40 Days of Purpose: The Path to Peace

For the longest time, I have struggled with peace. Every time I thought I had it, it slipped out of my grasp. I have chased it all my life, even if I didn’t know it. I tried different paths, thinking I’d find it there, but I was wrong. Then I found God, and for a while, I had peace. Then I lost it again, but since then, it has always been just out of my reach, and I now know why.

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 CSB

Peace only comes from God. He is Jehovah Shalom which means I am the God of Peace. God wants us to have peace. He doesn’t want us to stress or fear anything because He loves us so much.

KEY VERSE

“You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 TEV

If we want peace we need to seek God. We need to trust Him because the mind that trusts God and follows the purposes He has given us will have perfect peace. So to have that peace we need to fully understand the purposes that God has given us and be diligent in them.

LIVING IN PURPOSE IS THE PATH TO PEACE

On day 1 we learned the five God-given purposes of life – worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and outreach (If you want to know more about those I’ll link the post below). These purposes tell us our primary purpose in life which is to love God and share His love with people by telling them about Him and loving them.

So if we are obedient to God in this we may receive His perfect peace. We should also be obedient in any other purpose to which God has called us.

However, even if we do receive this peace it doesn’t always last.

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels.com

3 THINGS THAT STEAL OUR PEACE

Uncontrollable circumstances
Unchangeable people
Unexplainable problems

All three are inevitable in our lives, we will face them. If we don’t react in the right ways we will lose our peace. Even if we pray about it doesn’t mean we’ll get the answer we want, if we receive an answer at all.

Our demands for an answer or an explanation keeps us from peace. But God doesn’t owe us an explanation and even if He did we most likely wouldn’t understand. Sometimes we do get an answer and it doesn’t bring any peace. Death for example, when someone we love passes away especially if they are older. Does it bring peace to you knowing they are gone? No, it doesn’t.

3 THINGS THAT BRING PEACE

Acceptance
Trust
Surrender

If we do these, we can have peace of mind even in the unlikeliest times.

Acceptance is a learned experience. We learn it through the difficult times but it is also a choice. We must choose in some situations to let go, to release our expectations or accept that something has happened and there is nothing we can do but move on. A good example of acceptance is Job, he lost everything and nearly everyone for seemingly no reason but He still trusted in God and had peace that God would bring him through even when everyone else thought he was mad for doing so.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 CSB

If we want peace we must do what we can but accept what we cannot change. If not we will lead an unfulfilled life that may lead our potential to be wasted and give us unnecessary stress.

What do you want your life to be driven by? Do you want to be driven by your guilt? By your fear or need for approval? Or would you rather lead a life driven by purpose and peace?

We should want to lead a life that is guided and controlled by God. A life that leads to peace, contentment and satisfaction.

BENEFITS TO A PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE

There are benefits to a life driven by purpose.

It gives meaning
- A purpose gives us something to live for, it gives us hope, and with hope we are able to move forward in faith. A life with no meaning has no hope.
It simplifies and focuses your life
- A purpose enables us to make decisions easily because we then know what things serve us and what doesn’t. It allows us to know what to avoid and tells us what we need to do. It helps us make an impact.
It gives you motivation
- Without purpose life feels empty, there is nothing to push us on and we just let life go by us. But with purpose we know what to do and with that we are then energised with motivation to get things done. We become passionate about our purpose.
It prepares you for eternity
- A God-given purpose prepares us for the challenges of life but also for what we will do in Heaven.

So what drives you? Do you want to be driven by your God-given purpose? It’s not to late to make a change.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS OUR FAULT

We live in a sinful world and as such it is one of the reasons behind our pain. We also have an enemy who seeks to keep us away from God and our rightful purpose. But we also make mistakes, all of these are reasons behind our peace struggles. But sometimes it is not our fault, sometimes there is no reason but God.

In John 9 we read of Jesus healing a blind man. The pharisees questioned him asking why Jesus healed him. This man was born blind and there was no reason for it as far as we know but Jesus made him see. This tells us that sometimes things happen so that God’s glory can be seen.

Often we lose our peace because we have been fighting God. To have peace we must be obedient to God in everything. Obedience is a sign of a surrendered life and surrendering brings peace.

We all have a choice to make. A choice that begins with choosing God and Heaven or turning away from Him. If we choose God our actions must follow His purposes and serve Him. If our actions are selfish consistently that is a sign we have not chosen God.

Does your life serve God? If not there is still time to change.

On Judgement Day we will be asked what we did with our life so we have to be prepared. Our answer to this question will ultimately answer where we will spend eternity. We must choose now whether we want life and peace or death.

I strongly encourage you to think about this. I know what my answer is and what I want it to be, my steps will be made accordingly. Now it’s up to you.

Today’s message was a tough one but necessary to hear. We all need a little tough love sometimes and this certainly was. I pray you will make the wise choice.

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