Season of Peace

Finding hope from fear, depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

jesus

Perfect Love Casts out Fear

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Perfect love casts out all fearWhen I became a believer in 1991, I would asked people to pray for me about the consuming and terrifying fear that gripped my mind. And often, I would hear them pray something about love, and how perfect love casts out fear. They were referencing 1 John 4:18,

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

That was 20 years ago, and today I’m still learning more and more about God’s perfect love. The depth of his love is never ending. The more I learn and experience his love, the greater the peace I experience.

I want to share a few points I’ve learned along the way about this “perfect love” that conquers fear.

1. What is Perfect Love

The word “perfect” in this scripture is teleios. It means completeness, to be completed in growth or labor. Perfect love is love that has been perfected and complete. It doesn’t mean you have to live a perfect life for God to love you. The more we surrender to God’s perfecting work in our life, the more complete we grow in God’s love.

Think of it this way: it’s not how perfect your love is towards God–it’s how perfect God’s love is towards you. When you come to know just how much God loves you, the fear is cast out.

2. Casting out Fear

The Greek word for “casts out” is ballo, which means to violently fling, throw or thrust out. Other versions translate this as “expels” or “drives out”. Perfect love expels, drives out, and violently thrusts away fear. It’s not a gentle pushing or nudging. It is violently smashed by God’s perfect love.

3. Righteousness, your Right Standing with God

What is righteousness? What does it mean to be righteous?

Righteousness is “right standing with God”. It’s a state of being worthy, qualified, and declared right.

Many of us look at our mistakes and sin, and we let it define who we are. But, that’s not how God defines us. If we have received Christ, God looks at us differently. If you have confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from dead, then you will be saved (Romans 10:9) and declared righteous, holy and justified.

In Christ, you are perfect in God’s eyes. God is not angry with you nor disappointed with you. You are fully qualified, fully justified, and fully righteous in Christ.

Jesus (who was sinless) was punished so that we (who are sinners) are free from God’s punishment. It’s the great Exchange!

In Christ, you are completely and totally accepted by God right now, today. God is pleased with you. He loves you so much and he longs to spend time with you. He pursues us continually, unashamedly, and passionately. God cherishes his time with you every moment of every day.

This week, take some time to experience God’s love, his unconditional, unhindered, perfect love.  And when you do, fear will be expelled, cast out, driven away, in Jesus’ name!

Prayer: Father, help me experience all of your love for me.

The Faith for Freedom from Panic Attacks, Fear and Anxiety

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Faith for Freedom from Panic Attacks, Fear and AnxietyHow many times have you said to yourself: I wish I had more faith? If I had more faith, I know I could overcome these fears and panic attacks.

I said that for years! Lord, give me more faith. Help my unbelief. Lord, give me a mustard seed of faith. But, nothing really changed in me. My situation stayed the same. I started to wonder if my prayers for more faith were accurate. After some deep study of the Bible in this area of faith, I started to change the way I prayed, because my understanding of faith was not accurate.

Here’s what I learned about faith:

What is Faith?

First, we need to know what faith is. There are two Greek words that appear throughout the new testament: pistis (noun) and pisteuo (verb). Interestingly, most Bible translates the noun as “faith” and the verb as “believe” but these two words have a very similar meaning.

Too often, we define “faith” as something different than “belief.” We talk about the Baptist “faith” or getting more “faith”, but I don’t think that’s Biblically accurate. Faith simply means “belief”.  When you say, “I wish I had more faith”, you can also say, “I wish I believed more.”

Faith does not move God

This may sound weird, even heretical, but it’s one of the most powerful truths I’ve learned over the years. Faith does not move God, because God already moved 2,000 years ago. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, he reconciled us to God and all the promises of God in Christ are available to us today. Peace, freedom, healing, joy and salvation are all available to us right now. Faith is simply renewing our minds to receive what is already ours. That’s why Romans 12:1, 2 encourages us to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. We need to think differently.

When Paul prayed for the Ephesians, he asked God to give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened. And, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:17-21). We have available to us today this incredible spiritual inheritance, and we must pray that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened so that we can see what we already have in Christ.

Misdirected Faith

Too often, we focus our faith on things. We ask God for peace, healing, strength, and provision. I have done this quite a bit myself.  And sometimes, those prayers are answered, but I don’t believe this is where we should focus our faith.

When we focus our faith on things, we can easily miss the Source of those things. What you focus on will organize your life. If you focus on freedom, healing and peace, then those things will organize your life, and you will be consumed with finding things instead of finding God. Jesus said it this way, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Our faith—what we believe—should be focused on knowing Christ and his righteousness. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He should be our complete focus.

In John 6:28-29, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “What does God want us to do?” They were asking Jesus where they should focus their faith? Jesus responded, “This is what God wants you to do: Believe in the one he has sent.”

I want to encourage you this week to focus your faith on Christ. Seek first his righteousness and all the things you need—freedom, joy, rest, healing and peace—will begin working in your life. Renew your mind through prayer, scripture and Bible study. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you all things.

Prayer: Father, help me refocus my faith on your son, Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith.

The Love of God: It Makes us Whole

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The Love of God: It Makes Us WholeThis week, as part of our church’s New Year devotional, we’ve been memorizing Ephesians 2:8,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

I’ve heard this scripture for years. So much so, that I’ve become quite familiar with it. But, that’s not a good thing. Too often, familiarity breeds complacency. The more we know something, the less importance we give it. It’s the “curse of knowledge”.

