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peace?
Rene:
--- Quote from: gregorydc on August 04, 2012, 12:07:52 PM ---
I seem to struggle with so many demons like anger, worry, selfishness. When does the peace come in?
--- End quote ---
Hi Greg,
I can honestly tell you that my faith is the source to my peace.
This does not mean I do not get upset and bothered by people and events that happen in my life. In fact, some days I feel like I am battling people constantly. :P However, there is a solid, inward joy and peace I feel every day because I understand what a huge blessing it is to be given a heart to believe the spiritual truths that God has revealed to me.
Once you truly believe that our Creator is in total control and He is a God of love, you too will have that deep, inward peace that surpasses all understanding. :)
René
Craig:
Peace in this lifetime?...Never. This life is not meant to be peaceful, it is a race, an endurance test, a piece of gold loaded with impurities that is getting burned out and refined daily. But can you become at ease? Yes, when you realize that God is in charge of everything, why sweat the small stuff or even big stuff? Easier said than done....
If we are here to learn and endure then it seems to me our acceptance of this can give us some peace. But be honest we don't accept it, we fight it daily. We are not robots we make decisions and these decisions make things harder than they might not otherwise be. Struggles we have today, in many cases, can be rooted back to choices we made years ago. And we still make the same bad choices today, some more so than others. I wonder why that is? I think about these things alot when I consider the world around me.
I see a lot of people around me who are in real pain, but when you get to know them you can see a roadmap of bad decisions after bad decisions throughout their lives. I try to always stress to my kids that the decisions we make today will follow us the rest of our lives. God gave us a book full of helpful suggestions but we ignore them. I try to live my life by knowing what God says is good for us and making decisions based on this, but I still ignore Him alot. I don't believe God makes "laws" and then He beats us over the head with a club when we break them. He tells us not to do something because He knows, that if we do, the heartache it may cause ourselves and future generations, we beat our own selves over the head with the club.
On example then I'll end. I have always wondered about pre-marital sex, why does God warn us against it? If a persons practices proper birth control and safety and it is between two consenting adults what does it hurt? I'll tell you my opinion, when people go right to the sack they skip over the part of getting to know each other, their hormones are in such high gear that they ignore all the warnings signs about the relationship. They fall in "love" they get married, unfortunately some have children and in a few years they get divorced and it was because their spouse was not who they thought they were. Generations may be affected because of that one decision made when their relationship begins. They were not really in "love" they were in "Lust!"
So peace in this life? No because as sinning machines we are not capable of it.
Craig
Gina:
Aw don't get me started, Craig. ;D
We definitely won't have peace when we're breaking God's laws.
I disagree that we will have ease; I don't believe it will be easy -- the scriptures say we must "strive to enter Christ's rest." By the very definition of strive, it will not be easy.
It is through much tribulation that we are entering in the Kingdom.
But I agree that we will not have peace at all times.
"As Jesus was in the world so are we." He most certainly did not experience constant peace as we well know from the constant battles with the pharisees and later as he was finally condemned to the cross.
People in the world don't have peace, sure.
Beasts operate based on instinct (through?) fear (maybe I got that backwards but you know what I'm trying to say). Beasts have very little peace -- constantly in pursuit of something.
However, to his DISCIPLES and his FRIENDS he said this: My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14)
Didn't he tell his DISCIPLES (those he later termed FRIENDS) fear NOT! over and over again? Why? Maybe because the base of pride, lust (gluttony?), and anger is fear?
Even Ray said that the most heinous of sins are committed by people who are afraid of God. I know that is true for myself.
But once you start to recognize who you are and God changes your heart you do start to have some peace.
Fear not.
My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14)
When we look around us and see someone suffering because they have broken God's laws we are to pray for them. We should not worry, we should not be afraid.
I've lived in a state of constant fear my whole life and I am still learning how to not be afraid (all around me, people constantly are trying to take my eyes off God and put it on the "funny monkey").
I know this much -- panicking and worrying will put you 10 steps behind. Trusting and obeying God, that will bring you into a state of peace.
Jesus suffered immensely and was in real pain most of his life and so was Paul but it was Paul who said this:
" And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isa. 26:3)
If you're asking and seeking God for peace -- you're going to find it. But we do need that contrast of non-peacefulness in order for peace to really show up and mean something to us and as long as we're in this world we're never gonna run out of that. ;)
God bless everyone.
:)
space.ace.jase:
--- Quote from: gregorydc on August 04, 2012, 12:07:52 PM ---I have a strange question that has been kinda eating at me … how long does it take to get the peace, I can read in many of your statements, into your life? I seem to struggle with so many demons like anger, worry, selfishness. When does the peace come in? Where or what am I missing?
Still a babe in Christ,
Greg
--- End quote ---
Hi Greg,
Some very good replies in this thread but I thought I might throw in my two cents.
I get a lot of peace from that fact that I cannot overcome my sins/faults/demons by myself. After spending years struggling to do it all myself I found peace in knowing I cannot even change the smallest thing by myself and I am totally reliant on God to change me. Like many have said it is still not easy but remember that this life is temporary and that in time we will be in his image!
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28
God bless,
Jase
Gina:
Excellent reply, Space.
Remember, Paul termed all his tribulation "light and momentary afflictions"; because in the grand scheme of things - that's what they are. Wow that's saying a lot because there are days when it's just like, Okay -- I'm done. Stop the world I wanna get off.
Some days are diamonds
Some days are stones
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