Living in the Peace of God

By : Gil Howard-Browne 

The awesome peace of God is something the body of Christ needs to learn how to walk in. In fact, it is a learned behavior. We are all subject to what is going on in the world around us, and in the natural, the future can sometimes look bleak. We listen to reports and watch the news, and so often it is doom and gloom, issues, problems, and difficulties that look as though they will never be sorted out.

But no matter what takes place in this world, God is still on the throne. His Word is still yea and amen. His promises are still true, and He still watches over His Word to perform it. If we can learn to focus on the Lord and allow His anointing and His presence to permeate us every day, then when panic tries to come upon us, we can immediately look to the source of our supply.

David spoke about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. It may have the appearance of death and look threatening, but David also said, “Thou anointest my head with oil.” The anointing is crucial for us to walk in this day and time and remain free from the things that try to come upon us. Our faith needs to be in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the power of God. We put our trust in Him because He is the source of our supply.

Isaiah 26:3 in the Amplified Bible says, “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast, that is, committed and focused on You.” This reveals the heart of God. His desire is to keep us in perfect and constant peace, but there is a condition: our minds must be steadfast, committed, and focused on Him.

That gives us our first clue about how to receive this perfect and constant peace. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to look away from all that will distract us and focus our eyes upon Jesus. There are many distractions around us. The news can stir our emotions and fear. Our personal lives also contain responsibilities, problems, and stressful circumstances that can grab our attention until we become so focused on the issue that we forget where the source of our supply is.

We have to learn to recognize when that is happening. If we listen to the Spirit of God, He will speak to our hearts. When we recognize that we are becoming distracted, we can rein that thought in and refocus upon the Lord.

Think about taking a picture with your phone. You tap the screen on the object you want to photograph, and the camera focuses on it. In the same way, we need to tap this mindset of ours and refocus it upon the Lord.

Isaiah speaks of the mind being focused upon God in both inclination and character. Inclination is a person's natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a particular way. Perhaps difficult things have happened in your life. Maybe you came through a difficult marriage, a painful childhood, or circumstances that created emotional responses within you. Your automatic tendency may now be to panic or become afraid.

I remember a man who came forward for prayer during a meeting. He told me that he thought he needed deliverance. About a year earlier, he had been involved in a major accident in a construction zone. He totaled his car, nearly lost his life, and spent several weeks in the hospital. After that, every time he drove through a construction zone, he experienced a panic attack. He believed the devil was attacking him.

I explained that the memory and emotion connected to that accident had become deeply associated with construction zones. Whenever he saw another construction zone, his mind connected it with what had happened before, and the panic returned as though the event were happening all over again.

We prayed for him, and as we ministered to him, God filled him with joy and the peace of God came upon him. I believed God had set him free, although I never saw him again, so I do not know what happened afterward. But I told him that the next time he drove through a construction zone, he should immediately begin praising and worshiping God. Instead of allowing fear to control the moment, he could thank God that he was alive, full of His blessing, and full of His joy.

We can do the same thing when circumstances cause panic, fear, or anxiety to rise inside our emotions. If the urge is to panic, do the opposite. Immediately begin to rejoice and praise God. Let the joy of the Lord begin to rise within you.

If there is a bad memory that keeps going around and around in your mind, turn your attention toward Jesus and the power of God. Train your mind to go in the opposite direction so that you are no longer focused upon the negative thing but upon the Lord.

Perhaps something happened during childhood or even in your adult life that caused embarrassment, intimidation, or fear. Then, when a particular circumstance occurs or someone says something, those old emotions return. When that happens, immediately change your focus. Refuse to remain in embarrassment and fear. Begin to rejoice in the Lord and praise God.

Jesus has already done everything for us, but we have to step into what He has provided. This is how we step into His peace.

We can change the way we respond by focusing on what God has promised for our lives. I say this often: find the promise that is pertinent to your problem and focus on the promise. Focus on the promise of God rather than the problem. All of our worrying and focusing upon the problem will never change anything and may actually make it worse.

That does not mean we hide our heads in the sand or refuse to take responsibility. We still do whatever needs to be done to rectify an issue. But if we approach it under panic, fear, and anxiety, we are likely to go in the wrong direction.

