Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

Gospel in a Minute: Water Baptism and the Baptism in the Spirit Are Distinct

Gospel in a Minute

Peter made the obvious conclusion: God accepted the Gentile Cornelius in exactly the same way he had the Jewish apostles!

The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, 47  “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48  So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ... Acts 10:45-48 (NLT)

Principle: Water Baptism and the Baptism in the Spirit Are Distinct

The Bible promises that Jesus will baptize his followers in the Spirit. (Luke 3:16) The evidence of this outpouring or baptism is speaking in tongues, as first experienced by the Jewish believers on Pentecost. In Acts 10 it happened again with Gentiles, which astounded the ethnocentric Jews, who imagined that they alone were eligible.

The giving of the Spirit is proof of our acceptance into God’s heavenly family.

Only born again children of God are eligible for this amazing gift of love. (Luke 11:13) Our spiritual identity carries God’s own being, a kind of spiritual DNA, if you will.

When we share the gospel, we should inform our hearers that the Holy Spirit will be given to those who put their faith in Christ, both as the indwelling source of life and identity and as an outpoured source of power and boldness.

The two experiences of God’s Spirit come as distinct processes – the first from being born again, the second from being baptized in the Spirit. Believers are to submit to water baptism as a public testimony of allegiance to their Savior and Lord. The two baptisms are distinct as well.

Promise of the Father

To learn more about the baptism in the Spirit, click here. I have also written a book on this important subject, which is available on Amazon.

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Gospel in a Minute: Expect the Holy Spirit to Draw People to Christ

Gospel in a Minute

Suddenly something unanticipated happened while Peter was preaching to Cornelius and company.

Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. Acts 10:44 (NLT)

Principle: Expect the Holy Spirit to Draw People to Christ

While most of our listeners probably will not erupt in spontaneous tongues as did Cornelius, we should expect to see some evidence of the Spirit’s operation.

The preaching of the gospel relies upon the hidden work of God’s Spirit for success.

Jesus spoke about this.

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26  Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! Matthew 11:25-26 (NLT)

Paul taught us that God uses the “foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthians 1:21-24) to bring people to Christ. Preaching works because there is power in the words of the gospel and because of the hidden operation of God’s Spirit in those who hear. If we do our part, we can depend on God to do his by drawing people to Christ. This whole things was his idea anyway. Jesus said:

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45  As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. John 6:44-45 (NLT)
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Gospel in a Minute: Preach the Forgiveness of Sins

Gospel in a Minute

Peter concluded his gospel presentation to Cornelius by offering forgiveness of sins to those who put their faith and allegiance in Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah King of Israel, the Divine Son of Man who is coming again to judge the living and the dead.

He [Jesus] is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” Acts 10:43 (NLT)

Principle: Preach the Forgiveness of Sins

Once we know who Jesus is, the glorious risen from the dead Lord of Lords who will judge all mankind, we need to understand that he does not hold our past sins against us, if only we will repent from our rebellion against God.

We may not have been the ones who actually drove the nails into his hands and feet, but we all have participated in the sin of turning our backs on God. He died for all of us because we all had an impossible debt to pay to God. Only he could do it, and he did!

After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples:

...“Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48  You are witnesses of all these things. Luke 24:46-48 (NLT)

That is really good news!

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Gospel in a Minute: Preach the Coming Judgment

Gospel in a Minute

Peter continued his gospel presentation to Cornelius by sharing that Jesus commanded his disciples, including us, to tell people he is coming back one day to judge every human being who has ever lived.

And he [Jesus] ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. Acts 10:42 (NLT)

Principle: Preach the Coming Judgment

It is not popular to tell people that Jesus is coming back again to hold every human being who ever lived accountable to God, but it is the truth. Jesus is the only one through whom anyone can be saved. The coming judgment is not something invented by his followers years later to drum up converts. Jesus clearly taught this to his disciples.

