G’day Partners and friends,
Where is life taking you, what road are you on? So many people I meet today are dissatisfied with their lives, “If I could just retire, buy a caravan and travel Australia, move to Bali” or whatever else these people think will bring them peace and happiness. The funny part about it is when these people achieve these things – it rarely brings either peace or happiness! Peace in not a place, a destination or possession – peace is a person – Jesus Christ!
I was talking to a bloke recently that was so looking forward to retiring and all the wonderful things he thought that would bring….now his health has deteriorated so drastically that he could die in the next few months. “I found that I have nothing to live for anymore!” he cried. Another fellow I know dumped his family and moved overseas to live with a much younger lady – that was the answer, the fountain of youth, the elixir of life he had long sought. Today he is the last stages of cancer, having lost everything and having no one to care for him.
We race off to exotic locations in a desperate attempt to find peace and happiness, but the problem is when we look in the mirror we realise we have brought our biggest problem with us! How do we escape self??
If you aren’t happy with what you have or where you live, you won’t be happy anywhere!
The world is desperately seeking peace in a pill, bottle, place, exotic destination, a new relationship or new career.. When the angels appeared at Jesus birth they declared. “Peace on earth….” Yet peace would the most lacking commodity on planet earth today! We live in stressful days – it is the cause of most of our modern diseases and curses such as cancer, heart disease, but also suicide, domestic violence, drugs, crime etc. We live in the Anxiety Society, I was shocked to read recently that stress levels amongst the general population are equal to mental patients in the 1950’s!!!
Sadly the church fares little better. We are swamped with meetings – financial and prophetic seminars – yet are in such desperate need of peace! BUT, there is no peace without the Prince of Peace! Jesus said ‘My peace I give to you, not as the world gives it do I give to you.” (John 14:27).
Notice Jesus gives us His peace, we don’t have to earn it, work for it or even deserve it – He gives it freely to us! I love this passage in Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith.” Notice that, not out works, prayers or anything else we do to impress God. “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Talking to believers, of course).
Notice ‘Peace with God’! Not just the peace of God! We have peace with God! Man can never be at peace with himself until we realise that we are at peace with God! What a blessing to realise that God is not mad or angry with us. He poured out His wrath on Jesus (on the cross) and now, as Paul writes here in Romans ‘ we have peace with God.’
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) Cease from your constant inner stress and struggle, cease from the constant pressures of life, from the fears that ‘God is out to get you’. And receive His peace! His rest! His love and His Grace!
I call you highly favoured, greatly blessed and deeply loved.
Col Stringer.
Please consider becoming a partner with Col Stringer Ministries, please contact us at Col Stringer Ministries PO Box 3554 Robina Qld 4230 or email nicky@colstringer.com
