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Friday, May 12, 2023

Grace and Peace





Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

—Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:7


 

That urge to do something about a problem might not be the Holy Spirit. Are you anxious and needing a resolution?  Peace comes from knowing who you are in Christ and not from your circumstances. When you know God’s peace in your life, it outweighs anything that creates uncertainty and fear. If you have the urge to do something because it makes you feel better, then what you want to do is probably about you and not about God. 

 

The whole point of our faith is that it is not about us. It is about Him and His new life of righteousness He has given us. We put our faith in His truth and His promises instead of what we experience in this life. When we focus on what is happening instead of the truth of what Christ's finished work of grace has accomplished, we don’t experience the power of the new life that is ours. We miss the peace that is ours. For His peace to outweigh our circumstances, we must know our new identity's truth. We must believe in the unwavering security of our relationship with God. When we know we are secure in God’s love, we trust Him.

 

When you trust in the Lord with your whole heart, you don’t doubt Him. You believe Him. You don’t trust your own understanding. You trust His. You don’t rush to “do” something to feel good about yourself when you know your value to God. You have received the complete and full redeeming value of your salvation. Jesus has presented you without fault to the Father. He has saved you from all your sins and diseases. You are at peace in your relationship with God. When you believe your full value in Christ, you never work to prove your value. You have God’s peace. And when you trust God, His peace controls you instead of your fear and your need to “do” something.

 

When you acknowledge God, you acknowledge the difference His grace has made in your life. You know who He is in you. You know if the Holy Spirit is leading you to do something or if it is you. When you “do” something the Holy Spirit leads you to do, what you “do” is born of faith in the security of your relationship with God and not born of your need to feel secure. Any work born of your need to feel secure has no life. Any work born of faith in Christ is alive and powerful. When the Holy Spirit directs your paths, He empowers what He calls you to do. He is faithful to do the work. 

 

When the Holy Spirit inspires and directs your path, you are at peace. The only way you will submit to God and allow Him to do the work is when you trust Him. And you only trust Him when you know how much He loves you. Until you believe the truth of His love for you, you won’t benefit from His peace.


“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love” (2 John 1:3).

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/grace-and-peace.html

 

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