For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. Matthew 16:27 (NLT)

Jesus is the divine Son of Man prophesied by Daniel the prophet centuries before (Daniel 7:14), the coming king and judge. Our Lord confirmed his identity as this divine being before the Sanhedrin the night before his crucifixion. (Matthew 26:63-64) It is who he is!

The last judgment is a non-negotiable part of the gospel, and preaching it is one way we show our allegiance to our Lord and our faithfulness to the truth.

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Gospel in a Minute: Jesus Rose Bodily from the Dead

Gospel in a Minute

Peter continued his gospel presentation to Cornelius by testifying to being with Jesus after he bodily rose from the dead.

...They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40  but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41  not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. Acts 10:39-41 (NLT)

Principle: Jesus Rose Bodily from the Dead

The assertion that Jesus rose from the dead is the heart of the gospel. But even in Paul’s day, people denied it. He wrote:

But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13  For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14  And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15  And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16  And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17  And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:12-17 (NLT)

Jesus “ate and drank” with the apostles. He talked with them. He allowed them to touch him. Admittedly his resurrection body was different from ours – but it was a body. His resurrection proved his claim to be the Messiah and Lord. It proved that Father God accepted his sacrifice for our sins. It validated Jesus’ promise that one day he will raise us up as well.

The resurrection of Jesus was a bodily one, verified by eye witnesses. This is the gospel. This is our hope.

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Overcoming the Tragedy of Self-Inflicted Loneliness

 

Anyone who has heard or read the story of how Nathan the prophet fingered King David for committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband and his friend, Uriah the Hittite, will never forget the drama of self-discovery experienced by the king. (2 Samuel 12:1-15) After setting David up with a story of a rich ruler who stole a poor man’s only sheep instead of using one from his own large flock, David became furious and demanded that the scoundrel be punished severely. Nathan’s words, “You are the man,” brought David to his senses and prompted him to repent for his sins. Those words still ring true for us today.

We are often our own worst enemy, blindly hating in others what we despise in ourselves.

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. Romans 2:1 (NLT)

Problem: We may experience self-inflicted loneliness if we repel potential friends by being critical and judgmental.

As anyone who has lived very long knows, we generally do not respond well to criticism. When we engage in such, it reveals that we see ourselves as a judge of others. It is difficult to be the friend of a judge.

Jesus was called the “friend of sinners.”

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.  2  This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! Luke 15:1-2 (NLT)

It was a derogatory title pinned on him by the Jewish religious leaders, who held those whom Jesus befriended in contempt. Those leaders believed that they were morally superior because of their knowledge of the Law and their imagined adherence to it. The truth is that we all fall short of God’s glory and fail to keep the requirements of the Law. (Romans 3:23)

No one is ever in a place to despise other human beings.

Jesus, on the other hand, who was truly superior in every way to all others, gladly chose to be with the ones whom the religious leaders judged and shunned. Those labeled as “sinners” picked up on Jesus’ love and were attracted to him, at least the ones whose hearts were open to his message of hope and forgiveness. The interesting thing is that Jesus calls us to leave our sin and follow him, but he does it in such a way that draws humble people toward him rather than pushing them away, as the religious hypocrites did.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

Criticism breeds criticism. Rejection usually gets rejected in return, but love draws people.

It is true that God judges sin. He has the right to do that, but he has provided a remedy in his Son, who died on our behalf in order to provide forgiveness and reconciliation. Those who reject the good news that Jesus took our punishment and guilt upon himself, can only expect judgment from God. However, those who believe the gospel are able to receive and enjoy God’s love.

God’s heart is open toward anyone who is willing to receive his love and who is humble enough to admit his or her desperate need for forgiveness and help.

Pride is harsh and unforgiving, but humility is gentle and inviting.

Solution: Loving humility is a huge key to having and keeping friends.

Mature followers of Christ learn how to make proper assessments of people without descending into thinking we are somehow superior. Jesus completely knows people and their motives. Nothing is hidden from him, but his heart remains open to those who are open to him, regardless of their shortcomings and failures. That is why we have hope.

We all need friends. If we want to have more of them, we should try being more humble and loving and less critical.

