Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts You.
I just got back from a vacation to see my family and then Ron’s. The Lord has been talking with me about perfect peace and how to stay in that place of rest. The day before our trip, I turned on the computer to write my post and the computer was jacked up. Peace? Not at that moment! We couldn’t get it to work properly no matter what we did.
That night the Lord gave me a vision. I was walking and all around me a movie was playing of these last few years with the heartaches, struggles, and all the things that kept trying to pull my eyes off Him. Jesus was standing at the end of the place I was headed. He was smiling and motioning me to come. He was saying, “Look at Me, Dove. Don’t let all the things that try to pull you from me get your attention. Look at Me!” As long as I kept my eyes on Him, none of the peripheral stuff bothered me.
Jesus, our Prince of Peace has promised to keep us in perfect peace when our eyes are fixed on Him. Peace is in us……it is fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). When we fix our eyes on Him, our mind is just agreeing with Him in our spirit man.
I looked up the word peace in the dictionary and the Strong’s and this is what it says:
Freedom from disturbance; safe, well, happy, health, all is well; to be safe in mind, body or estate; to be completed, restore.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Hebrews 12:2a looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…
Jesus keeps His word! The word “looking” in the above scripture means “fixing one’s eyes on trustingly”.
You can see a perfect example in Peter’s experience of walking on the water….and sinking. All was well as long as he looked at Jesus, but as soon as he noticed the storm and tossing waves….down he went.
It has been the same in my own experience. As long as I keep my eyes on Him, no matter what is going on in the natural realm, I have peace that passes all understanding. Perspective is key here.
When your eyes are on Him you begin to see as He does. Jesus doesn’t worry so if we are fixing our eyes on Him, neither will we.
How do you fix your eyes on Him? When I start to get distracted by things, I immediately turn to Him and say, “Lord, I can’t deal with this. I give it to you.” or “How do You see this, Lord?” I pray in the Spirit, I read the scriptures, and I ask Holy Spirit to help me. If I am still struggling to get my thoughts off the issue and on Jesus, I put on some worship music and worship.
You see….it is a choice. In the scriptures above we are told: carnal thoughts…..death, spiritual thoughts…..life and peace; He gave us peace; LET not your heart be troubled nor afraid….you choose.
It isn’t always easy, but it is ALWAYS worth it to fix your eyes, heart, thoughts on the Lord Jesus. We do have an enemy that works hard to steal our peace. It’s up to you whether or not he succeeds.
Peace…..freedom from disturbance…. Amen! Choose to agree with Him today and to fix your eyes on Him.
(All scriptures NKJV; Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers 1990; Thorndike Barnhart Comprehensive Desk Dictionary 1950)
