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326 | Ruling Peace - Finding Peace Amidst Life's Storms · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Music.
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  Music.
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  There is a peace that comes from knowing God and allowing Him to rule in our hearts.
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  There is no doubt that we live in a world full of trouble.
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  We are faced daily with problems, some big and some small.
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  But for the child of God, these inevitable facts don't steal our peace.
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  Our hope, joy, and peace are in Jesus Christ and not in our circumstances.
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  We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have hope that is rooted and grounded in our
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  faith in God and His Son, Jesus.
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  Join us in this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries as Kim takes us on a
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  journey through the scriptures,
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  teaching us that through an active, vibrant, and strong relationship with Jesus,
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  we have peace with God that floods our soul, covers our heart,
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  and stills our mind in all circumstances and in every situation.
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  Today, as we take a walk through the scriptures, we are going to take a look at Colossians 3.15.
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  And it reads like this, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
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  to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.
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  I love this verse and I love all of its implications. applications,
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  but I absolutely love its application.
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  In this world, we are faced with problems.
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  Some of them are huge and some of them are small and some of them are problems
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  for me that may not be a problem for you.
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  But we are faced with problems. And this verse says that we need to let the
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  peace of God rule in our hearts.
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  So how is it that we can let the peace of God rule in our hearts,
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  even when our circumstances are not what we desire them to be?
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  It's because we have a hope that is rooted and grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ and God.
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  And it's not about our circumstances. We don't have just happiness.
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  Happiness is environmental. Happiness is circumstances.
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  But joy comes deep from within. And it's because of who God is in us and who
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  we are in him and the presence of the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us that
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  regardless of what's going on around us,
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  we can have joy, and we are to have joy.
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  And that's that peace of God that takes control of our emotions, and it directs our mind.
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  This, my friend, is how we can have the peace of God rule our hearts.
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  This is how we can be be peaceful in the midst of the storm.
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  This is how we can have joy in tribulation, because we have a blessed hope, and his name is Jesus.
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  So as we look at that verse in Colossians 3.15,
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  it's very important that you really understand that we have at our availability
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  a peace that passes understanding and a joy unspeakable and full of glory.
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  But we're going to have to choose it, and we're going to have to choose to purposely,
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  strategically live a life that allows the peace of God to rule in all situations.
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  None of us.
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  Have everything the way we want it. But there are many of us who have such joy and such peace.
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  In unthinkable trials and unthinkable circumstances, we can lay our head down
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  on our pillow and sleep peacefully,
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  knowing that joy comes in the morning, that we are held in the wonderful hands of God.
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  It's important that we begin to look at our life from the shepherd's point of view.
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  Now, things look different from the shepherd's point of view,
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  and I'm not pretending to tell you that we can see things as God sees them,
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  but he gives us a lot of information and a lot of promises in his word that
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  enables us to know that his perspective is one that gives us hope and prospers us.
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  In fact, in Jeremiah 29 11, he says that.
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  That he has a plan for us to give us a hope and an expected end.
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  He's thinking good thoughts toward us.
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  That in itself should give you joy.
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  He wants to spend time with you, we're told in Revelations 3 20,
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  because he says, behold, I stand at the door and knock.
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  If you'll open it up, I'll come and I'll sup with you.
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  He wants you you to talk to him. He says, call unto me and I will answer you
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  and show you the great and mighty things which thou knowest not in Jeremiah 33.
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  And perhaps one of the more comforting invitations he gives us is in Hebrews
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  4, 14 through 16, where he tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace,
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  that we might find help in time of trouble.
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  See, Christians have a hope because they understand that we are part of the
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  family of God and that he's supplying our every need, and that we can do all.
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  Things through his strength,
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  that his angels are placed round about us, that we don't even dash our foot up against a stone.
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  We have account after account of his presence changing everything.
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  Elijah and the widow, she was going to prepare her only meal,
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  one left for her and her son.
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  But in obedience, she gave to Elijah first, and then the flour never ran out.
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  The barrel of cruise oil never ran dry.
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  Out of nowhere, he provided.
