How To Get The Peace That Passes All Understanding

The Lord is near. Do not but anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation with prayer and supplication (Being Humble) with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything? Tell your requests to God with thanksgiving? The Lord is near? The Lord is near? Peace that surpasses all understanding?

In my height of anxiety and fear and worry, these words felt hallow and fruitless. I once told my husband, “I understand the anxiety, fear and worry that surpasses all understanding… but peace is harder to feel or even understand.” My anxiety caused panic attacks, my fear caused me not to talk to anyone, and my worry was crippling. Basically my mind never stopped because of the anxiety, fear and worry in my life. How on earth could I ever be at peace. It made me feel powerless. Now while all of this is in control, it will never completely go away.

When Covid came it caused a lot of people fear and economic uncertainty and anxiety to come into a lot of people’s lives. We were all asking for the peace that surpasses understanding at this time. How could we respond to our feelings of anxiety, fear the worry and walk confidently be aligned with this verse in our minds and hearts?

It took us a couple years to even get a grip on everything that has happened. And we still see people wearing masks, because of the fear they have.

We need to trust that the anxiety, fear and worry is not our enemy. We live in a world that runs from pain. And that pain is trying to communicate with us that something is wrong. But how many listen to it. I know I don’t always realize it. Anxiety, fear and worry is similar to pain it’s trying to communicate something powerful to you about you, your family, or this world. It becomes a ugly three headed monster when we try to silence these. What we resist will persist. Instead of resisting these emotions what would it look like to actually walk along side them and listen to what they are telling us about ourselves. Like trying to get a word in edgewise they only get louder if we don’t face them. When we choose to face them they will get quieter and softer.

Going back to Paul’s letter to the Philippians about the peace that passes all understanding (while suffering with anything) about giving thanks (while Paul was in prison) about God guarding his heart and mind (as he was isolated and alone) Paul abided in the Lord daily.

Let’s face it, we now have time to do this. Pick up your Bible (or your phone) and start reading. For those who have never done this, here are a few recommendations:

Start by reading a few verses each day in the New Testament section of the Bible- my top three are James, John and 1 John, and I spend a lot of time in the Psalms. But you can’t go wrong in any of the books.

Read a proverb each day they teach a lot of wisdom.

Did you know that there are 366 verses in the Bible about fear and anxiety.

Maybe a change of scenery is in order. When I’m feeling anxious during the day, I like to take walks. But if you live a big city maybe a drive is best. The point is to change your scenery.

Even at night when anxiety, fear or worry comes creeping in, I make a cup of something hot, read my Bible or journal. I like to pray during this time too or even talk quietly out loud to God. On those particularly difficult nights I listen to music until I fall asleep to he,p my mind rest.

Paul tells us not to be anxious because the truth will set us free. It brings comfort knowing that God is in control of everything. And He promised that He was a plan for us not to harm us but to give us a future and hope. That alone should cause us to be at peace with understanding that God will never leave us nor forsake us.

God Knows Everything

The Bible teaches the God not only knows everything that will happen. He knows everything that could potentially happen.

The Bible gives us several examples of this.

In 1 Samuel 23:9-13 it tells us David knew that Saul plotted against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod (apron worn by priests) here, the David asked the Lord what would happen if Saul came to Keilah. Would the men of Keilah deliver David and his men over to the enemy King Saul? The Lord answered with a yes. If Saul came to destroy Keilah, the men of that city would not fight. They would hand over David and his men to Saul. This is the fate that awaited David if Saul came to Keilah. Once David had that knowledge, he and his men escaped, preventing his being taken captive by Saul.

God told David about a potential event in the future that never happened. God’s knowledge extends to not only

actual events that will occur, but every possible event that could occur. This gives further testimony to the omniscience of God. God not only knows what will actually happen. He also knows what potentially would have happened and David remained.

Some people mistakenly think that David changed the future by leaving Keilah. But this is not what scripture says. We do not find God saying that it was ordained that David did not change the future by leaving the city. Gods knew what David’s response would be and that he and his men would leave before Saul arrived. We do not find here an example of a human being changing the preordained future.

A while a woman came to a house where other believers and I were having a weekly prayer meeting. She was asking for prayer. This woman had been diagnosed with lung cancer she wanted us to pray for an upcoming surgery. She told us she had been a long time smoker and that getting lung cancer was not a surprise to her.

But she wanted to give her life to Jesus and ask for forgiveness. The surgery involved removing the tumor with some surrounding lung tissue. That day she gave her life to God and is regular at our church.

God didn’t take away her cancer or the problems that came with surgery. But He did give her hope that she would pull through it. God doesn’t change our circumstances, but He knows everything and what could potentially happen.

Maybe your thinking that she wanted to accept God into her life to be healed. But know matter what she did or didn’t do. She still had to deal with the consequences of her actions. It was the consequences of her actions that lead her to Jesus.

In the account of David and Saul. God continued to protect David. After David staying in the strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him everyday, but God did not deliver him into his hand (1 Samuel 23:14).

From scripture we discover that God knows all things that will happen and He also knows everything that will potentially happen. The biblical example of David and Saul, as well as the cities that didn’t repent illustrate the truth of God’s knowledge of all political events.

