April 24, 2018 – John 14
Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give you... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid. John 14:27
Peace from God
strengthens the soul to confront fears in our hearts and minds.
Ever notice that we always try to calm fears using logic?
Like many kids, our daughter went through a short period of
being afraid of the dark. We’re not sure
where the fear started, but her fears got the best of her, needing to be with
her parents, having a nightlight, and preferring to fall asleep with mom on the
couch instead of going to sleep in her bedroom.
We tried all of the techniques suggested to us, but nothing worked. Logic did not settle her fears, nor did
walking the room or checking under the bed.
It took a while, but we finally stumbled across the thing that worked
--- we started praying for her at night at bedtime for God to be in her
room. No more rote prayers, we asked God
to protect her, and soon she was okay falling asleep by herself. I didn’t recognize it until years later that
she found peace in her soul through those prayers, and it calmed the fears of
her mind and heart.
That’s exactly what Jesus said. He gave us peace, and left it with us. But it isn’ t peace in the heart or
mind. He left us peace for our
soul. The Soul can push back fears far
better than logic or courage. It’s peace
in the soul that helps a person face pain or death. It’s the peace of our soul that helps us
stand strong in the face of temptation or persecution. It’s peace of the soul that overcomes fear in
our hearts.
When you are struggling with fear, don’t solve it with logic
or courage. Consider a different
way. Pray for the peace that Jesus gives
your soul. He promised to give it and
leave it for us. If you have a guilt
issue, confess it and let it go. Allow
His peace to have control. His peace is
far more powerful than your fears.
The day Jesus was resurrected, women came to the tomb hoping
to give Jesus’ body a proper burial.
They did not know who would help them roll the stone away, and who knows
how the soldiers would treat them. The
angel AND Jesus said the same thing: Don’t
be afraid. Let me ask you: If you saw an angel or saw a resurrected dead
man, wouldn’t you be afraid??? That
would frighten anyone. But their fears
were not solved by logic, they were solved by Jesus’ presence. Peace doesn’t come through the mind, it comes
through the soul. And Jesus is the
source of that Peace.
If you are dealing with some fears these days, don’t try to
solve it through logic, courage or even possessions. Seek the owner and giver of peace – Jesus Himself.
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