Peace is a Guard

Day 12

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

– Philippians 4:7

Additional reading: Philippians 4:6-9

I often think of peace as a state of mind, something that I feel when everything is calm, tranquil, still, and quiet. But that calmness is just a result of what peace is doing on our behalf. The scripture above says that God’s peace stands guard over our hearts and minds. “Guard” in the Greek means to be a watcher in advance, to mount guard, to hem in, protect. When we are in a situation that is causing anxiety, we can call on the peace of God to stand guard over our hearts and minds and work on our behalf.

Think of God’s peace like a soldier standing at the gate of our heart, defending us against the attacks of the enemy. We don’t have to feel defenseless or vulnerable when worry and anxiety try to creep in. We can have the powerful peace of God to protect us! Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, we now have access to His powerful, strong, fear-squashing peace, just by believing in Him! This is something that those without Christ do not have. When worry and anxiety comes their way, they have to deal with it on their own.

Verse 6 of this chapter says that we can have this peace in every situation if we go to God with our request through prayer. It’s like an exchange. We can’t have both worry and peace. We must go to Him with our worries, requests, fears, and questions. In return, He gives us His peace to watch over us. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have God’s peace than all the worry, questions, and fears that come up in everyday life.

Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, we now have access to His powerful, strong, fear-squashing peace…!

Confession for today: “Lord God, I thank You for making Your peace readily available to me through Your son Jesus Christ. Right now I give You all of my fear and anxiety and I ask that Your peace comes to stand guard over my heart and mind. You know the things that I am facing in my life at this moment, and I confess that as Your peace guards me I will trust in You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

Let your light shine,

Bre

Harvest Church