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How Does Peace of Mind Work?

Three Keys to Peace of Mind

Three keys

 

    The word of God that brings peace with God in Christ when we receive the gospel, is also the place where our hearts and minds are kept in the peace of God in Christ.

    New believers often experience the peace of Christ because they obeyed God's commandment to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ which ushered them through the Gate of Salvation. Believers can then stay guarded in that peace, by following the commandments of the Road of Salvation. In other words, the peace of Christ is where His word is.

      This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ [the 'Gate commamndment'], and love one another, just as He commanded us [the 'Road commandment'] 1John 3:23

     

    1. Prayer

     

    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. Phil 4:6-7

    Prayer is the means by which believers engage the power of God.

 

    2. The Helmet

     

    Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
    Phil 4:8

    The Way of Christ is a way of knowledge of what is right, pure, etc. As our minds are fixed on these things, they become guarded from the arrows of Satan that seek to tempt and derail us from a place of peace

    (see below for a closer look at a helmet of peace)

 

    3. The Girding

     

    The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:9

    Paul sets himsef up as an example of an unencumbered walk in the Lord. When we follow the Lord by following His word, we are kept in the place where our hearts and minds are guarded in peace.

 

                                     

  

    The Battle Ready Believer

1 Peter 1: 13-14  Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober {in spirit,} fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

    The peace of Christ is realized when we wear his word like a soldier wears armor.

 

    The Girding
    "Therefore, prepare your minds for action"

    "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind" (KJV)

    Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH eph.6:14 [we are to feed on God's word daily as the Israelites daily gathered up and fed on manna in the wilderness. This is like soaking up God's light in a surrounding darkness that would otherwise engulf us]

     

    The Effective Attitude of a Girded Mind
    "
    keep
    sober in spirit"
    Having diligently partaken in God's word, we must have the attitude of vigilance, just as a football player once his body is prepared must add to that a focused and competitve spirit or all the preparation is for naught.

      A sober spirit is effective only if one has been prepared.  The two must be inseperable in order to battle darkness.

      Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1Pet.5:8

      But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of {the} day, let us be sober,   1Thes.5:4-8

 

    The Helmet
    '
    fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"
    The enemy seeks to invade our mind with words that entice our hearts to walk in the wilderness of sin. Therefore, we are to counter that by fixing our mind on God's word as it relates to the One we are following and the inheritance of our destination. The arrows of evil cannot penetrate a mind so occuppied by truth.

      having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 1Thes. 5:8

      And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph.6:17

      Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1Jn.3:2-3 [John, Paul and Peter saw the practical "holiness benefit" of having our mind occupied by the hope of our salvation---the destination of the road we're on]

       


 

 

A Helmet for the Girded Walk

    1Peter 1: 15-21  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts {which were yours} in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all {your} behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay {on earth;} knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, {the blood} of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

    There are many truths in the Bible that make for effective helmets..This passage is loaded with them!

     

    Consider Our Spiritual Rebirth from Above
    "As obedient children"

      No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 1John 3:9-10

      Traits of  the Father that were evident in Jesus, the Word made Flesh, should also be evidenced in those born of His word

       

    Consider Our Former Bondage to the Flesh and Satan's Lies
    "do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance"
    "Ignorance" means the lack of knowledge and understanding of the truth. Believers are to walk in the truth that they have received by faith---believing in the Savior, Jesus Christ, who the Father sent to die in our guilty place on Calvary's cross.

      And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Eph 2:1-3  [The unconverted are spiritually dead---walking in ignorance through the enticement of their flesh by the ways of the world. As children of God, born by His word and Spirit, we remain in the flesh with all its temptations, but we now live in newness of life with circumcised hearts]

     

    Consider the Traits of Our Heavenly Father and Christ in Whom We Have Been Reborn
    "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY"

     Believers are to show the traits of our heavenly Father which are summed as holiness and love.

      But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing {than others?} Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mat.5:43-48 [being "perfect" in this passage is refers to the Father's perfect love. Holiness (i.e. not falling into sin) and righteousness (summed up as love) are two sides of the same coin. Holiness is an elimination of the negative while righteousness accentuates the positive. We first must stand in holiness (i.e. not falling into sin) before we can walk effectively in love.  Click here to see how holiness relates to righteousness

      Believer's are born of the Father's word and then grow in His traits by growing in His word

     

    Consider The Father's Judgment

      "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work"
      Unlike earthly fathers, our heavenly Father will not show favoritism in judging His children. The Greek word for "judges" is in the present tense, meaning God's judgment of believers is ongoing as we walk through this world as branches being pruned by the Vine Dresser, and continues to the Judgment Seat of Christ where believers will receive rewards for a faithful service, or lack of rewards for wasted opportunity.

        For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Eph.2:10

        God works to re-create workers 

        1) Sinners are washed by Christ's blood and baptized into Christ by means of the Holy Spirit

        2) As we are filled with the Holy Spirit at our 'rebirth', we are given gifts of the Spirit to serve the Lord

        3) With these gifts, we serve Christ by serving others born of God, resulting in His Body becoming a brighter light in a dark world

     

      "conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth"

        1. Because of earthly chastisement
         Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Heb. 12:9-11

        2. Because of heavenly judgment
        For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ...Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men...
        2 Cor 4:5-6, 5:9-11 [The Father has given all judgment to the Son, but the standard of judgment is the word that proceeds from the Father. As such, both Father and Son are involved in the Great White Throne judgment of unbelievers and the Bema Judgment (the Judgment seat of Christ) when the works of believers will be judged. Believers will be judged on how the Father 's word was reflected in a life of works on earth]

       

    Consider The Father's Cost

      "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold"

        By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 1John 4:9

       

    Consider the Emptiness of Life Outside of Christ

      "from your futile way of life"

           

        The Way of Futility
         

         

         

        The accomplishments of the world

        I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. Ecc 1:14
         

           

         

        Pleasure

        I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. Ecc 2:1
         

           

         

        Possessions

        All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun. Ecc 2:10-11
         

           

         

        The wisdom of the world

         And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain....The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool,it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity." Ecc 1:17-18, 2:14-15
         

           

         

        Wealth

        He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.  Ecc. 5:10
         

           

         

        Placing hope in earthly leaders

        There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind. Ecc. 4:16
         

           

         

           

      Consider fallen man's inheritance from earthly forefathers

        "inherited from your forefathers"

          For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.... so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom.5:19,21

          Fallen man walks in an inheritance of perishing ways

           

      Consider the Son's cost

        "but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ"

          The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

          The sacrificial lamb of the Old Testament was a type of Christ pointing to Calvary's unblemiished lamb of God

       

      Consider the Father's plan

        "For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world"
        As seen in 1Peter 1:2 foreknowledge indicates the predetermined accomplishment of the Father's plan; In this verse we see that the plan was in effect before the world began. Its accomplishment will be gloriously displayed in eternity even as the world is dissolved at the end of time.

          "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24

          God's plan of salvation: Sinner ---> saved on earth ---> 'caught up' in the heavenly glory of Christ

           

        "but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God"

           But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Gal. 4:4-7 [Father's plan =

          God's plan included sending Son from heaven to offer fallen man: Blood for our sins ----> Spirit for new life ---> Promise of heavenly inheritance

         

        "who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God"

          "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

          Through His death and resurrection, Jesus blows a hole through this perishing world, providing an evacuation route through faith in Christ

          giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:12-14

 

by Steve Popovich
 © 2011 HowGodStuffWorks.comShare