Fear Not ... Receive the Peace of Jesus!

     In John 14:27, Jesus tells us, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives to you; do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled; nor let it be fearful. That's easier said than done these days, isn't it? Only those who choose to be blinded can ignore what is coming upon the earth. It is hard to pretend that anything else is on my radar, or that I need to be writing about something else. For the last three months, we have seen the world immobilized by the threat of a pandemic. And for the last two weeks civil unrest has dominated our TV screens, and racism and injustice seem to be the only words that anyone can speak. And that isn't even considering the "rumors of wars", the movement to "defund" law enforcement in our nation, and the predictions of an unusual and prolific hurricane season. It feels as if our lives [and the earth] have been robbed of their peace and stability.
    All of this combines to produce fear and confusion among all people. Even those who profess faith in Jesus Christ find themselves wondering where this will all lead, and if we will be protected from the manifestations of wickedness among men. I cannot predict how far current events will go, but I can tell you that my Pentecost experience was so profound! [And I find it interesting that the Enemy was able to orchestrate men's hearts to do his evil just prior to that holy convocation... hoping to forestall an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, perhaps?]. 
     But the small group of us who met in our home to call for the Holy Spirit to bring fresh anointing and prophetic destinies were not disappointed! Jesus opened a door to the glory of Heaven and invited us in to experience not only His Presence, but His empowerment and forewarning. This is what I heard the Lord say in my spirit: "The Darkness is coming, but there's no need to fear. You have done well with what I've given you; I'm giving you more. Step into this new territory and do not be distracted by the world. Look neither to the left nor the right, but stay focused on Me and I will lead the way". 
     My husband, Mark, heard nearly the same thing, as did the other participants ... the Darkness is coming. But Mark heard something very specific ... "I am giving you a hammer, but will tell you when it's time to use it". We all felt joined in the spirit that we are to know the Darkness is coming; but so is empowerment, and we will be Overcomers in the Lord! And with that statement, John 16:33 comes to mind: "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world". It's a very sobering message; but strengthening and fortifying at the same time. I'm still trying to take it all in!  
     And as difficult as it may be for some of you, I think it's time we get honest with each other and ourselves. I want you to see that in that verse, Jesus offers Peace, but He promises Tribulation! And note in the opening Scripture I mentioned (John 14:27), Jesus says He leaves His peace with us, and He gives His peace to us. It's there for us! But we may only have it IF we receive it; IF we open our hearts to experience it. Can you see that we are responsible for having peace? And that if we make the free will decision to accept it, that peace will become centered in our heart? 
     That's what we need to realize about what we are seeing on the streets of America today -- God is exposing the condition of hearts! We can see the hearts that have been influenced by the Anti-Christ spirit; hearts filled with hate and rage; hearts mimicking Satan's goal to "steal, kill, and destroy". But I want you to understand that there are hearts rooted in the true spirit of Christ, too -- voices who pronounce that the violence and injustice our nation is experiencing comes from the kingdom of darkness, and that we must recognize that what we are seeing transcends the color of our skin and police brutality. We are in a spiritual war! Both sides of the battle in the streets have the same Enemy! He wants to destroy us, divide us, and drag us along with him on his way to eternal torment. Those are not my words, but the wise words of a young biracial man on Facebook. He recognizes that we need to "address the real matter, [which is] the heart and what flows from it!"
     Jesus has always been concerned primarily with the condition of our heart. In fact, He told the prophet Samuel, "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). So, there's a difference between the people whose hearts are pure and clean, and wish to call attention to injustice, and still promote the brotherhood of man -- and the people whose hearts are corrupted and only wish to inflict pain, chaos, and death.
    My goal in writing the post today is two-fold ... First, to tell you that the Darkness is growing; Jesus said it would in Matthew 24. He told us that we will be persecuted and hated for His name's sake. Many will stumble in their faith and hate one another; false prophets will lie and mislead; lawlessness will increase; and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures til the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). 
     "Saved" here does not merely mean "saved from eternal death as a believer in Jesus Christ". We must look at the full context of what Jesus is talking about in this passage. It is in context to "the end" mentioned in this verse and the next, in which Jesus says, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come. He's talking about the end of the kingdom of darkness [that we are witnessing in the lawlessness today], and from which we will be delivered into [saved for] the glorious presence of our Lord to rule and reign with Him. 
     So, yes the Darkness, is coming but we have been given hope [and peace] to endure. And this brings me to my second goal.... I don't want you to concentrate on all the negativity that the Media is trying to spread. They are a useful tool for the Anti-Christ spirit. When the Lord says we may have peace in untroubled hearts, you need to see that there are messages of hope in the midst of the darkness, and then let that hope and peace manifest in your heart. There's a beautiful video of men and women of all colors gathering together in Lynchburg, VA so they might praise the Lord and glorify their common Savior. This video is in contrast to the negative seeds being sown by so many. So, don't let the hate drown out the voices of these faithful people raised in mutual awe and adoration of Jesus! You may have the peace of the Lord, if you seek it, choose to receive it, and share it! Remember ... the Darkness may be coming, but there's no reason or need to fear ... it will never put out the Light! Be the Light! 

Psalm 27:14    Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!