Category Archives: Perspective in Hardships

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. (2 Thess. 3:16)

Peace Come Through the Right Focus

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 14:17)

One of the quickest paths to losing out on the peace God offers us to make it through the hard times is to let ourselves get derailed by the non-essentials or inconsequential issues in life.

The church in Rome found themselves worrying about what others were doing and started passing judgment on issues that in the long run, didn’t matter all that much to God.  They needed a reminder that they were each personally accountable to God (Rom. 14:12).  When we focus on the wrongs, or perceived wrongdoings, of others, we quickly lose peace between one another which in turn drains the inner peace right out of us.

»  We need to see the big picture of what God is doing and focus on that.

»  We need to remember the qualities that make up the kingdom of God which grow out of the very character of God.

When we put our attention on what is wrong in this world, we will lose His peace.  God’s peace ties in to the whole of who He is out of which come His purposes.   When we rest in Him and His purposes in the midst of all the wrongs, we will know peace.

What we think about will either lead to peace or anxiety.  — “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9).

How Focusing on God’s Word Affects Us

Is it any wonder the psalmist concluded, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble” (Ps. 119:165).

With so many distracting forces in this world and in our own hearts, how do we keep the right focus?  Look at end of Romans 14:17 — “in the Holy Spirit.”  We need to be living in and guided by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26).  Peace, after all, is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

We cannot generate peace on our own.  The world cannot give us the peace we need to make it through difficult times.  The Spirit, however, will grow this fruit within as as we keep in step with Him and maintain the right focus.

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. (2 Thess. 3:16)

Peace Comes Through Realistic Expectations

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33).  Expect difficulties in life.  Don’t expect everything to go right.  Everyone won’t be fair and loving.  Don’t expect everyone to like you or agree with you.  Unrealistic expectations are one of the biggest blockages to experiencing peace. 

We live in a world under the curse of sin.  The people surrounding us, like us, have a sinful human nature.  Why would you expect anything less than trouble in this world?

No one, regardless of status or how much good he/she has done, is entitled to health, wealth, popularity, and all the goodness of life.  God does not owe us anything although He does promise to meet our needs as we seek after Him first (Matt. 6:33).  What He provides for us is out of His grace, mercy, and goodness.  If we got what we deserved, we would be doomed forever.

When we put these kinds of expectations on God or others, we are bound for disappointment in life.  When life doesn’t turn out as we expect or people don’t do what we expect, stress builds, anger mounts, despair sets in.  We lack peace.

Realities We Need to Grab Hold Of

In John 16 we read of Jesus forewarning the disciples of His pending death and then in verse 33 saying, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.”  By expecting the trouble that was to come, they could be at peace, knowing that God was in control.  Nothing escapes His knowledge or sovereign will.

We too must hear Jesus say, “In this world you will have trouble.”  Expect it.

But, it doesn’t end there.  Jesus also said, “But take heart!”  How?  Nobody wants or likes trouble.

There will come a day when sin’s curse will be no more (Rev. 22:3-5).  That hope should bring peace.  However, we have more than a future hope.  Jesus said, “in me you may have peace” (Jn. 16:33).

You can have peace because trouble is not the only reality to expect in this life.  You must grab hold of the reality that Jesus has “overcome the world.”  After a long list of trials and tribulations, Romans 8:37 concludes, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  Nothing can separate us from His love.  As Paul said in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

God is not promising to fix our circumstances or remove the consequences of bad choices.  Rather, in whatever situation we find ourselves, good or bad, we can be at peace, making it through life with the strength He provides.  When we have that peace, we can face anything.  Without that peace, even the smallest hint of trouble can upset our day.

Reality #1:  You will have difficulties in this life.  (Jn. 16:33)
Reality #2:  You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:31-39)

Grab hold of those realities and you can know His peace.

 Someone commented on a previous post,

I constantly have so much coming at me. I’m stressed to no limits, and trying to understand the evils of people’s hearts is even more stressing than ever. Can I ever experience God’s total peace? I haven’t had total peace in a long time, seems as if trials never stop in my life, not just for a second. I’m really tired of living in this evil world. How can I find total victory?

In drafting a response to the comment, I realized it required a post devoted solely to the need for peace.  How can we effectively cope without peace as we walk through the difficulties of life?

Peace is Essential to Walking Through the Difficulties of Life

Prior to His death, Jesus spoke with the disciples about the peace He would give them as they faced the troubles of life, knowing that He would be taken from them which in itself had the potential of being quite troubling for the disciples (Jn. 14:27; 16:33).  Before ascending to heaven, the resurrected Jesus met with the disciples and three times repeated the phrase “Peace be with you” (Jn. 20:19, 21, 26).  As He sent them out into the world, where they would face many difficulties, He said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (Jn. 20:21).  Clearly, Jesus recognized the vital role of peace.

