Companionship with man has always been God’s greatest desire. Nothing is more important to Him or more vital to our well-being in this life. Despite this
fact, many people still struggle with this idea. Some are not even comfortable talking with God. Others have trouble believing they could ever hear
His voice. It is because they have either lost, or never possessed, the one gift that would protect their ability to fellowship with God. They aren’t
taking advantage of this gift designed to protect what the Bible calls the heart, or the spirit.
This gift is the one thing that can filter out the clamor, confusion, and conflicting demands of the world in which we live. The desire for this gift has
no social barrier. If it could be purchased, every wealthy person on earth would obtain it. But it cannot be bought; it is a free gift from God.
This gift is God’s free gift of peace. Obtaining it and letting it do what God created it to do is the most important thing we can do for ourselves. Like
a soldier guards a city to keep out enemies and intruders, God has given us this gift as a powerful protector to guard our hearts. But this gift can
only work if we yield to it.
God’s peace, as the Bible describes it, is a life-changing force given two vital assignments related to our hearts. First, it is assigned to guard our
hearts:
“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).
When we put our trust in the Lord, refusing to worry about the things that come against us, we can pray and thank Him for the answer to our situation.
Only after we pray and commit the situation to the Lord, once and for all, will we experience the peace God promises is already ours. When peace guards
our hearts, we are protected from the onslaught of harmful information that fills the world today. Once we are free from worry, we will be able to
hear the guidance we need to navigate in this life. Without peace, our minds will be distracted by everything we hear and see happening around us.
A second assignment of peace is to act as an umpire in our hearts ─ helping us to make the right decision in the midst of challenging situations. The Apostle
Paul says,
“Let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as an umpire continually) in your hearts deciding and settling with finality all questions
that arise in your minds” (Colossians 3:15 AMP).
When the peace of God reigns in our hearts we are free from the confusion that permeates society today. Then when we have a decision to make, it can be
made based on what brings us peace. When we lose the sense of peace that is a sure sign that something is amiss.
We can allow peace to become our guard and umpire in the decisions we make today! Refuse to allow confusion to get a grip in our minds.
