PERFECT PEACE
PERFECT PEACE
We live in a world today that is fast paced and where at times the common themes are unrest, fear, and anxiety.
Yet, we serve a God who promises us His perfect peace despite the worlds current circumstance or our situations.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Leading up to this scripture in Isaiah 26, God had defeated the enemies of the land of Judah.
The people praised God and were overjoyed for the victory and for the realisation that if they keep their minds focused on God there would be a perfect peace that followed.
Even in the midst of our own unrest, fear and anxiety; His perfect peace is there, if we keep our mind steadfast on Him.
REFLECTION
Share what God revealed to you or something that resonated with you from Sunday’s message ‘Perfect Peace’.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
YOU WILL KEEP IN PERFECT PEACE
The word ‘keep’ in this scripture means ‘to guard, to protect something diligently and thoroughly, often employing strong defences or measure to ensure safety’.
In our own lives, each of us guard what is important to us, in other words, we guard what we treasure.
We guard our health by living well and eating fresh food.
Those who are parents guard their children from harm.
We guard our money by keeping it safe in a bank.
In this scripture, God is saying that he will guard us with His perfect peace because He treasures us.
Another way of saying perfect peace is peace peace. The repetition of the word peace emphasis’s the weight God is giving it; this is a peace whose power no enemy, or circumstance can withstand. This is a peace that isn’t based on external matters, but it is a peace that is internal, and it is a peace that God promises to give each of us.
WHOSE MINDS ARE STEADFAST
The steadfast mind leans upon God. In this verse, ‘steadfast’ is a verb. The emphasis isn’t on ‘mind’. It’s on the action of leaning and in this verse, that action is a continuous awareness and engaging with God. Another way to put it is that we would bring God to mind in every possible circumstance.
A steadfast mind is resolved to learn how to think God’s way; it is a commitment to live focused on God – in both inclination and character.
The Hebrew word inclination was used frequently by rabbis to reveal that we have the choice of ‘evil inclination’ meaning to choose sin, or ‘good inclination,’ meaning committed to follow God’s ways, and they would urge people to make their ‘good inclination’ king over the ‘evil inclination.’
To have an ‘evil inclination’ would mean to be self-serving – it doesn’t mean that it would be choosing the worst kinds of evil (however it included those as well), most of us don’t have a problem with choosing murder; however more of us would have subtle sin of hate. Evil inclination is a way of choosing to live in a way that put self-first; how I feel, what I think, what I want, what’s best for me; regardless of how the resulting actions would affect others and whether they aligned with God’s way.
To have a steadfast mind and to choose ‘good inclination’ is to have a continuous awareness and engaging with God. To bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, choosing to love others as we love ourselves, to be generous, kind and think more highly of others than of ourselves.
BECAUSE THEY TRUST IN YOU
Trusting God speaks to a well-founded approach not because of what we see or what we think we know, but on who we know.
We all decide where we place our trust, either we place us our trust in the things of this word such as ourselves, other people, things we can see, OR we make a choice to trust in the one who has overcome this world.
When we choose to trust the world, we receive what the world has to offer in return. We may get our own control but along with that we receive the fear, insecurity, anxiousness that comes with it.
When we choose to trust God, we are promised His Perfect Peace, His protection, and His guard.
Research shows that people who trust God have a better ability to cope with stress, higher resilience, healthier mental health, a reduction in fear and anxiety, an improved social support community and live with a greater meaning to life.
DISCUSSION
Take a moment to share what Perfect Peace means to you or has looked like in your life so far.
Discuss the benefits of perfect peace, a steadfast mind and trusting God.
What is the most challenging practice about keeping a steadfast mind and trusting God?
What habits do we keep daily that align us with keeping Perfect Peace? What habits take us away from Perfect Peace?
How can we recognise the lies of the enemy? How can we challenge them?
Think about your week ahead. What can we put in place to practice living in Perfect Peace?
Did God reveal anything new to you that you’d like to share?
APPLICATION
- Develop a daily rhythm of prayer and engaging with God.
- Make a list of the lies of the enemy and challenge them with the truth you find in scripture.
- Write out your daily habits. What brings you closer to perfect peace and what takes peace away? What relationships align with perfect peace and what relationships draw you away? What mindsets set you up for perfect peace and what mindsets distract you from peace?
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what is behind the lies you are listening to.
- Go deeper in your personal learning with the resource listed below.
GO DEEPER
Read
John Mark Comer Live no Lies
https://koorong.com/product/live-no-lies-recognize-and-resist-the-three_9780281086511
Watch
Perfect Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVAjay3mYsM
The Pathway of Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af4cAwSxqKk
Look up
Philippians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 8:6, John 16:33, John 14:27, Isaiah 26:4