The Holy Spirit is alive and well and dwelling inside of you. Recognize His presence every day. According to the power that is working within us, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask, think, or even dare to imagine.

We have to change the way we react to life's circumstances. Instead of immediately moving into fear, panic, and anxiety about the future, remember the promises of God. The economy may become difficult. The stock market may crash. But God is always able to supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said that in this life we would have persecution and tribulation, but He also told us to fear not and be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. That promise belongs to us as believers. We belong to the family of God. We have given our lives to Jesus, received Him as Lord and Savior, and been translated out of darkness into the glorious light of Christ.

So we train ourselves. We refuse to continually move in the direction of fear.

Character is also important. Character involves the mental and moral qualities that distinguish an individual. As we keep pressing into God, this way of living becomes easier. It is learned behavior. Things that used to get me down do not get me down anymore. And when they do, I recognize that I allowed them to affect me.

We should not blame everything on the devil. The devil is not omnipresent, but God is. The devil is not omniscient; he does not know all things, but God does. The devil is not omnipotent, but God is. You belong to God, and the greater One dwells on the inside of you.

God's Word says He will keep us in perfect and constant peace. If He says constant peace, He means it. He does not mean peace today and misery tomorrow. God intends for us to walk in peace continually. When I recognize that I am losing my peace, it is incumbent upon me not to allow the source of that distress to continue robbing me. I deliberately change my mind and my focus and turn my eyes upon Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3 concludes by speaking of the one who trusts in God and takes refuge in Him with hope and confident expectation. That is where we need to be. We take refuge in the presence of the Lord because in His presence there is fullness of joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. When we focus upon Him and take refuge in His presence, His joy manifests and we become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

This is not simply step one, step two, and step three. It is learned behavior that we practice every day. When stress and anxiety begin rising, immediately come back to the presence and the promise. Go back to the Scripture. Read it again. Let the Holy Spirit show you the little attitudes and issues that are stealing your peace.

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. That Rock is the place of refuge. It is the presence and glory of the Lord.

Jesus gives us another wonderful promise in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; My perfect peace I give to you.” His peace is not the peace the world gives. Jesus has given us His own perfect peace.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of peace. Love, joy, and peace are part of the nature of God. When we focus on the Lord and spend time with Him, these are the things we begin to experience. When you spend time around a joyful person, you often begin to feel joyful yourself. In the same way, when you spend time in God's presence and allow the Holy Spirit to rise up big on the inside of you, you begin to experience the peace, love, and joy of God because that is His nature.

God wants us full and overflowing with His glory and blessing. I do not want to experience God only on Sunday. The same Holy Spirit is with me Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. When believers assemble together, we should come to worship God together and rejoice in Him.

Even through this broadcast, we are gathering together. Some may be in Michigan, Texas, California, Minnesota, Florida, Australia, South Africa, or Europe, but we are coming together in the unity of the Spirit. The joy of the Lord is flowing, and the peace of God is flowing.

There may be those who have gone through mental torment, anxiety, frustration, depression, or fear. God's perfect peace can come upon you. His glory and peace can rest upon you. Those old inclinations and responses do not have to control your life.

The next time you feel that old panic or fear, rein it in immediately. Put your attention upon Him and draw upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit inside of you.

Jesus continued in John 14:27 by saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.” Notice what He said. He did not say, “I will not let your heart be troubled.” He instructed us, “Do not let your heart be troubled.”

That means there is something we must refuse to allow.

When we drive on a highway, we do not deliberately cause an accident. We watch the traffic. If we recognize danger, we take whatever action is necessary to avoid it. We apply the brakes, move to the right or left, or slow down.

We need to respond the same way spiritually and emotionally. The moment you recognize that your heart is becoming troubled, immediately run to the source of your strength, the Holy Spirit. Begin to worship God, praise Him, glorify Him, and thank Him for His peace, joy, life, and victory.

This can happen instantaneously. When you stop allowing the negative emotion to control you and immediately focus upon the Lord, opening your heart to Him, His glory can flow within you and His peace can flood your heart.

