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Monday, April 22, 2019

Peace of Mind and Heart

Peace of Mind and Heart


I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
—John 14:27 NLT


Jesus spoke these words to His disciples the night before His death. He told them that he was leaving them with a gift of peace of mind and heart and not to be troubled or afraid over what was coming—about what they would not understand. The Holy Spirit speaks the same truth to you. Don't be frightened or troubled over what you don't understand.

How you crave this peace in a world you can’t control—in thoughts, you can’t control. But it is real, and it is the greatest gift Jesus can give you—this gift of faith that believes in what is not seen or heard or understood with your natural mind.  Peace comes when Jesus reconciles you to God. You are at peace with God because Jesus has paid the price of your sin and fulfilled the requirements of the law. The law only exposed sin. It didn’t wipe it away. It didn’t heal your heart. Jesus gave His life so you can have a new life, and have it abundantly—so you can wake up rejoicing in the day ahead no matter what that day may bring. 

“Christ himself has brought peace to us,” Paul told the Ephesians. “He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations” (Ephesians 2:14a,15a NLT). So why do you keep striving to be good enough according to the law and then feel condemned when you aren’t perfect? Does the law save you? No, only Jesus saves you. Only the Holy Spirit transforms your thoughts and renews you in the spirit of your mind! Your part is to surrender and allow Him to change you. You grow when you allow the Holy Spirit to teach you what it means to be blameless in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ love for you. Jesus, who had no sin, became your sin for this very reason—so you might become the righteousness of God. 

Suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ,” Paul told the Galatians, “and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:17-19, NLT).

Paul said that when he tried to keep the law, it condemned him. Quit striving to be perfect on your own strength. It is self-defeating! Open your spiritual eyes to the freedom of His grace, and allow the Holy Spirit to mold your life. His grace is not a license to sin. That would only cheapen the precious gift of His life! However, you are free to live as He instructs—not because you have to, but because you love Him and want to. He has given you the freedom to choose. If you are tired of the emotions of roller-coaster days that run rampant and fears at night you can’t control, you can choose the freedom of His grace which was greater than your sin—greater than your failure—greater than the condemnation you live under because you don’t feel good enough.

Don’t be troubled or afraid. Jesus’ gift of righteousness is His gift of peace of mind and heart to you. Striving on your own strength is self-righteous and brings doubt that you have received His love and acceptance. That isn’t peace! That is strife! You have received His acceptance! He loved you without condition on Calvary. In His grace, peace of mind and heart are yours. Let go and allow Him. 


© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/peace-of-mind-and-heart.html


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