Each day this week as I said those words, something started to stir my soul. I began to realize that incredible freedom lies in the truth of these words. Freedom from fear, anxiety, torment and panic attacks is right there in these words.

Let me show you.

  • By grace
  • You have been saved
  • Through faith

By Grace

I’ve been sharing these past few weeks about how righteousness is a gift from God. It’s not something we can earn or work for. It’s a gift, just it says in Ephesians 2:8 and 9. In Romans 4, Paul contrasts the difference between a wage and gift, “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (v4, 5).

When you work for your right standing with God, then it’s accounted to you as a wage. The problem is that God requires perfection, so the wage becomes a debt against you that you’ll never  be able to pay. None of us will ever be able to meet his requirements for righteousness, but he knew that, and he sent his Son to take our sin and give us his righteousness as a gift.

So, what is this gift that we have received by grace?

You have been Saved

The gift is salvation, but again, we are so familiar with this word. Do we really know what it means to be saved? What are we saved from?

To fully understand what it means, let’s go to the original language of the New Testament. This word saved comes from the Greek word sozo (sode’-zo). This word literally means “to be made whole in our body, soul and spirit.”

Too often, we think of it as being saved from hell. Salvation is so much more than that. Jesus didn’t just die to  keep you out of hell–he died to make you whole (Isaiah 53:4-5), give you freedom (John 8:32), and to give you an abundant life (John 10:10).

Fear, panic, depression, and anxiety are often the results of deep, emotional wounds and trauma. You need to know that Jesus died to set you free from those crippling things, so that you can live life abundantly. He died to make you whole!

Through Faith

Like the word saved, I believe we have also become too familiar with this word faith. We’ve given it a variety of meanings and variations. She’s of this faith and he’s of that faith.  If I just had more faith, then God surely would respond to my prayers.

Again, let me go back to the original language. This word faith comes from the Greek word pistis. Throughout the New Testament, it is translated as “faith”.  Interestingly, the verb variation of this word is pisteuo, which is translated as “believe”. The word “faith” in the New Testament simply means belief or believing. To have faith is simply to believe.

Now, combine these three phrases: By grace, you have been saved, through faith.

Here’s the Season of Peace paraphrase: When you can truly believe that righteousness in Christ is a gift from God, you will be made whole in your body, soul and spirit.

This is such truth to me. I have experienced deeper levels of freedom and peace knowing that God is pleased with me. I can now boldly come into the throne of grace in my time of need (Hebrews 4:16), and talk to God as my Father. I don’t have to strive and strain to please him. He’s happy with me just as I am, because he has given me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

Prayer: Father, help me understand more and more how by grace I have been saved through faith.

The Love of God: It Restores Glory

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The Love of God: It Restores GloryThis weekend, I read this message from Joseph Prince that really touched my heart. It has been very true in my own life, and I want to share this message with you, because it’s yet another beautiful demonstration of God’s love towards us:

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22).

When God made man, the Bible says that God crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5) The word “crowned” here means to encompass or to surround like a glorious circle. The glory of God was therefore man’s clothing. In other words, Adam’s whole being was gloriously radiant.

When man sinned against God, he forfeited the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) But when Jesus Christ was born, the glory of God came down. (Luke 2:9) And many years later, Jesus, before He died, said to His Father, “The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.”

So the glory of God which man forfeited has now been restored to him because Jesus has come. When He died on the cross, He took our shame, gave us His righteousness and restored the glory of God to us.

But what exactly is the glory of God? Doxa, the Greek word for “glory” here, means having a good opinion concerning one that results in praise, honor and glory. This means that in restoring to us His glory, God wants us to have the sense that we are praiseworthy, honorable and glorious because of His constant good opinion of us!

Beloved, because God’s glory is on you, there is a weightiness about you. People don’t know why, but their spirits are lifted when they are in your presence. There is something about you that impacts them even if they have only been with you for a short while. When you talk, they listen because there is substance in what you say.

Also, because God’s glory is on you, you can expect it to touch every aspect of your life — your finances, relationships, work and health. Your body, for example, will glow with divine health.

So my friend, because Jesus has come and restored the glory of God to you, be conscious of God’s constant good opinion of you. Know that there is a weightiness about you and arise, shine!

Thought Of The Day
When Jesus died on the cross, He took our shame, gave us His righteousness and restored the glory of God to us.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2009

Original Article can be found here on Facebook.

The Love of God: A Child is Born

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The Love of God: A Child is BornThat night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.

They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior–yes, the Messiah, the Lord–has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others–the armies of heaven–praising God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said (Luke 2:8-20).

When I think about this story, I often overlook Mary’s response to all of this. In this story, the shepherds were amazed at this “wonderful thing”. And when the shepherds told the others, they too were “astonished”. There was an incredible atmosphere in Bethlehem. Heaven had touched earth.

And, when we read about how Mary responded, we learn that she “quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.” Her heart was filled with thoughts of the Messiah, thoughts of Jesus.

It reminds of the carol we sing at this time of year. The carol declares:

Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing.

I love that line, “Let every heart prepare him room.” Is your heart open for the King? Have you prepared him room in your heart? If not, let me encourage you this Christmas week to slow down. Take a break from your hectic schedule of last-minute shopping, wrapping presents, cooking big meals and whatever has so consumed your time.

Prepare room in your heart for him. Take some time as Mary did to quietly treasure this incredible event. Think about it often as she did. Let your heart rejoice at the true meaning of Christmas–Christ was born to redeem your life from destruction.

And when you do, let’s join the angels in declaration: “Glory to God in the highest heaven!”