AGGRESSIVE PEACE. 

Aggressive and peace are not two words we would ordinarily expect to find sitting beside each other.

Aggression suggests force, determination and an unwillingness to back down. Peace, on the other hand, sounds like being in a quiet, restful place.

Yet lately I have discovered that sometimes peace needs to be aggressive. We must not allow the devil to bully us into frustration. Jesus, our Saviour, is the Prince of Peace.

There is a kind of peace that comes when everything is going well. The bills are paid. The family is fine. Prayers have been answered. That peace comes easily. And that is alright.

But what happens when everything is not yet as we want it to be? Can we still be at peace then?

What happens when we are waiting for answers? When circumstances appear contrary to what we are believing God for? When one troubling thought follows another and our minds begin travelling down roads we have absolutely no business going down? Can we still have peace?

Hear what the LORD says about that:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”. Isaiah 26:3 KJV

There is one word in the above Scripture that stands out:

STAYED.

Not occasionally visiting.

Not just passing through.

Stayed.

Fixed.

Anchored.

Clearly the peace that God promises above is not something that we get as a result of what is happening around us. We get it by staying our minds on the LORD,  And that is where aggressive peace comes in.

Aggressive peace is the deliberate decision to keep our minds stayed on God regardless of the storms of life that we pass through. Jesus already warned us ahead of time about them.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33-NIV

Unpleasant circumstances will show up.

Fear will appear.

Negative reports may be given.

But Aggressive peace means you we not allow anything to bully us into anxiety or frustration.

This does not mean we are denying reality.

It does not mean refusing to deal practically with situations that require our attention.

It simply means that after doing what we can and what we must, we refuse to surrender our peace to what we cannot control.

We pray.

We trust.

We obey.

We meditate on Scripture.

And then we keep our minds stayed on God.

Jesus said:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you…”. John 14:27 KJV

That is a different kind of peace. And we have to be intentional about keeping it.

The world’s peace is often dependent on circumstances.

But Jesus offers us His peace.

A peace that does not have to wait for everything around us to become perfect before it takes up residence within us. That kind of peace can look at an unresolved situation and still say:

God is faithful.

I trust Him.

This is not passive peace.

This is aggressive peace.

Guarding its territory.

It refuses to give in to fear.

Paul writes:

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7 KJV

Perhaps that is why God’s peace sometimes makes no sense to other people.

Last week we talked about stirring ourselves up and refusing to allow our minds to settle into fear. Perhaps this is the next step.

Once we have brought our wandering minds back to God, we must keep them there.

We have already received our permission from Jesus:  “My peace I give unto you.”

Ultimately, aggressive peace is an expression of trust. Trust in God.

We may not understand.

We may not know how.

We may not know when.

But we know Who.

And we must trust Him.

Dear friend, perhaps something is trying to take your peace today.

Don’t hand it over.

Stay your mind on God.

Stay with His Word.

Stay with His promises.

Stay with His faithfulness.

Aggressive peace is not pretending that there is nothing to worry about. It is deciding that our minds will not live in worry.

We will stay our minds on Him.

And let Him keep us in perfect peace.

AGGRESSIVE PEACE. 

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©