..in Christ
So we are at the end of our study of Philippians 4:6-7. But let’s not forget the most important point of this verse. Here it is again in the New American Standard Bible (italics mine):
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Yes, the whole point here is that we cannot have true peace if we are not IN CHRIST JESUS. After all, He is the PRINCE OF PEACE (Isaiah 9:6). He is the source of our peace. HIS PEACE is secure.
Isaiah 26:3 King James Version (italics mine):
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee.
I grew up in the Lutheran Church and learned the FEAR OF THE LORD there. Our family went to church every Sunday, but Jesus was not really a part of our every day lives. We didn’t really KNOW HIM. When I was a pre-teen, I was hurt deeply at school due to peer pressure and I reacted by making up my mind to be popular at any cost-not a great resolve! So I started swearing, smoking, stealing, lying to my parents. I changed myself to be popular. I then got caught doing every one of those things but I lied my way out of it. The thing is-because of that fear of God, I knew what I was doing was wrong. I actually tried to change myself and did change my outward actions, changed my friends, but realized my inside was the same-same sinful thoughts, same sinful intentions. I couldn’t change my inside. I tried to read the book of Matthew and every time, I fell asleep reading it. I confessed my sins every night but I fell asleep and never made it through my list!
Around this time, I changed schools and went to a Bible study where I learned that Jesus could actually change me inside. My brother shared the gospel with me around Thanksgiving 1975 and in response, I said a prayer confessing my sin, telling God that I believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that He died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose again to conquer sin, that He cleansed me from my sin, and that I wanted Jesus to be my Savior and Lord (King, Ruler) of my life. That is what I had been looking for! Right away, I felt clean inside! He changed me inside, where I couldn’t change myself! I tried reading Matthew again and I noticed the Bible came alive! Every day, God spoke to me from His Word!
I share my story, to encourage you, that you can KNOW HIM too. Jesus is PEACE. In order to have HIS PEACE, we have to start by KNOWING HIM. If you don’t know Him, here is a simple prayer you can pray: https://wildatheart.org/prayer/prayer-receive-jesus-christ-savior
It’s all about HIM. Ephesians 2:14 NASB:
For He Himself is our peace
It really is that simple. HE TRULY IS OUR PEACE! As we conclude our study, let’s learn from Philippians 4:6-7 that to not be anxious we need to:
TAKE OUR THOUGHTS CAPTIVE,
KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS,
TURN OUR WORRIES INTO PRAYERS,
MAKE OUR REQUESTS KNOWN TO HIM,
STAY THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL, and realize
HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE AND
HIS PEACE WILL GUARD OUR HEARTS AND MINDS
IN CHRIST JESUS.
In His Love,
Suzanne
Mom Morsels 