These instances shows God’s knowledge of potential events. Although these events did not happen they would have happened had circumstances been different.

The Bible And Lions

Lions are legendary for their strength, beauty, and fearlessness. The lien has been called the king of the beach and the king of the jungle, and in the Bible, Jesus is called the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5). The Lion symbolism expands our understanding of Jesus in the manger (Luke 2:7) and the suffering Savior on the cross (Isaiah 53:7), revealing Jesus as the conquering king of Kings, a roaring lion takes vengeance on his enemies (Revelation 19:16).

Lions are mentioned in several contexts throughout Scripture, sometimes positively to describe God (Hosea 11:10) and sometimes negatively is symbolic of evil and destruction (Proverbs 28:15). Peter compare Satan as a “roaring lion” and warns us to beware of the enemy schemes that will destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). A lions roar can be heard up to 5 miles away and it is intended to terrify all to hear it. Lions roar to establish their territory and to communicate their power. But a roar can do nothing. It is threatening but powerless until we give in to fear and allow the lion to overtake us. Satan, roars his threats, doubts, and accusations in an effort to terrify us into giving up so he can defeat us (Ephesians 6:11-16). But even the threat of the roaring lion cannot overcome those who stand firm in the armor of the Lord (Romans 8:37).

Lions are featured in the description of the cherubim surrounding God’s throne. “ and every one had four faces: The first face was the face of a cherub, and a second face was a face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle” (Ezekiel 10:14).

Some assert that the president of the lion space symbolizes the boldness of God’s character. Either suggest that the Lions be represented God rule over the beasts.

Isaiah 11 describes the coming era when Jesus reigns on earth. Peace and harmony will dominate even the animal kingdom. verse 6 paints a picture of this time: “The wool also sells well with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the goat, and the cow of the young lion with the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them.”

The image of a lions lying peaceful beside baby calves describes a world restored to its original state. Isaiah 65:25 continues this idea: “The wolf and the lamb feed together, And the lion will eat straw like the Ox; and death shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroyed in all my holy mountain says the Lord.” (Genesis 1:30).

Ultimate peace has been established when carnivores no longer kill to eat, and, in the millennial kingdom, The king of beasts is tamed. The Bible uses hundreds of metaphors and images to describe the indescribable God Almighty. Animals and other forms of nature can help us understand specific aspects of God’s character. Jesus is called the Lamb of God (John 1:36) to illustrate His gentleness and willingness to be the sacrifice for our sins. But He is also called the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) to display His absolute authority and power over all creation. A lion may be the king of the jungle, but the Lion of Judah is the Kings of kings.

Words Of Christ

Tribalism has taken hold within the world today. Whether it is race, religion, country, ethnicity or any other demographic humans are drawing their own mind and standing with those who think and believe you like them.

This rate dividing factor with prophesy 2000 years ago, by none other than the Messiah of humanity, Jesus Christ.

And John chapter 15, Jesus tells His disciples that they will be hated by the world because He is the truth and they hated him for it as well.

Whether you believe in the Bible and God or not this hateful mindset toward the truth of God and His design for humanity has become mainstream within the cultures of the United States and throughout the world.

We see daily in the news and all across the aspect of society from the political education to the military, yet it has become so common Minnie are either numb or ignorant of it occurring.

An entire generation of youth are being bombarded with gender identity politics and medical procedures that leave their bodies permanently mutilated, those who speak against yet I met with hatred.

Recently Matt Walsh of the daily wire began a college campus tour promoting his documentary, “What is a woman?” Up until recently everyone knew the answer to that question, yet today a now Supreme Court Justice was unable to answer that question Gary her confirmation hearing cleaning, “I’m not a biologist.”

Matt Walsh‘s reason for taking a stand against this dangerous ideology is the truth. Nothing can have meaning, apart from truth. There is nothing to fight for, except the truth. There is no love without truth, there is no joy without truth, there is no beauty without roomMatt Walsh‘s reason for taking a stand against this dangerous ideology is the truth. Nothing can have meaning, apart from truth. There is nothing to fight for, except the truth. There is no love without truth, there is no joy without truth, there is no beauty without truth, there is no freedom without truth.

In the political spectrum, when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis whole Americans to put on the “whole armor of God.” in reference to Ephesians 6:11-18, to stand against leftist and Marxist policies, he was condemned by secular newspapers across the country.

I really don’t care who is republican and who is democrat. I vote according to the Bible. If the Bible is against it, I am against it.

In his recent book “The Return of the God’s.” Jonathan Cahn details how these Marxist policies that encourage child mutilation and sacrifice by abortion are indeed spiritually motivated by spirits of old.

Ron DeSantis has endured constant attacks from the media and political figures for his stance on biblical values. He promotes freedom, family and mortality and because of this is labeled a fascist ( yet his stances promote individuality and not government control).

No words of Jesus always ring true, and are just as relevant today as they were for the 12 disciples. When believers read the word and equip themselves with the armor of God they can withstand the heat that will come from the world that Jesus warned them of.

Satan is a manipulator. Like carbon monoxide satan is invisible, and very hard for humans to detect. As a deceptive manipulator he is dangerous. Sadly humans beings will realize this when it is too late. Their souls will be corrupted beyond repair. And Satan will have them right where he wants them. Taking them to Hell.