FINDING PEACE AND INNER STRENGTH IN CHAOS

IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER SERIES.

SERMON BY-:
Rev. Innocent Chukwudi Peace-Udochukwu President Living Fountain Ministries Int’l LIFOM

He (God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…. But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength“
Isaiah 40:28-31

Summary:
Singing and shouting during sunny days does not reveal true faith in Christ. The true test of faith is how one survives storms.

Are you weak? Stressed? Battling depression? Do you need more energy to run this race of life that you’re in? Is your strength depleted? God can help.

How can we be strong in the midst of circumstances that make us feel so weak? How can we face the struggles of this life victoriously when we feel so defeated?

I believe with all my heart the answer is “to be content with God no matter what the circumstances are.”

Our surviving strength includes hope beyond the storms we endure in a sin-dominated world. Redemption in Christ guarantees a resurrection, because Christ is all. Paul describes two fascinating facts of a Christians’ resurrection

Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent love permits and permeates storms to produce His conforming purpose.
They magnify Christ’s love, and Lordship. Faith in these glorious truths sustains Christians during their storms. Glory in these.

“Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”

A meaningful and personal relationship with God can give us inner energy and strength that can sustain us. Engaging in spiritual exercises like prayer, reading the Bible and abiding in God’s presence can help us tap into special power that only God can provide. When we are alone with God… when we “wait” on him, we are able to receive his strength. When we believe and trust what we read in scripture and in how God works, our hope is bolstered. This strong belief and hope, grounded in scripture, can give us strength. It’s the same strength that the Psalmist writes about in Psalm 138:3 when he says “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.”

WHAT IS PEACE?

First of all, what is peace? Spurgeon preached a sermon on this, and he called the sermon “The Jewel of Peace.” The reason is because, he said, peace is like a gem, with many different facets or aspects. Indeed, I think that’s a good metaphor for peace as we understand it in Scripture. We have to work this out and think, “What does Scripture mean by peace? What does Paul mean when he says, ‘The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way’?”

The first thing to say is this, that peace in Scripture is not merely the absence of conflict. We’re not merely thinking about peace in terms of no conflict, no fighting, no disharmony between peoples in the world. Ultimately, the vision that Scripture gives us of peace will include that. There is a day that is coming when all wars and all fighting will cease. But the absence of conflict alone is not peace.
Look at a graveyard. In a graveyard, there’s no conflict. There’s very little activity. We read on the gravestones, “Rest in peace,” but that’s not the biblical picture of peace. The biblical picture of peace is more like a garden than a graveyard. It’s a place where there is life, where there is flourishing, where there is bounty, where there is a fruitfulness in every conceivable way. That’s the biblical idea of peace.

The Hebrew word for peace is the word shalom, and theologians Neil Plantinga has defined shalom in this way, as “the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight. We call it peace,” he says, “but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a ceasefire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”

“Peace of conscience, peace with God
We obtain through Jesus’ blood.
Jesus’ blood speaks solid rest; We believe, and we are blessed.”

We might define this peace as a supernatural peace, as a spiritual grace—that is, a Spirit-given grace—which gives us a sense of inner wellbeing and harmony and contentment and rest and satisfaction in God, a peace that transcends our circumstances. This is peace that comes from the spirit of Christ living and reigning within us. It comes from the Lord of peace.

Our world seems to offer little of anything we could call peace. However, our hearts yearn to have a calming peace, a release from anxiety, a lifting of spirits, a joy to return fully to our lives.

I love the words of that old hymn-writer William Gadsby.

Peace with God comes through the blood of Christ, it comes through the gospel. In fact, the gospel is called the gospel of peace in Romans 10. The gospel of peace, the glad tidings of good things.”

Spurgeon said that “peace is the juice, the essence, and the soul of the gospel.” The only way that we get this peace, peace with God—that is, harmony in our relationship with God, open access to God, being welcomed into the family of God—the only way we get it is through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And Philippians 4:7 states “And the peace of God whichsurpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We need inner peace and we desire hope, so that we can experience joy and happiness.

What is Inner Peace?
Inner peace needs is not found in success or achievement. It is an inward feeling of satisfaction and security – a confidence that denotes trust in more than your circumstances or achievements. It is truly a gift – a longed for gift.

Inner peace gives us a calmness, clears our mind, helps us make wise choices, promotes wisdom in our very being, gives us confidence, denotes leadership ability, and helps us be decisive in our actions.
Inner peace is evidence of a relationship with God through Jesus – peace between the believer and God, and peace among men. Today we are talking about how to find inner peace and happiness in your life.

God is our source of peace. Acknowledging that is the first step of finding the much desired inner peace.

“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7:

SHALOM!

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