The Peace Of God.
The Peace of God according to the Hebrew understanding is shalom; peace of God means harmony, wholeness, soundness, wellbeing, and success in all areas of one’s life. Peace also refers to one’s sense of wholeness and well-being. A state of mind that is free from anxiety and one at peace within one’s soul.
In the book of Genesis 1:26-27, the bible says, ‘God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them’. Adam and Eve were God’s first human creation. God blessed them both and gave them dominion over everything else. God said, ‘Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground’.
At this point, the world existed in perfect peace, harmony, and wholeness.
Disruption of Peace
Unfortunately, humanity lost the perfect peace, harmony, and wholeness which God created when Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and listened to the serpent; they ate from the forbidden tree. Genesis 3:1-7. As a result, the disobedience of Adam and Eve introduced SIN and SIN disrupted creation’s original harmony.
Sin brought a sense of guilt and shame before God and fellow men. Sin destroyed the harmonious relationship Adam and Eve had with God. Adam hid from God after his disobedience. Adam felt a sense of guilt and he became ashamed and troubled.
The consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience was a total loss of inner peace. In the book of Psalms 38: 18, it reads ‘I confess my iniquity, I am troubled by my sin’.
My Understanding of the Peace of God.
My understanding from the above paragraphs is that Peace can only be achieved in a sinless state. But the question is how can man be sinless when the bible says ‘in sin did my mother conceive me’. Adam and Eve introduced sin to the world. The absence of sin in the life of a living being is impossible in my view; the bible makes this clear when in the book of Isaiah 64:6, the prophet says ‘our righteousness is as filthy rags’ (KJV).
However, in my opinion, this is how God views sin in humans; God knows that sin is human nature albeit, humans must admit their sins, confess, and ask for forgiveness to return to the path of righteousness and sin no more.
And God in his infinite mercy and grace is compassionate and ever ready to accept our admittance of sin and our willingness and readiness to turn away from sin and walk in the path of righteousness anytime. This is evidenced in the passage in the bible where Christ addressed the accusers of an adulterous woman. In response to the accusers of the adulterous woman, Our Lord Jesus Christ said ‘’Let him that is among you without sin, cast the first stone at her’. Of course, by the time Our Lord Jesus looked up, all the accusers were gone. Why, because we all as humans have fallen short of God’s glory!
That said, I know for a fact that the absence of Sin is Peace. Peace is shalom; shalom is wholeness, soundness, well-being, and success in all areas of life. Peace is obedience. Obedience to God, to the Laws of God, to the rules and regulations of systems, corporations, and associations, or a collective guided by rules.
Disobedience
Disobedience on the other hand is the root of sin as we see in the bible with Adam and Eve, our first parents on earth. Disobedience introduces sin. And with sin comes guilt and shame before God and before fellow humans. And the consequence of having guilt and shame is loss of inner peace. The bible says ‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus: Philippians 4:7. But with shame and guilt come anxiety with a loss of inner peace. We might look peaceful outwardly and in our quiet and alone moments, are we truly at peace knowing what we know?
Peace, Light, Anxiety, and Darkness
When we are in a state of Peace, we are then in the light of God Almighty. Light brings life and life in abundance. I believe every human being seeks a state of Peace. On the other hand, the absence of light is darkness. And darkness is a place where sin thrives. Almost everything that I know that is sinful is done when others cannot see, or the things are done in the dark. I must admit that sometimes wisdom requires us to do things where others cannot and should not see for as long as we are not hurting others.
I recall on my job; a new boss took over the leadership of the organization. The first thing he did was ask that every blind be taken off every enclosed office or meeting room. He felt with light, comes transparency. I recall him saying ‘light sanitizes’. It was easier for people to comply with the rules and regulations of the organization when people are in the open view of others. I believe, his instruction psychologically put some pressure for compliance on the ecosystem in all aspects of the rules, regulations, and the code of ethics of the organization.
Peace is achieved by the Mercy and Grace of God
From my experiences professionally and personally over these years, I conclude that Peace is simply doing things right all the time. But this is a difficult thing to achieve as a human. The bible tells us in the book of Isaiah 64:6 ‘all our righteousness are as filthy rags before God. So, no one living being is exempt from blemish except through the blood of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul says again ‘For I do not understand what I do. Instead, I keep on doing evil I do not want to do’. Carnality craves what is contrary to the spirit. We ask for God’s mercy and grace.
The struggle an individual constantly confronts is how to stay on the path of righteousness for one’s good and the good of others. Righteousness is Peace. Unrighteousness is anxiety. So, the question is why does anyone want to be in a state of constant anxiety which has a direct consequence on one’s wellbeing which includes one’s physical and mental health?
