By: Lisa Santelli
“If you could describe ‘freedom’ in one word, what would it be?” That is the question I asked my small group as we started our Freedom study journey. The overwhelming
response: peace.
According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, peace can be defined as the following: state of quiet or tranquility, calmness, quietness of mind, harmony and state of reconciliation. It is also described as: freedom from disturbance, freedom from anxiety and freedom from fear. Diving deeper into the Hebrew translation, Shalom, the words safety, wholeness and completeness are added to the mix. To sum that up, peace could be stated as a calming tranquility, free from anxiety and fear, that leads to reconciliation, safety, and wholeness.
In John 16:33 AMP, Jesus tells us, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In this world you will have distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident]; I have overcome the world.”
Our little group has some heavy burdens we are walking through. Whether family conflicts, marriage strains, financial hardship, health concerns or past hurts, there are so many areas the devil is trying to rob us of our peace. We can either work overtime trying to create our own resolution to these situations that provide a temporary calm, or we can switch focus. In Jesus, we can have everlasting peace, because Jesus IS Peace. He is the reconciler of our heart. The peace of God is not the absence of conflict. Instead, it is having a right relationship with God, who calms the waves in our heart to give us perfect peace no matter what we are walking through. There is great freedom when the chaos can be whirling around us, yet we continue our stride confidently with hope and at ease, because the peace of God is filling us.
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about walking in peace. She pointed out that we disarm the enemy with our peace. It’s the superhero power of Jesus IN us that overcomes the enemy’s attacks when we don’t fall for his tactics to distract, cause fear or disrupt our peace. How do we retain the peace of God? The answer is simple, but the implementation takes practice. Abiding in the vine. When the devil tries to steal our focus, it’s picking up our bible and reciting scriptures to stay on track. It’s turning up the volume on a favorite worship song. It’s a heartfelt conversation or prayer with God, relinquishing the burden. It’s phoning a trusted friend for godly wisdom and encouragement. And, it’s being reminded that Jesus has already overcome the world. The world, which is our temporary resting spot… not our permanent home.
Lord, I pray Your perfect peace resides in our hearts no matter what we are walking through. May we fully surrender our deepest cares, the hurts, the anxiety, the fears that are trying to rob us of our peace. When the tactics heat up, may we be reminded to continue to draw near to you…whether through scripture, a simple prayer or worship. Lighten our load. Remove the lines of worry. And, fill us with Your peace that overflows to all around us. We ask all in the calming, beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.