Complete peace; inward peace and the fullness of peace is in fellowship with God. Total freedom at all times from any form of physical and spiritual harassment can only come from God.
It can be argued a lot of marriages and certainly, the work environment have become battle grounds for many people. There is hardly financial freedom anywhere; a lot of people have serious debts hanging over their heads. There seems to be no peace at all, even though the nations of this world long for it. World leaders negotiate or fight for peace with their armies. Many people even pray for peace, yet it remains more elusive than ever. The bible says:
“The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.”
Psalms 29:11.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Isaiah 26:3.
True peace comes from God. He blesses His children and gives them security. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians do not know how to activate this great promise of God. Peace comes through reliance on the Lord.
Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher, and indeed, one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe once said:
“Peace is not the absence of war. It is not even the absence of the threat of war. It is the absence of the possibility of war”
Thus, just because all seems to be secure and rosy at present does not mean there is peace. If the satanic harassments and threats have subsided or appear to have ended, does not necessarily signify tranquillity. As long as the enemy has the slightest chance to regroup and attack one’s life, peace in actual effect is non-existent.
There was a woman in her early fifties who was struggling to bring up her five children. Two of the children dropped out of school and one of her daughters got pregnant out of wedlock. Things were not going well for her. Then quite suddenly, her fortune began to change. Her eldest daughter was about to get married.
Arrangements and preparations had been made for the ceremony, and about a week before the wedding, the woman had to go and collect her tailor-made dress for the occasion. As she was leaving the shop with her new dress, she said a strange wind blew at her. After this happened, she could barely walk home and a few hours later, she died.
Dear reader, there is no peace when there is the possibility of a satanic attack. Sadly, there is no one on this planet that is completely free from evil harassment therefore; one has to be vigilant on a daily basis. We wrestle against unseen powers that are “mustering their unseen arrays and are waiting for the unguarded hours” as the song writer encourages us to watch and pray.
Avoiding the enemy will never produce peace. When the Lord gives peace to His children, He also empowers them to demand the peace from the powers that are troubling their lives. You can run from your enemy, but this does not guarantee peace.
It is unfortunate, but it is the truth, that peace can only be secured by preparing for war. A young man was reported to have bought a table fan, to appease the witch in his household so that he would not be killed. This was ignorant of him. One has to fight to have his or her peace and keep it. Patronising the wicked will only bring about further attacks. The evil powers have no mercy.
“It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war” said J F. Kennedy.
The thirty-fifth American President was the youngest man ever elected; he was also the youngest President to die. J F Kennedy made a profound statement that was true from a physical and spiritual perspective.
To go to war, one must be a trained soldier and must have undergone rigorous tuition. Graduating in an army is not an easy task. Likewise, spiritual knowledge and schooling is vital in spiritual warfare. Numerous Christians encounter conflicts of their lives and end up beating the air; those that do this are practising spiritual suicide. It is important to know who the enemies are, and where they are located in order to determine the strategies and weapons of warfare. To achieve this, one needs to pray earnestly for God to open the spiritual eyes, to see every opposition.
Strange battles are taking place in the heavens, the earth is the scene of crime and the grave is the abode of wastage. Even though it has been said that peace can be attained mostly by preparing for war, a combat should be chosen carefully so that one will not end up fighting the wrong conflict.
An example in the bible is when young David had an “appointment” with his destiny. The Lord had positioned him to meet with the giant called Goliath on the battlefield. Goliath was feared in the Philistine army as the scripture says in 1 Samuel chapter 17. The encounter had been prepared to promote David into his kingship destiny.
However, at the scene of contest, there arose a bizarre situation between the eldest of David’s brothers; Elihu whose anger was kindled against David. He saw David as a busybody, inquisitive about the frontline of battle. Elihu called David, proud and naughty.
Even though Elihu created strife with his David, he chose not to fight this battle. He understood that the enemy was not his brother. Rather, it was Goliath of the Philistines that was standing between him and his destiny.
I pray that the Lord will open the eyes of His children to see the real physical and spiritual enemies so that they will be able to fight the real oppositions.
A Christian needs discernment and the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is possible to invite problems into one’s life through hasty decisions and unguarded utterances. A life estate that one has built over the years by going through thick and thin can be pulled down in an instant by reckless behavior.
