John 14:27 AMPC
[27] Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]
The world has its problems. It also has its own way of solving its own problems. The world will give you its treasures if you can submit to its authority and control, but be sure that it will also attempt to take away its gifts if you change allegiance. The world has its systems and provisions for all who are under its influence and control, just as the Word also has its systems and provisions for those under its control too. These are two opposing authorities, with parallel lines of control and influence. They can never agree on anything, because both proceed from opposing centres of control. One comes from Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the author of salvation, while the other comes from the devil, the defeated foe, whose fate is already sealed and wants to take as many as possible with him into eternal damnation. Which one will you submit to? Which one will you willingly give control to and submit your entire life to?
Each of them offers what each has, and indeed, each has a version of peace. You cannot be under the control and influence of the Word and the world at the same time. The version the world has and gives is secured by sheer force, by outright wickedness. Nations have nuclear weapons capability, and so, you have actors who do not want to directly engage such nations, and will go about their opposition and resistance in a subtle way. You have some semblance of quiet in the world now, not because the world knows the Prince of Peace, but because it is still seeking the best path to war. You cannot be under the control and influence of the prince of this world and not be prone to wars, conflicts and quarrels. Jesus gives what He is and has, which is the peace that passes all human understanding. His peace looks nothing like what the world has to offer.
Jesus gives us His peace as a bequest; it is not a seasonal wonder, which comes and goes like the weather but it is the peace that lives inside of you, and is with you, no matter where you go. This is the peace that stays in when everyone else walks out. This is a peace that quiets your heart when there is trouble or any reason to fear. When He comes in, fear has to leave. When He comes in, any space the devil has rented in your heart has to be immediately vacated. I have a role to play in this matter, which is that I must constantly fill my heart with the right information, so that my heart can respond the right way when there is any situation beyond my control. The verse above instructs me to stop allowing myself to be agitated and disturbed. I must not give in to fear or allow my situation to unsettle my heart. That is the work of the devil and the manifestation of the version of peace that he offers. Jesus has made an offer of His peace to us all. What is your response? God's time of favour is here.
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