ENJOYING PERFECT PEACE (PART 2)

"And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison" - Acts 12:6

Perfect peace is a wonderful thing. Peter had perfect peace when he was in prison, the night before his execution. How do I know? Because he went to sleep. By the decree of King Herod he was to be hung the next day. This had been arranged; it was decreed; Apostle James had been decapitated, but Peter went to sleep. He chose not to let what happened to James to determine his fate and mood.

Now, let’s think about it. Suppose you knew that tomorrow you were to die; how much sleep would you have tonight? Again, let me ask, how much sleep would you have if you were to be hanged tomorrow? No doubt, you would be hanged a thousand times in thought during the night! But here is Peter who has gone to sleep. The angel came into the cell and even the flashing glory of the angel’s presence did not wake him up. So the angel had to smite him on the hip; the chains fell off and God brought him out. There is not only faith at work here, but also trust and confidence, resulting in perfect peace!

How did he have that stupendous faith, trust and confidence to be able to go to sleep the night before his decreed execution? Because Jesus had said to him, “When thou art old another shall gird thee.” - Jn 21:18. This was to serve as a token to Peter that notwithstanding whatever may happen, he would die an old man. Peter would say to himself, “Herod says I am to die tomorrow, but I’m not old yet, and Jesus told me when I am old another shall gird me. Good night everybody!” So he went to sleep on the sure Word of Christ.

   Remember our text in the part 1 of our message? It says "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

Apostle Peter didn't only trust in Jesus, he obviously had his mind stayed on Christ and His Word to him: “When thou art old another shall gird thee.” - Jn 21:18. This was to me, a token from the Lord to him. Peter chose to believe the Lord and to let his mind be stayed on Him, so that he got perfect peace in the face of a life threatening circumstance.

   How often have we heard from the Lord but we chose not to believe or trust Him and that to our detriment. Perfect peace at a time as this is invaluable.To enjoy perfect peace, we are to keep our minds and our thoughts "stayed" or focused on God.

To do that we have to put the Word of God into our minds by meditating on it. Then our thinking will be in line with the Word of God, and satan won't be able to get a foothold in our thinking.

          If you're depressed, it's evidence that you aren't keeping your mind stayed on God. You're rather looking at circumstances. It means that you've let your attention move off of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. (Heb. 12:2.) The reason you're sinking into depression is because you quit looking at Jesus, you quit meditating on God's Word. You started looking at the wind and the waves around you, which caused you to fear. (Matt. 14:30.)

Have a great day! Happy Independence celebrations in retrospect!

PRAYER

May you experience perfect peace as you focus on God's Word to you, not withstanding any prevailing adverse circumstances, in Jesus name.