There are times when I allow myself to become frustrated or irritated. Sometimes when we have not slept properly, our fuse becomes short and the smallest thing can trigger our emotions. But if we love the Lord, love His Word, and have asked the Holy Spirit to correct us, we will recognize it. When that happens, we can say, “Father, forgive me. I made a mistake.” If necessary, we can apologize to the person we treated wrongly and ask the Holy Spirit to help us overcome that emotion.

You cannot be full of joy and angry at the same time. You cannot be full of joy and miserable at the same time. When the joy of the Lord fills you, depression, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, and discouragement cannot dominate you.

Do not allow fear to rule your life. Put your trust in God. Perfect love casts out fear, so walk in His love and thank Him that His love fills you. We are protected by the power of Almighty God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The anointing destroys the yoke of bondage.

Go out rejoicing. Thank God that you are alive. Thank Him that you can walk, praise Him, and bless His holy name. Then watch what happens. God may lead you to someone who needs encouragement. Someone else may be fearful, and the Holy Spirit may tell you to go and encourage that person.

Carry the blessing of God wherever you go.

Jesus said, “Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance.” Again, notice that word “let.” We are not to let our hearts become troubled or afraid, but we are to let His perfect peace calm us.

Ordinarily, when people encounter stressful circumstances, their first reaction may be panic and fear. Jesus is teaching us that we can learn another response. We can learn to allow God's peace to bring calm in every circumstance.

Maybe people in your family panic easily. You can become the one who brings calm. You can become the one who brings peace into the middle of whatever is happening. Become a dispenser of peace. Become a carrier of the peace of God.

Jesus demonstrated this when He entered the boat with His disciples and told them they were going to the other side. Jesus went to the back of the boat and went to sleep. Then a tremendous storm arose. The wind howled, the waves became massive, and water came into the boat.

The disciples were fishermen. They understood the danger. They awakened Jesus because they were afraid they were going to perish. Yet Jesus had already told them they were going to the other side. He did not say they were going underwater to the other side!

Jesus arose and commanded the storm, “Peace, be still.” He told the storm to hush, to be still and quiet, and immediately it subsided.

What a tremendous picture of peace. Jesus was sleeping in the middle of the storm.

God wants us to develop that same frame of mind. When the next calamity tries to come upon you, when another issue tries to overwhelm you, allow the perfect peace of Jesus to calm you in that circumstance. He will give you courage and strength for every challenge.

Then you can become a source of blessing to a lost and dying world. There are people in our families who are living in fear and panic. We can become a source of peace and blessing to them. If they are not born again, lead them to Jesus. Tell them about the peace Jesus has for them if they will commit their lives to Him.

Become a dispenser of peace. Carry the glory with you wherever you go. Carry the life of God. Be the one who encourages others rather than allowing yourself to become discouraged by others.

There may be a heavy burden you have been carrying because you are convinced something terrible is going to happen. That expected outcome may simply be something your mind has imagined. Cast down that mindset. Let your mind be clothed with new thoughts and new attitudes that come from the Spirit of God. Let the Holy Spirit rise up big within you. Let His glory fill you and His fire burn within you.

Cast down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Look unto Jesus and away from everything that distracts you. He is the author and perfecter of your faith.

Do not lean upon your own understanding. Stand upon God's Word. Find the promise that is pertinent to your problem and stand upon that promise because God is faithful to watch over His Word.

Perhaps you are deeply concerned about a family member who does not know the Lord and is going through major difficulties. Do not allow your heart to become fearful concerning that person. Let your heart rejoice. Become expectant for a miracle. Pray that what they are going through will become a defining moment that brings them to the reality of the knowledge of Christ. Speak life, salvation, joy, and peace.

There is also healing for painful memories and emotions. God's presence and glory can work within you to bring life, peace, and hope.

Living in the peace of God is something we learn. When fear rises, change your focus. When panic comes, turn your attention to Jesus. When circumstances shout at you, find the promise that is pertinent to the problem. When your heart becomes overwhelmed, run to the Rock that is higher than you.

Let His perfect peace calm you in every circumstance.

Become a carrier of that peace.

Become a dispenser of that peace.

And wherever you go, carry the glory, the joy, the love, and the life of God with you.

Watch the full message on YouTube:  “Living in the Peace of God”