to New York. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. He did it all without firing one shot. Nobody ever saw him because he wore a hood over his face. He never took anyone hostage. But Blake used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence would overwhelm the toughest people.
The devil is like Blake. He wants to let fear damage our image of God.
We are drawing closer to the Lord’s second coming. You and I are living in the most fantastic hour of all history. We must learn to access the blessing of these times and not merely stand paralyzed by the difficulties. Learning to live in peace has been a challenge throughout the ages. Since the beginning of recorded history the entire world has only been at peace less than eight percent of the time. Of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 of them had peace. And over 8000 peace treaties were made and broken.
We must learn to trust in our Prince of Peace. We must demonstrate through our daily lives what it means to live with the Prince of Peace. The world is desperately looking for peace. Not only is Jesus a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Everlasting Father, but he is the Prince of Peace! His government will last forever. Isaiah 9:6-7 says:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.”
We must discover the secret of living in His peace in an unpeaceful world. God has always wanted us to learn this lesson. He wants us to experience Him as our Prince of Peace. He wants us to put our hand into His hand, living fully dependent on Him for everything. Jesus is our peace every day. We can learn to live, abide, and dwell in His everlasting arms on a daily basis.
The way for us to overcome stress in an increasingly stressful world is to increase our fellowship with God.
If we are moving into a new season in our lives (and many of us are), we must take the time to develop a deeper intimacy with the Lord. We must learn to remain in God daily throughout the thick and thin of battle. We’ve got to learn this lesson because breakthroughs will not come without a fight. God is calling us to do the impossible in these end times. We must see Him as our refuge every day. We must trust in His nature. He is our shield and our very great reward (Genesis 15:1). He is our safe place.
The Bible is full of verses about God’s peace. In John 14:27 Jesus promises to give us His peace; in John 16:33 we have peace because He has overcome the world; in 1 Corinthians 7:15 God calls us to live in peace; 1 Corinthians 14:33 says that He is not a God of disorder but of peace; Ephesians 2:14 says that He is our peace; Philippians 4:7 promises that His peace transcends all understanding; and in Colossians 3:15 we find that His peace should rule in our heart. We see that peace is a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22, and Matthew 6:25-34 exhorts us not to worry! There is so much more but you can study it for yourself.
A man had a contest to produce a masterpiece of the perfect picture of peace. Artists everywhere from far and wide entered it. On the day of the contest the judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another while everyone clapped and cheered.
Finally there were only two pictures left to unveil. The tension grew. The judge pulled the cover off of one and a hush fell over the crowd. A mirrored lake reflected green birches under an evening sky with a flock of sheep grazing undisturbed along the grassy shore. This must be the winning picture!
The man with the vision for the contest uncovered the last painting himself. The crowd gasped in surprise.
Could this be the picture of peace?
A ferocious waterfall with a penetrating spray cascaded down a cold, rocky precipice. Stormy clouds threatened wind, rain, and lightning. The picture looked bitterly chilling filled with thundering noises. A tiny tree clung to the rocks at the very edge of the falls. On one of the branches reaching in front of the torrential waters was a little bird that had built a nest in the elbow of the branch. Undisturbed by the stormy and threatening surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With closed eyes and her wings covering the tiny baby birds, she rested in peace that transcended all the turmoil.
Perhaps this is the greatest picture of peace and a good example of how God wants us to live in our present world. But what do we do when fear threatens to overwhelm us? How can we be like this little mother bird?
When Fear Threatens to Overwhelm You
“Every day, in every circumstance, there is a gift from God present in our lives. Often the more desperate the circumstances, the greater the gift being offered. But we can easily miss it if we don’t look for it.”
God offers us the gift of His peace. I know that personally I experience His power and supernatural provision the most when I am in impossible situations in my life. When life is free from difficulty, it is too easy to maintain life under our own control. We are not quite so dependent. But when fear threatens to overwhelm us, we can see God in a new and deeper way as our Prince of Peace. You can receive God’s gift of peace in your life by:
- Cultivating intimacy with God - It’s your greatest weapon against the attacks of the enemy.
- Learning to be still - In stillness, God puts everything into perspective and helps you to see from His vantage point.
- Reflecting on God’s nature - What does God want to be to you in your present circumstances? Your peace? Your protector? Your strength? He is unchanging, and He is all of those things for you.
- Taking negative thoughts captive - Find Scripture to reflect the nature of God for you. Repent of believing the negative lies of the enemy. When the spirit of fear attacks your life, you have the authority to bind it in the name of Jesus.
Realize that your Prince of Peace is traveling with you through life. He is not passive, but He has power to break through every obstacle. Don’t resign yourself to your situation but look for the power of God to break through for you. He will answer your prayers if you don’t give up. In your circumstances, Jesus asks you as he did the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15) Who is God for you? Declare His role in your life right now. You are partnering with the Prince of Peace and King of Kings.
Let’s always remember who we are in Christ. The devil will try to lure us out of our safe place in God’s arms, but we must learn to remain in Christ. We must stay grounded in the love of Christ (Romans 8:31-39). We can be confident in Him.
“Embrace God as your Prince of Peace; draw on His restful nature to sustain you. As troubles rise in your heart, ask the Prince of Peace to sooth you. He is your refuge, your strong tower. If it helps, picture a strong tower, ruled by God. Live in it.”
What is your vision of God today? Is He your Prince of Peace even in the midst of the storm? Is your intimacy with God your most intimating weapon against the enemy?
“When God is cemented as the priority of our hearts, we see our relationship with Him deepen in ways that we never thought possible. There is a place in the Holy Spirit set aside for every one of us where we can make the enemy tired, depressed, weary, confused and exasperated. It’s a place where our relationship with God has a profound effect on the enemy and the people among which we live. What we think about God can shatter the hold of darkness on our friends and family. Our intimacy with God should be our most intimating weapon against the enemy.”Quotes by Graham Cooke
*This Article Published 7/17/2013