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  He puts Noah's family in the ark and all of the animals and all those who would
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  not heed his warnings and all those who would not accept his invitation to safety.
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  They perished, but safe in the ark was Noah and his family who heeded the call of God.
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  Now, I don't know about you, perhaps flooding and waters and drowning isn't
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  something that is one of your buttons. It is mine.
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  The thought of drowning as a way of dying to me is horrible.
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  And I think that that's an incredible situation and an account that we read
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  in Genesis where it just rained and it rained and it rained.
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  And Noah builds an ark and he'd never seen rain fall from the sky,
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  but that's what he was told to do. And that's what he did.
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  And God provided for him. Now, that environment and that storm was real,
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  and the dangers were obvious, but nothing,
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  got to Noah because he was safe within Jesus.
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  And my friend, I submit to you today that every single day that we live and
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  all that we do, we can be safe in the arms of Jesus.
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  And when you you know God, you have peace, but where there is no God, there is no peace.
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  Unbelievers do not have the hope that we have, and we need to live a life of hope.
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  We need to be the light he tells us to be in Matthew chapter 5, verses 14 through 16,
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  and we need to let our good work shine so that they glorify our Father,
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  because we need people to want what we have so that they too can come to the
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  saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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  Friends, we are justified by faith and we have peace with God through our Lord
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  Jesus Christ, we're told in Romans 5.1.
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  It's Jesus who gives us the peace with God.
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  He's ever living to make intercession for us. He's praying for us.
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  Do you know that Jesus prays for those who are his?
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  There's a reason why we can have peace. It's not because we're brainwashed.
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  It's because we are blood washed. When you are washed in the blood of the Lamb,
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  you are part of God's family and the omnipotent, omniscient,
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  all-loving God who never sleeps
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  or slumbers is watching over you because you're the apple of his eye.
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  Friend, I've heard it all, probably, when it comes to ridicule or people trying
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  to explain to me that my faith isn't real.
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  My God is a crutch, and I've got this news for you.
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  My God is more than a crutch. He's my support.
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  He's my hiding place. He's my refuge. He's my fortress.
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  He's my defender. He's my deliverer. He's my king.
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  He's my lord. He's my friend.
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  And he's my savior, just to name a few. you.
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  But he's real, and he manifests himself every day to me.
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  You see him in his word. You learn of his character. He affirms his presence
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  in your life as he takes care of you, and he provides a way where there isn't a way.
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  We have to let the peace of God rule in our hearts.
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  Don't live below your privileges. Live in the peace that God affords you.
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  Colossians 3.15 again says this, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
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  to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.
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  Nine simple words that require a myriad of complex emotion and thoughts in order
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  to accomplish in your life.
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  Let and let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
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  So how do we do this? What does it even mean?
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  One definition of to rule is to exercise ultimate power or authority over.
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  We need to let his peace have the ultimate power in our life.
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  We don't need to be dreaming up bad bad situations. We don't need to have sadduations.
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  We don't need to be Eeyore.
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  We have overcome the world because greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.
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  He is working out all things for our good. So we don't have to worry about the
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  trial or the temptation or the issue that's in our life that we seem to not be able to understand.
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  We don't have to understand. We just have to believe.
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  Mark 9 23 says, if thou can't believe, all things are possible to him that beliefs.
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  So this verse in Colossians 3.15, what it's telling us is we got to submit our
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  emotions to the peace of God.
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  We can't rule with our hearts. We have to let God rule in our heart.
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  And how do you do this? Again, it's rooted and grounded in our faith.
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  And maybe you'd be more apt to understand the peace of God and let it rule in
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  your heart if you understood the results of that action.
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  See, in James 4, 7, it says, Submit yourselves therefore to God and resist the
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  devil and he will flee from you.
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  The battle's not yours. It belongs to the Lord.
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  When we submit to God, the devil flees.
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  Submitting to God's peace is submitting to God and you're guaranteed to send the devil packing.
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  Where the devil is, you're not going to have any peace. We're going to have
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  chaos, hurt, negativity, and destruction because he comes to kill, steal, and destroy.