We may find that those we formerly criticized and rejected have much to offer in the way of friendship if we start treating them as we wish to be treated. We can ask the Holy Spirit to take the “log” out of our own eyes, so that we will be able to properly see others through God’s eyes. If we make the effort to be friends with “sinners,” just maybe someone will decide to reach out to those other sinners in the neighborhood – us.

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Gospel in a Minute: Jesus’ Ministry Revealed His Identity as Messiah

Gospel in a Minute

Peter continued his gospel presentation to Cornelius by describing Jesus’ earthly ministry prior to his crucifixion.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  Acts 10:39 (NLT)

Principle: Jesus’ Ministry Revealed His Messianic Identity

The Old Covenant scriptures predicted the ministry that the Messiah would have. Several chapters in the second half of Isaiah, called the Suffering Servant section, are especially relevant. Jesus referenced snippets from several verses in Isaiah to reassure John the Baptist of his Messianic identity. (Isaiah 29:18-19, 35:5-6, and 61:1)

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3  “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” 4  Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5  the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6  And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’” Matthew 11:2-6 (NLT)

Jesus, the Messianic King, went about revealing the nature of God’s kingdom by liberating captives from the kingdom of darkness.

The gospel is part of an intricately woven tapestry. A proper gospel presentation will show people how Jesus’ earthly ministry fulfilled Old Covenant prophecies.

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Taking the Sting Out of Death

 

The Apostle Paul was a man whose life was frequently in jeopardy due to his fearless proclamation of the gospel. He penned these wonderful words for us to ponder.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV)

Many of us suffer from a deeply seated fear of death that robs us of joy and holds us in bondage.

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews gives us the welcome news that Jesus solved this problem and liberated those of us who have been held captive by this fear.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15  and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV)

Eventually our natural physical life must come to an end. There is a sting to death. It is the end of our earthly dreams and ambitions. It is a temporary separation from those we love. It is a departure from what we know in order to face what is now largely unknown. It is a transition of having some power to direct our lives into a realm of seeming powerlessness.

The Bible tells us that sin is the sting of death. When a Brown Recluse spider stings a person, the usual result is death to the tissue around the bite. The human race was stung by sin in the Garden of Eden and continues to be stung every day. Death always accompanies this bite. The power of that first sting ravaged all of creation. Death is unnatural in the sense that it was not a part of God’s original design.

God, Who is Life itself, made us to live; therefore, death is a contradiction of Who God is.

Even though all human beings must deal with the aftershocks of sin, which include God’s judgment of sin via death, Christ has provided victory through His cross and resurrection. The Law, on the other hand, gives sin and death a stranglehold on the human race by clearly pointing out and condemning us for our sinfulness. In order to set us free, God had to introduce what C.S. Lewis calls a “deeper magic” in his Tales of Narnia. The Bible calls it God’s hidden wisdom.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7  But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8  None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 (ESV)

Christ took our sin upon Himself. He actually became sin and received the attached judgment of death, so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

As a result, we have been blessed in several ways, which include the gift of eternal life. Now, as Jesus proclaimed, even though we die physically, we shall live spiritually. In fact, in reality we shall never die because He is the Resurrection and will someday raise our physical bodies back to life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (ESV)

Jesus is now the Lord of Life as well as Lord over death. He has the keys of hell and death. Our lives and physical death are now exclusively under His authority. What then is physical death for the believer? How we view death will greatly influence whether we fear it or not.

Death no longer should be viewed as a final separation or end, but as a homecoming and a beginning.

The Bible tells us that God regards the death of His saints as a precious thing. (Psalm 116:15) The Hebrew word here means “precious, splendid, rare, or weighty.” For God, death is His opportunity to welcome us into a new realm and dimension of life in which we can more fully enjoy Him, and He, us.

Look at what Paul wrote.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7  for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 (ESV)

Paul actually looked forward to his own demise because he had already been given a glimpse of what awaited him in the heavenly realms. If we could see as clearly as Paul did, we would never fear death.

