The Gospel of Jesus Brings Peace

In Pursuit of Peace: 21 Ways to Conquer Anxiety, Fear, and Discontentment
by Joyce Meyer

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I want to see people love God's Word and put it first place in their lives. I believe there is an anointing on the Word; it has inherent power that makes positive changes in us. The Word of God is truth, and John 8:32 says, “And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” Truth sets us free from turmoil and leads us into a life of peace when we follow it.

The gospel of salvation through Jesus makes peace available to us in all areas of our lives. First Corinthians 1:21 says that when people failed to find God through earthly wisdom or by means of their own philosophy, God saved people through the preaching of salvation “procured by Christ.” Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible says the Greek word translated as “save” in that verse is sozo, which means God “delivers, protects, heals, preserves, saves and makes whole” those who believe, trust in, and rely on Him.

We will experience peace in our personal lives when we stop trying to do so many things ourselves and just rely on God to deliver, protect, heal, and save us, as He wants to do.

And God will also lead us to peace in our relationships. Ephesians 2:14 is an awesome Scripture that says, “For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us.” Where there is no unity, no harmony, God Himself will break down and abolish the walls that divide people. He has broken down walls between so-called classes of people. He makes equal those who have higher education and those without any education at all. Somebody with a lot of money is no better to Him than somebody without money. The preacher is no better than the person who cleans the toilets.

The Lord loves each of us unconditionally. The hand of God uniquely created and personally designed each of us. That doesn't mean that we don't need some sandpaper to smooth our rough edges or polishing to make us shine. We all need to change and grow, but we can still be at peace about who we are without comparing ourselves with somebody else. We can stop thinking we are flawed because we are not like anyone else we know. We must have peace with ourselves before we can have peace with others.

I believe God wants you to have peace about where you are in your spiritual growth and to realize that you won't always stay the way you are. Anyone seeking God regularly is always changing, but we can enjoy where we are on the way to where we are going.

In the next chapter, I will share more about how we can surrender our will to God's leading. He doesn't want us to wait to have peace until we have all the things that we may want and desire or think are necessary to our lives. He doesn't want us to be jealous or envious of those who have the things we want and don't have, or those who can do what we can't do. He wants to prove to us that He is our peace.

God has an individualized, customized plan for your life. As you trust Him, He will bring it to pass in His timing, not yours. Waiting on God's plan and timing is wise because His ways are always best. He is the Lord of peace, and as you surrender your heart and life to Him, you will experience the peace that passes understanding.

Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.