How I became true to the truth about peace?
Transcript
Today, we are going to take a “Posture of Peace” by picking a truth and being true to it.
Posture is a short, audible fist bump to remind you, God is with you in everything. Together, we’re going to be emboldened to take a daily Posture of perfect peace.
In Psalm 91:1-2, it says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, my refuge huge and my fortress my God, in whom I trust.” Over the years, I have been blessed with so many key mentorships and friendships. Many of you know that Graham Cooke is a friend and mentor of mine, and he’s had a big impact on my life. I’ve shared a lot of him this year with you guys, the Posture community. You know, honestly, a lot of what I share with you in the Posture community are things that I’ve learned from my mentors, mentors like Graham and others who have walked with me through the years, have poured into my life, and it’s kind of cool to be able to pour into you what’s been poured into me.
Earlier this week, in Episode 136, I talked about the practical side of peace and about keeping our minds stayed on God. And so I wanna continue that conversation today by sharing something that I’ve learned from Graham. It’s practical, it’s simple yet it has had a profound effect on my life, especially in chaotic situations. And that is this, pick a truth and be true to it. You know, the best truths are what God says about Himself. Because He’s unchanging. So we never have to wonder or doubt His nature, we can always rest secure in who God is. Everything else changes, right?
People change, we change, circumstances change but God remains unchanging. In Numbers 23:19 it says that God is not a human, that He should lie or change His mind. In Malachi 3:6, God says, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” In Hebrews 13:8, we talked about this one recently, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. And in James 1:17, it says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.” So you can find a truth about who the Lord is and take hold of that truth. Become true to it in terms of how you pray, how you seek Him, how you worship, how you rejoice, how you think and speak. And in that process and in that practice of becoming true to the truth, you become as unchanging as God is, because you become constant and consistent in the truth. This is what I did with the promise of peace.
When I was in the choke-hold of anxiety and panic, I know I’ve shared my testimony here before, having numerous anxiety, panic attacks, chronic stress began affecting every part of me, mentally, emotionally, physically. You know, during that time, I got a lot of advice and information. Not bad advice, but all of it carried the same implication which was anxiety can not be cured it can only be managed. This is something that you’re going to have to constantly deal with for the rest of your life. That’s what the advice seemed to say. And there is a conflict with that belief when you look to the word of God, because when I went to the word of God, I didn’t see promises of constant anxiety. I saw promises for constant peace even in the midst of troubling circumstances. John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you that in me, you may have peace.” In John 47:27, Jesus said, “My peace I give to you. Not the fragile kind of peace given by the world, but my peace.” And then He said, don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts instead be courageous.
You know, I realized peace is not a calming feeling. Peace is a calming presence, because peace is a person. Jesus is our Prince of peace and He never changes. And He never leaves us nor forsakes us. So I always have peace. You always have peace. Therefore peace is always possible no matter what situation I face, because of who God is because of who God says He is. So I began to trust the truth, to practice it, to live in it, to rejoice in it, to speak it, to think it and to become it. And so I encourage you today, find a truth today. Pick a truth of who God says He is, faithful, loving, gentle, and be true to it. This will build in you a wholly dependency on the Lord, and this is how we abide in Him.
The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26:3. In Hebrew, it is “shalom, shalom”, meaning complete wholeness. Nothing missing, nothing broken. This is who you are in Jesus. Because of Jesus, you are a living testimony of Jesus’s ultimate win. With every step you take today you’re putting Jesus’s victory on display and satan’s defeat on replay.