May God open our eyes to the true nature of our physical death! It is the doorway to life eternal in the very presence of God. Jesus could not wait to get back to His Father. We really have little idea yet of how good our homecoming will be!

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)

If you are facing death, now is the time to meditate on the victory over death we have in Christ. Now is the time to participate in the peace that passes understanding. We must learn to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out to us:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (ESV)

Do we believe this? The things we are facing or will face eventually are designed to provide a setting for the Spirit of God to reveal to us in a personal way that Jesus is our Life, a life that never ends and is absolutely fulfilling – eternal, resurrection life.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:7-10 (ESV)

A confrontation with death, then, is actually an invitation from God to know the Lord Jesus Christ as the Resurrection and the Life. The light shines most brightly in the worst darkness.

This chapter is taken from my book, Seeing God’s Smile When Life Is Difficult, which can be ordered from Amazon. This book is designed to help people through severe trials, but is helpful to all who wish to live by overcoming faith.

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Gospel in a Minute: The Prince of Peace Is Lord of All

Gospel in a Minute

When Peter was summoned to the home of the Roman Centurion named Cornelius to make the first gospel presentation to the Gentiles, he opened his remarks with this summation.

This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:36 (NLT)

Principle: The Prince of Peace Is Lord of All

The gospel always presents Jesus in the dual role of Savior and Lord.

We have peace with God because Jesus died for our sins as the Lamb of God, taking our guilt and punishment upon himself. His resurrection proved that his sacrifice on our behalf was accepted. It also validated his claim to be the Lord of Lords, the Jewish Messiah King. We have peace with God, having been justified or put back into a right relationship with him through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Lord.

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:25 (NLT) 
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1 (NLT)

When we share the gospel we owe it to God and to our listeners to present Jesus in his dual role of Prince of Peace and Lord of All. Otherwise we may misrepresent God and shortchange our hearers.

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Surrender, Unconditional Peace, and the Secret Place

 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! 6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NET)

In warfare, peace often comes through one side unconditionally surrendering. As long as two opposing wills still contend, there can be no peace. God first revealed himself as Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord Who Is Peace, to Gideon, immediately after commissioning him to go to battle against Israel’s enemies.

In a severe trial, if our wills are battling against God’s, divine peace comes through our unconditional surrender to God.

We are surrounded by Satan’s demonic forces who wish to destroy us, but, oddly enough, sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Our sin and the fear and mistrust in our hearts toward God can sabotage our efforts to be true to Him. God has a plan for our lives, but if we stubbornly and fearfully refuse to go along with that plan, we can end up in an unprotected place outside of God’s best for our lives, in need of His correction and deliverance.

Surrender to God and His will requires that we lay down our own agendas and our desire to control our lives.

It means that we must be open to the possibility that God will require us to go through something we dread. Unless we unconditionally surrender to God, we cannot have unconditional peace. By “surrendering” I do not mean that we passively submit to evil. Instead, when we find ourselves under attack, our first responsibility is to turn to God and acknowledge that he is sovereign over all things, including my current situation.

Unless God allows something to enter our lives, it will not happen. I am not hereby declaring that God is the author of evil, sin, suffering, or sickness. I am saying that God’s sovereignty transcends all these things in a magnificent and mysterious way that is beyond explaining.

Wisdom tells us that, no matter what God allows to come into our lives, we are first to acknowledge His sovereignty, seek Him and His will, and then engage the enemy as directed.

When the Philistines attacked David, his first response was to seek the Lord, Who gave him specific instructions regarding how to proceed.

Too often Christians flail about in sometimes misguided attempts to fend off the attack, rather than seek the Lord, Who may be allowing the attack in order to do a deep work in the believer.

When Jesus stood before Pilate, our Lord declared that the Roman ruler could only do to Him what God allowed.

So Pilate said, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the authority to release you, and to crucify you?” 11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of greater sin.” John 19:10-11 (NET)

Before going to the cross, at which time darkness would temporarily rule, Jesus first did business with His heavenly Father – the real Ruler in every situation.