I believe that the bible has given us a solution for Peace because the bible says, ‘For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed’: Luke 8:17. Therefore, if all secrets will eventually come to light, then it makes sense not to do the ‘secret things’. The ‘secret things’ usually hunt humans till they admit, confess, and ask for forgiveness or they keep the secret and deal with anxiety for all of their lifetimes on earth. I have watched a movie titled ‘Secrets Are Dangerous’. Indeed, I believe secrets are dangerous. Also, reality tells me secrets are dangerous.
But what can I say, this is a constant struggle for the human being.
Our consolation is in the fact that our Lord Jesus has paid the price by dying on the cross so we could be redeemed of all sins. God is merciful and gracious. For as long as a human being lives, this is the battle he or she will face till the very end of time; the battle of Right and Wrong.
However, I remark that the Apostle Paul says ‘So, shall we then continue in sin that grace may abound? And the Apostle Paul replies with a resounding God Forbid’. Romans 6:2
He That Is Down Needs to Fear No Fall
I am of the school of thought that supports the ‘tell it as it is’ than get caught. In other words, we do wrong things as humans, but with self-disclosure or confession, before we get caught, mercy and forgiveness are more easily applied; applied by the one in a position to give the justice deserved.
Therefore, usually, we face lighter consequences in the face of self-disclosure. There would always be consequences even when we admit the wrongs. We must learn to accept and deal with the consequences but surely not from a place of fear, anxiety, and shame. In truth, Our God through Jesus Christ strengthens us to deal with the consequences we face as a result of SIN.
I believe this explains why in the Catholic church, believers go to confess their sins before a priest and for non-Catholics, people are encouraged to confess their wrongdoings to God and one another and ask for forgiveness.
God is merciful and gracious, and he is always ready to forgive us and apply grace in all situations. As humans, we should also learn to forgive one another when we wrong one another. I know this is a tough call, but I believe forgiveness brings peace to all parties involved in a situation especially more peace to the one who did the wrong.
Living in righteousness is not an easy thing for anyone to achieve, but with the constant consumption of the word of God, an individual is more likely to run away from sin than indulge in sin that brings anxiety to one’s heart. Anxiety brings stress and ill-health.
I have observed that there is an inverse relationship between dwelling in the presence of God in all sincerity and carnality. And we can only get close to being righteous when we constantly dwell in the presence of the Lord through the study of God’s words.
For the records, I also note with gratitude that when you are down, and you allow Jesus Christ in, he lifts you up. Not just up but lifts you higher up when we let Jesus Christ in.
Self-Disclosure or Confession Attenuates Anxiety/ Stress
I conclude my article by saying that when an individual is down, he needs fear no fall. Truly, I have used this approach to address difficult situations in my personal and professional life. For example, on my job, I would always be the first to speak of a challenge I was facing with my bosses and ask for help and they always helped me. This made other colleagues sometimes feel that I was favored by the bosses. No, the bosses got to know of the challenges from me first before the issues got to them because I was upfront with them. Self-disclosure takes ‘the wind out of the sale’ like it is commonly said. Like we say in the part of the world I come from ‘the gist is no longer sweet’. This puts a smile on my face as I write it.
Or I was the first to approach the regulators when I ran a country as the Managing Director of the business to explain a situation that was non-compliant in my business, and I would explain to them how the team and I intend to fix the issues.
It is the same approach I take in my personal life. I tell it as it is. I have always felt it is more honorable to tell than be caught. When you tell, there is no more guilt, fear and shame. When you are down, there is no more fall to fear.
The bosses, the regulators, the family members, and friends always showed understanding and mercy and the deeds attracted less harsh penalties.
So, this is my take on the subject of Peace of Mind; as humans, we are constantly a work in progress. But one thing I know, and one thing I am sure of, is that the word of God is light to our path and a lamp to our feet leading us in the path of righteousness. So, we should spend time on God’s word.
The ‘He that is Down Fears No Fall’ approach has been a strategy that God in his mercy and grace put in me since I was a child and I find that I always find peace no matter how violent the storm is.
A Luta Continua
The struggle to attain Peace continues. The fight between living in sin and staying on the path of righteousness till the day of redemption continues. I am a mere mortal with no right or wrong answer. The Apostle Paul said to Timothy ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’. 2 Timothy 4:7.
As for me, I am still on my race, running and struggling to put up a good fight, and graciously hoping by the mercy and grace of God that I finish the race and keep the faith.
I seek the Peace of God.
I pray that God, in His infinite mercy and grace, makes us ALL overcomers in Jesus Name I pray.
Praise God! Praise Our Lord Jesus! Hallelujah!
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