PEACE IN UNCERTAINTY
BREAD
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:25-27 (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV)
7 “Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come– yes, let him foretell what will come. 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:7-8 (NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)
8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 1 Peter 3:8-14 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Peace without joy is contradictory. Joy is fundamental for the Christian; sorrow is peripheral. For the unbeliever, sorrow is fundamental and joy is peripheral.” Ravi Zacharias
“Lean hard upon Me, for I bring you through to new victories, and restoration shall follow what seems now to be a wind of destruction. Hold fast to My hand, and rest in My love, for of this you may be very certain: My love is unaltered; yes, I have you in My own intensive care. My concern for you is deeper now than when things are normal. Draw upon the resources of My grace, and so shall you be equipped to communicate peace and confidence to your dear ones. Heaven rejoices when you go through trials with a singing spirit. Your Father’s heart is cheered when you endure the test and do not question His mercy. Be like a beacon light. His own glorious radiance shall shine through you, and Christ Himself will be revealed.” Frances J. Roberts
“No joy can excel that of the soldier of Christ: Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet refreshment, that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily strife than others in their hours of rest.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Jesus is the Word made flesh and in Him is perfect peace – a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being. Therefore, as His followers we are to encourage one another, in the midst of life’s chaos and storms, with the living and powerful Word of God. As our Lord did, He spoke the Word and calmed the sea. Just as it was true then, it is still true today – His Word calms and He can speak it even through a donkey. His Word is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is able to divide soul and spirit, joint and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It is not to be merely idle words for us as Moses told the Israelites, it is to be our life. God’s Word is a balm for every needy soul – and truly, what soul isn’t needy?” BHY
“If the basis of peace is God, the secret of peace is trust.” J. Neville Figgis
“To the missionary who works only for visible results there are certainly many disappointments on the foreign field, and during the long pioneer days of waiting and of sowing seed, only the consciousness that one is doing his duty and obeying the Lord of the Harvest can keep the heart full of peace and full of faith as to the ultimate results.” Dr. Susanna Carson Rijnhart
“Worry is the great robber of peace and joy. What has it ever done for us except to make us miserable and steal away our valuable time? Can we really afford to give in to its far-reaching destruction? If we are a child of the King, if it is true that God is our loving Father and that all of His promises are for us and “yes” in Jesus, then what do we have to worry about?” BHY
“Believers have a dual existence: they are in Christ and in this world. In union with Jesus, His disciples have peace, but the world exerts a hostile pressure. The world system, the enemy of God and His people, opposed Jesus’ message and ministry. But Jesus won the victory over the system; He has overcome the world. As the ‘strong man’ who came and ruined Satan’s kingdom, Jesus is the Victor. Jesus wanted the disciples to remember this fact and to rejoice in His victory. Take heart! means ‘Be courageous.’ (In the New Testament the word ‘tharseœ’ [‘take heart, be courageous, cheer up’] was spoken only by the Lord.) Because He won they, in union with Him, can win also.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
“Anxiety is the result of preoccupation with the things in life that do not have eternal value. It is a signal that we are seeking to derive security or peace from something other than the Lord.” Michael Youssef
“And He looks you right in the eye & whispers: You have enough of Me & courage to do this hard thing. You have enough of Me & strength to not give up. You have enough of Me & love to keep on giving. You have enough of Me & peace to know that you are carried. You have enough of Me to simply rest. You have enough of Me — and I am enough. You are enough — because the great I AM is in you…and with you… and for you. And that alone is completely enough.” Ann Voskamp
HEART SAVOR
• We are kept in perfect peace when we maintain a steadfast mind, trusting in the Lord.
• Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
• In Jesus we have a peace which passes understanding.
****NOTE: In an effort to bring encouragement to others during these uncertain times I have recorded (albeit lamely!) some Scripture recitation. If you are interested in viewing these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram. I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_qN7T3hcFS/?igshid=h4yladothamz
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qNyn4BPt1/?igshid=5x7hdvwsxqkv
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_qNlO4BaD7/?igshid=1h7vmy7ehtvcy
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_qNhSHB_2A/?igshid=1uh84ar9zgehh
Also, we are beginning to post Bible Studies recorded on Anchor which may be of interest. Thus far we have James and we are now beginning Esther. The site is: https://anchor.fm/betsy44
Beth Yoe's Sharing Bread 