It is of utmost importance for a believer to be on fire for God. The prayer altar must constantly be on fire. Praying without ceasing is a must. People of God should know that they are not completely exempt from trials because the Lord encircles them. Occasionally, children of God will feel the power and persecution of the wicked. The ungodly often endanger peace, by afflicting the righteous.
It is a fact that in his own household, Isaac the son of Abraham was mocked by his half brother, Ishmael.
The wicked often destroy the peace and tranquillity of the saints. Egypt’s rod was exceedingly heavy upon Israel, but the time came for it to be broken.
For the rod of the wicked shall not rest (remain) upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity
Psalm 125:3.
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Isaiah 43:2.
God has indeed set a limit to the affliction and grief of his chosen. According to the scripture in Psalm 125:3, the rod may light on their portion, but it shall not rest upon it.
The righteous have a fortune that no one can take from them, for the Almighty God has designated them as inheritors by gracious award. The wicked do not have a lasting influence over the destiny of the upright.
The saints abide for ever, but their troubles will not. Confess it loud and clear! I abide forever, my afflictions will not in the name of Jesus.
“The rod of the wicked,” may appear firm and fixed on your peace, but it will not last. The Lord puts a limit to the tyranny of the wicked. God never surrenders his authority.
God predetermined that an Israelite who deserved punishment should not be beaten without measure: forty stripes save one was the appointed limit.
“Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.”
Deuteronomy 25:3.
It is time to come out of the afflictions in the name of Jesus. He has set a limit to the suffering of His people, and will not allow them to be pushed to the uttermost!
The length of affliction that one goes through can strengthen the domination and make it intolerable; therefore, the Lord himself said of a certain tribulation:
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
Matthew 24:22.
The trouble that a man encounters is sufficient to try and prove the truth and measure of his integrity.
It is interesting, how the Lord allows some unpleasant situations in the lives of His people to prove them by it. If a man has peace all the days of his life, how will he confirm his loyalty to the Lord? This can only be demonstrated in affliction.
The children of Israel dwelling in the Promised Land that had never experienced war and afflictions were prepared by God to be tested in the hands of the enemy neighbours. These were the nations that the Lord did not wipe out to prove them by it!
“Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;”
Judges 3:1.
When a believer’s peace is under attack by evil powers, he should be rest assured that it will not be for ever. It is also important that the saint does not fall into sin. Immorality, injustice and disobedience to God strengthen affliction in ones life.
While a believer is conscious that affliction is a passing phase in his life, he also needs to draw the curtains on his mouth. One’s closest ally might just be the number one enemy. The more the enemy knows the more ammunition he is acquiring to cause affliction.
Finally, it is not just enough to shut the curtains of one’s mouth before the enemy. It is equally necessary, to shut the back gate against unfriendly friends. These are the enemies that appear as friends. They are the wolves in sheep’s clothing. A Christian has to choose his friends carefully, because friends are close enough to find their way into a person’s life through the back door. A woman’s prayer partner once proved to be an evil associate in disguise. It is important for a Christian to always pray for God to open his eyes to discern the enemies.
Peace of heart is peace of mind. The table of the heart, mind and spirit has to be cleared as the battle is won from the heart. The bible tells the believer to guard his heart with all diligence, for out of it comes the issues of life. As a man thinks in his heart so is he. One is a product of his thoughts. There is no point engaging in a war that has already been lost in your heart or mind due to fear and unbelief. A Christian must have faith in the character and the ability of his or her God.
Sin is the number one power that troubles the peace of a Christian. Sin withdraws the protection of God and releases the attacks from the devil. One must not be deceived; a soldier of Christ is ineffective when there are sins in his or her life.
The number one weapon of a victorious Christian is his fervency in prayers. The strength of a prayer warrior is in his or her ability to continue to pray until victory is attained. It is said, sometimes, in violent circumstances like spiritual warfare, it seems God is on vacation and needs to be summoned back to the office. Thus, the more calls He gets, the more likely He is to pay attention.
Above all, one must not lose focus. The ability to see the victory at the end of the war will keep one going. It is important to see oneself in the position of freedom that one is praying for. There must be a clear vision of deliverance from poverty, loneliness, stagnancy, bareness, failure, reproach and all the situations that do not glorify God in the person’s life. The clearer a breakthrough is visualised, the greater the zeal to pray it until manifestation, so do not give up.
Prayer Points.
1. You the house of war warring against my house of peace be wasted in the name of Jesus.
2. Any power delegated against my joy and peace, waste in the name of Jesus.
