Peace can be godly
Peace can also be fleshly
We need to know the difference
The cost of Peace can be an unwillingness to speak out for the Lord
The ramifications of not speaking for the Lord could be vast
If we refuse to speak the truth in love
or stand up for righteousness
or lend a hand in speech to someone who needs to hear a harsh word,
or a kind word, or just the truth
Are we choosing peace and refusing to confront wickedness
when the Lord is asking us to do so?
We can be guilty if we hold our tongues:
But if the watchman see the sword come,
and blow not the trumpet,
and the people be not warned;
if the sword come, and take any person from among them,
he is taken away in his iniquity;
but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. Ezekiel 33:6
Avoiding confrontation is not necessarily true peace
It can be extremely selfish to demand peace
An example: You have the answer and you withhold it
because you don’t want to bother to help the person
that has fallen into the pit or snare
Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry himself and not be heard. Proverbs 21:13
Think more deeply on the meaning of the poor
They can be poor in spirit,
poor in knowledge of the Lord,
poor in emotional strength,
poor in many ways
It can also have nothing to do with you and a lack of peace
can fall on the other party
where nothing you say or do will bring peace
There is a time for everything,
so it is not always to speak or to continue speaking
Yesterday, I was in a discussion with someone who wanted to debate
and he was surprised I didn’t want to continue our discussion
I did not want to because all that could be said had been said
and he thought what he thought and I thought what I thought
He was walking in false doctrine
False doctrine is very difficult to break through
Once someone has accepted false doctrine as truth,
then the only one who can unravel them is God Himself
A reminder of the importance of loving the truth
I suggested he pray and fast to hear clearly from the Lord
So for the sake of wasting time and energy and I suppose peace,
I chose not to go around in circles with this guy
Peace
Jesus is the Prince of Peace
There is peace found in Him
There is no true peace apart from Him
Peace with Jesus will bring enmity with the world
and with those who love the world
Darkness and light cannot dwell together:
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
And what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14
Listening to the Holy Spirit is vital
so we can be fit for the Master’s use and exercise discernment:
Is this a beneficial discussion or should I shut it down?
I saw a meme today someone had made on social media
I found it empty and immature
I, I, and I
The jest of it:
‘If I don’t want to talk to you, it is to preserve my peace’
Jesus wants us to obey the Holy Spirit
He wants us to speak out for Him and His word
as the Holy Spirit opens the doors
so that others’ hearts will be touched to help them draw near to God
If you obey the Holy Spirit, you will have the peace of Jesus
Jesus, let us not be selfish with what You have given us,
the grace, the revelations, the knowledge
If we are to cut off a conversation or even a relationship,
let us realize that but let it not interfere
with what you would like us to do for You
That is, let us not cut off someone because we are in the flesh
and we don’t want to go the extra mile to explain something
or to forgive or to let things go
Let us have wisdom to know what You want us to say
and how we are to respond
You may be wanting to use us with that person that gets under our skin,
and if that is the case,
please make it clear to us
and let us be willing vessels