He Has You

There is a peace we are meant to have, but that often eludes us in our day-to-day life. God is peace. The Lord Jesus promised us He would give us His peace. And that is the secret to take hold of, that to find peace, we must seek it only where it can be found, in Christ alone.

The peace of Christ is within the reach of man, if he would but simply receive it. The Lord Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27 NKJV).

We mustn’t be envious of others or desire what they have because that only takes our eyes off all that Father God has done for us. So long as we focus on what we don’t have, we will feel empty and shortchanged. Don’t pray for a raindrop standing in the middle of a thundershower.

Your happiness depends upon the abundance of thankfulness for those things you have, and the lack of bitterness for those things you do not have. “Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. …And always be thankful” (Colossians 3:15 ERV).

We won’t have peace so long as we carry bitterness for the wrongs that others have done to us. We must forgive them in our hearts and release them from our thoughts. This doesn’t make what they did right, but it will turn us towards what is right, which is Christ alone.

A forgiving heart is at the center of a peaceful life. You are not in bondage to people, but your thoughts about them. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV).

We cannot experience peace while living in sin because in the darkness there is no peace. The Lord desires us to be with Him and will never give us peace so long as we are not. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven except the one you refuse to confess.

The degree of peace you have is measured by the distance between yourself and God. The closer to God, the greater the peace. “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4 NLT).

We must learn to be content even in the illness or injury that God has not yet healed us from. We must ask Him in our suffering to use it for His plans to shape us or to speak through us. We can continue to pray for our healing, but we must learn to trust Him as we go through it.

Every problem is an opportunity to pray. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).

We must not allow fear of the unknown to reign over the faith we have in our God. We may not know what trial or misfortune awaits us, but God most assuredly does. We must trust Him with our tomorrow so that we won’t let the troubles it may hold steal our peace today.

Don’t worry about what lies ahead; just keep your mind focused on the Lord who is with you. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV).

We will never have peace so long as we think it will come through anyone else besides Jesus. There is no person on earth that can make you whole or fill your every need. If you want to have a better relationship with any person, first have a better relationship with Christ Jesus.

The peace of Christ in you is the message of hope through you. Jesus taught, “I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 TLB).

We must not base our peace on the circumstances we find ourselves in. There will always be people and situations that will frustrate us and cause us to be in turmoil if we allow them to. But we must turn our eyes towards God and have faith that He can give us peace in our lives no matter the situation.

Don’t be discouraged by a bad day, but only grow from it. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NKJV).

The word for peace in Hebrew is shalom. This word carries the meaning of wholeness or completeness. This is because to have peace, we cannot have an emptiness or missing pieces in our life. We can only be complete in Christ alone. Pray for this today and let Him complete you.

Jesus has you. People will fail you. Plans will unfold. Circumstances will change. The world will crumble. But He has you. Jesus said, “…in Me you may have peace…” (John 16:33 NKJV).

Blessings to you,

Paul Balius