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  The thoughts of doubt and fear that you're feeling, they're not coming from God.
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  Because 1 Corinthians 14.33 says, For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.
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  He tells us that perfect love casts out all fear.
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  See, God is waiting with his arms open wide to keep you and to give you peace,
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  and to watch over you and to direct you into the abundant life he promises in John 10.10,
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  which you've got to submit and believe.
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  Philippians 4, 6, and 7 says, be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer
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  and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God,
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  and the peace of God, which passes all understanding.
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  So keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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  See, if we want that ruling peace that Colossians 3.15 talks about,
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  we got to have a change of focus.
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  I get it. It's hard to submit to God when you're focused on the things around
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  you. Let's talk about Peter.
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  He's in the boat, and he sees.
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  Something in the water, and he's not sure what it is. He thinks it might be the Lord. He's not sure.
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  He walked with him every day, but he couldn't recognize him.
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  But before we give him a bad rap, let's talk about the times he shows up in our life every day.
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  We neither recognize him, nor do we thank him.
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  But he says, Lord, as that be you, bid me come.
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  Peter comes. And as long as he's looking at the Lord, as long as his focus is on God,
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  as long as he is understanding who God is and he's not beginning to think in
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  his own mind or rationalize anything that's going on or look at the storm,
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  then Peter's able to continue to do a miraculous thing, which is walk on water.
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  But as soon as he looks left or right of Jesus,
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  as soon as he stops looking at Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith,
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  as soon as he begins to look at the storm and give the storm the prominent place
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  in his heart and in his mind, he begins to sink.
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  But just like Peter, if we call out to the Lord, he will save us.
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  We're told that in Psalms 55, 16.
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  Peter says, Lord, save me. Three words.
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  And immediately, the Lord picks him up and carries him to safety.
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  It's hard to concentrate on the
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  goodness of God if you're attentive to the world or the things around us.
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  It's hard to focus on the Lord if you're not holy.
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  It's hard to focus on the Lord if you've got one foot in the world and one foot
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  trying to dabble in religion. Religion, religion will not save you.
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  Only salvation and belief in Jesus Christ will.
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  See, there's 18 inches between salvation and religion.
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  Salvation is a commitment to the heart. It's an action, an activated faith.
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  Religion's a knowledge of something, of understanding.
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  But we've got to stop looking at the world and looking like the world and blending
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  with the world, and we've got to steadfastly stand for the Lord.
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  We've got to wholeheartedly believe in who He is.
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  You've got to train yourself to seek God in every situation and to rely solely
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  upon His Word, because then and only then are you going to be in a place of
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  blessing, a place of peace.
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  Are you going to have the abundant life He promises you? listen
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  I have no idea what tomorrow brings for you I
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  don't know what it holds for me but I absolutely 100% fully know who holds it
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  for both of us and he is trustworthy and he loved you so much that he died for
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  you life requires faith and the world doesn't give it to you but Jesus does.
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  Got to believe. And all of you who are just dabbling in the world thinking maybe
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  one day you'll make this commitment.
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  Mark 8 36 says, for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
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  We read account after account in the newspapers and on hear about it on TV and
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  in other media outlets of people who seemingly have everything,
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  all the money you can imagine,
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  but they don't have any peace. See, money doesn't buy peace.
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  You see, people who seemingly have no problems whatsoever, but they're dissatisfied.
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  See, but the woman at the well in John chapter 4, she found what satisfies your soul.
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  He gave her a drink of water that she would never thirst again.
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  In every human being, there's a place in their body, a place in their heart,
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  a place in their being that only Jesus can satisfy.
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  The devil will lie, and he walks about like a roaring lion seeking to devour you.
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  But Jesus says in 1 Peter 5, to cast your care upon him, for he cares for you.
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  Let the peace of God rule in your heart.
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  Get in his word. Learn of of his character, find his promises to you.
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  Fall in love with the Lord who's written you the greatest love letter from Genesis to Revelations.
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  Allow him to distribute his peace over you, through you, and around you.
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  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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  Music.