When we are about to enter a trial or are in the middle of one, we should first go to God and be sure our hearts and wills are submitted to what He wants to accomplish in our lives through the trial. It is only against that backdrop of trust and submission that we can know more perfectly what other actions we must take. If instead we simply begin to engage in what we might want to call “spiritual warfare,” we may find ourselves unhappily resisting God Himself. Imagine if Jesus had rebuked Satan instead of surrendering to death as God’s Lamb! This is what Peter advised his Master to do, but Jesus rebuked his misguided friend by telling him that he did not have the things of God in mind. Imagine how foolish it would be for us to fearfully rebuke a pending trial that may be the avenue of our knowing Christ as Provider, Healer, or in whatever other way we need to know Him!

Check in with God first. Find out what He wants to do; then, join His program. This is what it means to have Christ as Lord.

A severe trial will often cause whatever rebelliousness and fear we still may have deeply buried in our hearts to bubble to the surface. God knew it was there all along, but we may be surprised to discover what is hidden inside of us.

The fire of affliction tests and reveals our hidden motives and the nature and strength of our faith. If we know God loves us enough to expose these things in order to deliver us, we will better be able to endure the process by faith.

Unless we go through the fire, we never know for sure what is inside us. Until we face our fears, our faith is somewhat of a mystery. Soldiers who have never been in combat wonder what they will do under fire. No one can know for sure ahead of time. Once we go through our first battle, however, we know.

That which we dread can become for us the gateway into great faith and confidence after we have faced it and found that God’s grace enables us to overcome.

Job had to endure what he feared so that his subtle self-righteousness and proud indignation against God would bubble to the surface. God was far more interested in revealing Himself in a greater way to Job than in keeping him pain free.

When we realize that character transformation is a higher priority than our comfort and ease, we will begin to better understand God’s ways.

If we embrace God’s ways, we will be pliable in His hands for Him to mold us how He wishes.

As long as our peace hinges on a certain set of conditions or a certain answer to prayer, we will always be subject to our circumstances and miss out on experiencing real and lasting peace.

Being enslaved to our circumstances is a terrible way to live because we can never be completely at rest. What we dread could be just around the corner…and then what? It is no use trying to insulate ourselves from what we fear by “having enough faith.”

Faith was never designed to protect us from trials: rather, faith keeps us while we are in trials.

Ponder Christ’s words:

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage — I have conquered the world. John 16:33 (NET)

If we believe that trusting in Christ is our ticket to a trouble free life, we are in for a shock. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are actually appointed to tribulations.

We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you about your faith, 3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3 (NET)

Trials, afflictions, suffering and tribulations work for us. They teach us perseverance and build character. Here is what Paul wrote to the church in Rome.

Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (NET)

It is only when we reconcile ourselves to the fact that life will contain many difficult trials, and only when we choose to surrender to God in the midst of them, trusting in His love and power to accomplish in us His desire through them, that we are able to have peace that passes understanding. I call this “unconditional peace” because it does not depend on any outward circumstance or condition. Whether we live or die, we have peace. Whether we get the answer we want or not, we have peace.

Peace resides in a Person, and His name is Jesus. As we fully surrender to that Person, we receive all of what that Person has and is.

One of His titles is the Prince of Peace. His peace becomes our peace, a peace that can never be shaken.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. John 14:27 (NET)

Moses wrote about this place of surrender and peace. It is a secret place hidden from life’s storms and the threats of the enemy. It is a place where God’s peace and presence reign undisturbed. We have access to that secret place by surrendering unconditionally to God’s will for our lives.

As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign One, and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty king — 2 I say this about the LORD, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust. Psalm 91:1-2 (NET)

Surrendering to God’s will and plan for our lives will not make us passive. In fact, we will find that, as we unconditionally surrender to God, great faith will rise up in our hearts – faith to overcome.

 

This chapter is taken from my book, Seeing God’s Smile When Life Is Difficult, which can be ordered from Amazon. This book is designed to help people through severe trials, but is helpful to all who wish to live by overcoming faith.

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