The Power of Peace

The greatest battle in the universe was won by the death of the
victor. Satan miscalculated God’s intentions from the very beginning
and plied a course of destruction from the time Jesus was a baby.
Every step of the life of Christ was wrought with persecution, yet the
Father kept Him safe until the time at the end. So many today put
their focus on the wrong person. All the movies you see today focus
their attention on Satan and how the hero/victim is going to escape his
evil grasp. This device has many Christians doing the same thing,
focusing on moral injustice whereas we are judging others instead of
focusing on what got us here—Jesus Christ.

Judging other immature Christians causes more damage to the
church today than anything else. In the Bible, Jesus says, “For with
what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure
you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the
speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own
eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck
from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?”1 In my
neighborhood we call it the crackhead effect. A drug addict will
always talk about what someone else is doing wrong so no one will
pay attention to what they are doing wrong.

It just tears us up when people go around telling lies about us. It is
very upsetting when we walk into a gathering of people knowing that
vicious rumors have been spread about us that are not true. Yet, for
the reason of judgment, why Christians gossip about other church
members is beyond me. It is very sad to say that the meanest people I
have ever met I met in church. Righteous injustice is the only term I
can use to describe a person that believes they have the right to judge
someone falsely. It is always the busybodies going around spreading
rumors. They somehow put themselves in the position of the moral
judges of the church. How many lives have they lost for Christ?
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready
to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that
is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that
when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good
conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of
God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.2

I hate being lied to, yet I have buried within my soul all the lies of
a lifetime, believing that I was in control of my mind. When we are
young the world comes at us with a bang. We trust everything that is
said to us and it exploits our perception of the truth. Our cultural
environment, peer pressure, and the fear of rejection all amount to
massive amounts of pressure on a young mind. Combine this with the
questions we face about our physical appearance, and it all forms an
identity of insecurity. Pretty much the first person that comes along
who will listen to our feelings we befriend. We become insecure
about our ability and sensitive to the criticism of others, questioning
the moral values that were taught at home, so we conform to the
patterns of our worldly teachers and never rise above the standards of
our civilization.

We become followers of men instead of followers of Christ. We
structure our lives on our experiences and form false conclusions
based on a false reality. What we see with our physical eyes is only a
small part of the reality we live in. We must learn to use our spiritual
eyes to open the reality of our mind. Even though we repeatedly
stumble in sin we must continue to believe our heavenly Father has
devised a path and a plan for our growth. This can only occur with
trust in the word of God, faith in our Creator, and strength of mind to
be able to set aside all fear.

Finding a source of true doctrines and teachings of Jesus Christ is
a must because many are misled by people seeking only to serve
themselves. There is no one we can blindly follow, doing everything
they say and do. Our eyes must be open and unless they are quoting
scripture word for word, we need to question everything through
prayer and the Holy Spirit. This is one reason I do not preach—so I
will not make as many mistakes in doctrine. Preaching also leads to
misinterpretation. Even as a reporter of the word of God, I make
mistakes and I pray you will forgive me.

If the preponderance of what someone is saying is questionable
and does not lead us to a greater understanding of the Bible, we need
to move on. I know we get comfortable with a church, the people,
where we sit, and the customs, but if we are not led to a greater
spiritual awareness, it is depressing our growth. It is the devil’s plan
for us to remain stagnant either through a lazy preacher who doesn’t
spend enough time on their knees, through false doctrine, or through a
church who puts all of its focus on social gatherings.

Many of us only get down on our knees when our life is
distressed, and we only engage in spiritual warfare when we need
deliverance from some life crisis that is making it difficult for us to
continue. Marital, financial, and verbal attacks on our wellbeing bring
us near God. None of these things are attainable until we practice the
single objective of our faith—to be Christ-like.

Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of
love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill
my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one
accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or
conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than
himself.3

Our spiritual conflicts are not going to go away until the character
of Jesus is made simple in our hearts. It is where we conform to the
image of our Savior that we will discover God’s ultimate goal for our
lives, where our spirits are flooded with His living presence and there
is no darkness in our souls at all. Victory is a complete transformation
of our minds and souls to the likeness of Christ.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test
yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?4
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the
spirit is life because of righteousness.5 Because the God who said, Out
of darkness light shall shine, is the One who shined in our hearts to
illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency
of the power may be of God and not out of us.6 So we are crucified
with Christ. It is no longer us that live but Christ who lives within us,
which is all our hope and glory.

Spiritual discernment is a perception, in the absence of judgment,
with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. It can
be learned only in the process of helping others. It is not spiritual
discernment when we are judging others. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit
that enables us to determine the difference between angelical spirits
and demonic spirits. It is the love of the Lord that casts out the
demons of depression and false beliefs. As we surrender ourselves to
Christ in faith, we build a shield around us that protects us from evil
spirits. There is no reason to be afraid anymore.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of
the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears
them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of
God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit
of error.7 This gives us confidence in our spiritual authority. However,
this authority is never forced upon another person. With this
confidence we find peace in areas of our lives that were once full of
conflict and persecution.

Our peace with God is the sign of victory over our enemies. It is
not emotional or intellectual but comes from Christ within us to love
everyone regardless of their nature. By refusing to judge others, we
place our faith in Christ and serve not what our eyes and ears see but
what the Spirit tells us to do. Our example is found in our studies. We
can look toward Christ for His calmness in the storm. We have a
peace that is born out of His desire to do the Father’s will no matter
what the cost—a peace that left Him in silence as His accusers ranted
and raved by all the powers in hell to condemn Him.

We are never alarmed at the deceptive talk of our opponent
because peace is the power of the spirit. Only let your conduct be
worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or
am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one
spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and
not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof
of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.8 Through
peace we have spiritual authority over our adversaries. Through peace
we yield to the will of God. Through peace we overcome the power of
Satan to control our emotions, so through peace we rest on the fact
that Christ is within us. Peace precedes spiritual power and power
comes from surrendering to God’s authority.

1.) Matthew 7:2-4
2.) 1 Peter 3:15-17
3.) Philippians 2:1-3
4.) 2 Corinthians 13:5
5.) Romans 8:10
6.) 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
7.) 1 John 4:4-6
8.) Philippians 1:27-28