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FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - PEACE IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLES Scripture: Prov 14:30 Everyone wants peace of mind. But most of us experience more stress than peace. Stress is an unfortunate fact of life in our modern world. Everyone is under stress and is tensed. WHAT IS PEACE? a) Spritiual Peace: Peace with God. Rom 5:1 First have peace with God and then with all other b) Emotional Peace: An internal sense of well-being and order. Col 3:15 – Peace of Christ Rule: To Umpire, An Umpire's job is to keep peace. c) Relational Peace: Peace with other people Rom 12:18 Relational peace reduces conflict. Relationships can be a source of stress. d) Environmenal Peace: Peace with surroundings GOD's PROMISE OF PEACE John 14:27 Jesus spoke these words right before he went to the cross. Remember that peace is a gift.
5 Keys to Perfect Peace 1) Obey God's principles as found in His word. Psalm 119:165,167 Obedience brings harmony with God. Things run smoother when you run things according to the designer's manual, i.e., the Word of God. 2) Accept God's forgiveness Micah 7:18, 1John 1:9 Guilt is the number one destroyer of peace for most people. When we feel guilty we feel we are being haunted and chased by our past. The only way to have peace of mind is to have a clear-conscience. Micah 7:18 God is eager, willing and waiting to clean our slate. Our God's glory is in giving and forgiving. 3) Focus on God's presence Isa 26:3 have a choice of focusing on our problems or focusing on God. "If you look to the world, you will be distressed; If you look within, you will be depressed; but if you look to Christ, you will be at rest" It is what you concentrate on determines your level of personal peace. Focus on God's presence; He is with us and He has promised that He will never leave us. Peace Indicator: Tension or stress. It shows our focus is moved. Let us get our focus in order by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Psalm 46:1,10 these were written by Hezekiah while he was attacked by the Assyrian king Sennacherib. First be still, then know God. Phil 4:7 4) Trust in God's purpose Prov 3:5 Look at the 4 verbs in the verse. 3 are commands – Trust, Learn, Acknowledge Fourth one is a promise: Direct. God will direct. Trust like a child. Learn without trying to figure it out. I don't have to understand 'why' or 'how' or even when God does what he does. Acknowledge: God is all in all. No mistakes with Him. Direct: He will make your paths straight and not stressful Phil 4:12,13 Contentment should be learned. 5) Ask for God's peace Phil 4:6,7 First Prayer: Expressing ourself to God. Then the effect is peace. If no prayer, then we will worry. Luke 8:14 Worry chokes Prayer is a tremendous stress reliever God alone is the unconditional listener to unload on, someone who will not become stressed out by our dumping. Nor He will think less of us. 1 Pet 5:7 God knows everything about us and loves us however we are. John 14:1 Peace is not a trouble free life; it is a sense of calm in the midst of life's storms.
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