The word “peace” occurs at least once in every book of the New Testament.  So many of the epistles begin with a greeting similar to this: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Perhaps this was a common greeting among Christians in those days but certainly God would not waste space in Scripture repeating something that had little or no significance.  Grace and peace are important.  (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Philem. 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:2; 2 Jn. 1:3; Jude 1:2; Rev. 1:4)

Inner peace is essential to relational peace.  If the peace of Christ does not “rule in your hearts,” you will not be at peace with one another (Col. 3:15).  So many of the difficulties in life stem from what somebody said or did, from the offenses of people.  How will we navigate these hurts and disappointments if we do not have the peace of Christ in our hearts?  Peace is essential.

Grace and Peace Go Hand in Hand

Apart from the grace of God there is no peace.  The Gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24) is also described as the Gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15).  Jesus reconciled us to God “by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20).  If we have not responded to this work of grace on our behalf, we will not be at peace with God.  If we are not at peace with God, we will not have inner peace.  “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

Just as we were saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), so we walk (Col. 2:6).  To experience that peace through the difficulties of life, we then need to walk by grace through faith.  When we walk by grace we are acknowledging our inability to cope versus His ability to help us cope.  We are admitting our limited resources and His limitless reserve.  We are recognizing our limited knowledge and His omniscient and sovereign place.  The more we make it about Him, trusting Him in the details as well as the big picture of our lives, the more at peace we will be.  — You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.  (Isa. 26:3)

Having Peace Starts with Knowing the Source of Peace

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Pet. 1:2)

Do you want peace?  Get to know and rely on a God who is great enough, capable enough, and loving enough to take care of you through both the good and bad times.  You don’t have to like what is happening to you, but you can be at peace because God has your back.  You don’t have to understand everything, but you can be at peace because God is in control.  As you become more thoroughly acquainted with God, you will, along with the Apostle Paul, acknowledge Him as the “God of peace” (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; 1 Cor. 14:33; 2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:9; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 13:20).

Notice that knowledge of God and of Jesus not only leads to peace, but an abundance of peace.  The measure of peace He provides is beyond comprehension (Phil. 4:7) and the staying power of His peace is constant (2 Thess. 3:16).  That kind of peace can only come from a source who by His very nature is Himself Peace.

God Gives His Peace Through a Variety of Means

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. (2 Thess. 3:16)

We need to tap into the means through which He provides peace so we experience the reality of it in our lives.  In the next four posts we will look at the conditions in which peace thrives. Follow the related posts below for those articles.

I have to admit that I know very little about what it is to be persecuted for Jesus.  Sure, I have experienced some negative reactions from others because of my relationship with Jesus Christ but I haven’t ever gone to prison for my faith, shed blood, had property destroyed, or been ex-communicated because of it.  But, I have brothers and sisters around the world who this very day are experiencing great hardship because of their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Some will even die as martyrs.

If you aren’t suffering persecution for Jesus, are your remembering those who are?

You can start by:

1)  Increasing your awareness of what is happening around the world to fellow believers

Below are some books from an affiliate store that could help your understanding:

• Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe; ed. by Harold Chadwick
• God Smuggler by Brother Andrew
• In the Lion’s Den by Nina Shea
• The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together–Book and CD by Brother Andrew & Jars of Clay
• Their Blood Cries Out by Paul Marshall

Check out the web site of one or more of these organizations. Follow them on their social media pages to keep up with what is happening.

• Christian Solidarity International
• Christians in Crisis
• International Christian Concern
• Open Doors International
• The Voice of the Martyrs

2)  Praying for those who are persecuted

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer.

• Pray for the World: A New Prayer Resource from Operation World
• How to Pray for the Persecuted Church – article

From there God may take you into further involvement.

If you are suffering hardship for Jesus, even if it seems insignificant in comparison to others, here are some promises or realities to grab hold of:

• You are an overcomer because He is.  Have hope in Him.  (Jn. 16:33)
• You are secure in His love.  Hold on to it.  (Rom. 8:35)
• You are considered blessed.  Be at peace.   (Matt. 5:10-11)
• You will be rewarded because of it.  Hang in there.  (Matt. 5:11-12)
• You will be restored.  Stand firm.  (1 Pet. 5:8-10)

With these realities comes a sense of purpose in suffering for Him, knowing that we will be okay no matter what happens which then results in:

> an ability to take heart (Jn. 16:33) and rejoice and be glad even in persecution (Matt. 5:12).

> a sense of security (Rom. 8:35-36) which in turn enables us to look beyond ourselves and care about the one who is persecuting us (Matt. 5:44-45; Rom. 12:14).