Bob Cassell, Messenger

Have you discovered an abiding peace in your life or does such an objective appear to be out of reach? A quick view of this subject, on the internet, will lead you to much uncertainty. Opinions abound but not many legitimate answers define how to find real peace. If you could find real peace, would you know it, would it stay with you, and could you define it and pass it on to others.

If I propose there is a divine provision of perfect peace for everyone, right away, there would be division, as the scriptures proclaim there is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked. Isa 48:22.

It is also proclaimed, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall garrison your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:7

This divine provision of perfect peace is directly related to a believer’s standing or position in Jesus Christ. If an individual has placed all of their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, that person is a member of the royal family of God and is perfected forever.

For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Heb. 10:14.

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal.3:26.

But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal body by his spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8:11

As a believer in Christ, who is in union with him, you are privileged to share all he is and has. For example, he is eternal life and perfectly righteous. The believer has that life and righteousness by imputation; that is, Jesus is life and possesses eternal life, so that when we believe in him, we are in him, and share all of his divine assets. However, only a rare few within the church assembly, truly realize all the blessings God has prepared for them before the world began.

Many believers are so busy building their own castles, making their own lives, seeking things, and building relationships, that they overlook God’s promises for their lives. For every believer there is a place of perfect inner peace, joy, strength, and full assurance. These inner provisions are available moment by moment, and day by day. They are made effectual by simply reading, believing, and claiming the promises that are proclaimed in the written word of God.

Difficult things are going to occur in every Christian’s life. There will be tests, pressures, problems and circumstances that appear too difficult to bear. Yes, we are only humans with many weaknesses and inabilities, but has any of these human limitations taken our sovereign God by surprise? A thousand times no! He knows we are weak and need strength outside ourselves and has provided for every exigency, and occurrence that may be contemplated.

Let me ask you a question. What do you need that you don’t have, within yourself, that will enable you to meet all of the pressures and trials of life? You need something outside yourself that is superior to human understanding and limitations.

Do you believe you can prepare yourself for the greatest trial, the most devastating heartbreak, and the greatest loss ever, by simply having a better attitude or by employing your best positive thinking? Have you?

Doesn’t work, does it? Not for very long… human solutions are just that, human and are just as limited as the best that can come from human and transitory solutions. So, are you permitted to look beyond human understandings and solutions? Yes, you are, and those solutions are available for you in TIME, but please know, they will be ineffectual after your demise and will not be needed in eternity.

Let’s take a moment and pull back the curtain to discover just what our magnificent God has provided for your needs and what has been written about them for over two thousand years.

None of them are new and none has taken God by surprise. The first consideration, that may put you on solid ground, is to realize nothing can happen to you…. nothing, until it has God’s approval on it to work for your highest good and his ultimate glory. Let me say that to you again, because with all of your emptiness, doubts and hurt you may need to hear it again and then, truly believe it. It is pure gold, because it is from the ultimate source of truth, the infallible word of God!

Nothing can ever happen to you, as a member of Gods royal family, until it has Gods approval on it to work for your highest good and his ultimate glory.

Whatever your needs may be God has already considered them and says to you.…

My God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

Notice this promise is in the singular and means God meets your needs one at a time, just as you are to live one day at a time, you are to trust God to meet your needs, one need at a time.

We can only live one day at a time, but what a day this day is, as this is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24.

Are you aware of all the promises in the word of God? Few Christians realize the more than seven thousand promises that are designed for time, which are to be claimed, every day we live on this depreciating and wasting away earth. We are so busy living our lives, running to and fro, doing what we think must be done, and busily overlooking one of the great promises in the word of God.

There is a high road of peace and rest just waiting for you, it is a place of inner joy and strength, a place of stability, power, and impact. The good news is these great assets are within the reach of every Christian!

No matter what happens, no matter how difficult the circumstance, no matter how great the pressure, testing or problem, you most certainly can have the “super surpassing peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”

In Hebrews 4:9-11, our attention is drawn to something unusual, it is a place of rest, peace, blessing, and power. Let’s read it!

There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

All of these spiritual assets are available for every believer to trust in, moment by moment, and trial after trial. These promises are emblazoned in the word of God, and yet many believers fail to recognize, know, or utilize their grace provisions.

The fact that you have these great promises means you need to use them, you need to stop, look, listen and claim them as though your life depends on them, it does!

Satan would have you to believe, now that you are a believer, you will never have any problems. Stand by for a shock! You are living an unscathed life, if you have never been in a situation where the brook you are crossing is bone dry, where you are stunned, and your body can’t stand under such a great and overwhelming catastrophe.

You never dreamed something like this would happen, maybe to someone you know, but certainly not to you.

Sooner or later God will see you at the end of your human resources; when things look hopeless, and you don’t know what to think, where to go, or what to do. It may be a relief to know that Jesus said something about you facing a dried-up brook.

These things have I spoken unto you that you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulations, i.e., the dried-up brook. But be of good cheer I have overcome the world. John 16:33.

God is the master of all hopeless situations, there is hope for everyone; even for the unbeliever the admonition is, put all of your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. For the Christian, it is Stop, look, listen and take time to truly learn, believe and apply his word.

Give it a serious try. You may be shocked to realize the power and influence the word of God will have on your mind when you are busy thinking his thoughts after him and are not surrounding yourself with erratic, limited and undependable human viewpoint. That is, when you take time to be fully occupied with the person of the book i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ and place all, 100%, of your faith in him.

Consider for a moment the power and focus that can be realized when you memorize and carry in your mind this powerful and spiritually equipping scripture. I challenge you to STOP, just for a few moments, please do not fade away, spiritual answers are here, just for you, in the time of your greatest need.

Hebrews 12:1-3, Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds. Amazingly powerful!

Think about this powerful scripture for a few moments. It is so easy, yet unwise, to read this portion of scripture and then not allow time for its roots to be established in your mind. If the word is not established in your mind, it will fade away and will not return until you return to it.

Let’s consider a means to retain his holy word that is far beyond the first reading. Look at the verses, read them over and over again while thinking about the meaning. Then, determine to memorize each verse.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with the many scriptures you don’t know, overwhelm yourself with how many you can know… not all can be memorized in a single day, but add some today, some tomorrow, and the next day.

Isa 28:10, Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; (notice the repetition), line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.

If you retain only one scripture a week for a year, you will have 52 verses in your mind for the rest of your life, and you’ll feel good about it; and you will have ready references for many subjects that will be posed by sincere inquirers. Get ready for God appointed assignments; he will use the prepared mind that is saturated with his word.

Remember you are inculcating the mind of Christ into your mind, and… Every word of God is pure, he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (Prov. 30:5) This word, which is his mind, will be in you.

When his word is within you, you have the means to operate, think, and produce by using his mind as the basis of operations. i.e., your launching pad! As a result of taking the time to memorize his word… You will have the distinct opportunity to exchange human viewpoint for Divine viewpoint, and you will be thinking his thoughts after him.

Taking in his word is not complicated, Satan would have you to think otherwise, but remember he is a liar and the father of it. Jn 8:44. This time i.e., today, is a time of opportunity if you but seize the passing moments that are individual and many times, new.

Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, Proverbs 27:1, Ps 118:24, This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad therein.

A very good friend of mine once wisely said, just after I had asked him if he was happy and well-adjusted to his retirement.

“Well Bob, he said, I am so thankful to be where I am in life… it would almost be ungrateful not to be content.”

I was so impressed by this impromptu response that I asked him to repeat it. He did, and I have shared that unique statement of gratitude with thousands who have seen the wisdom of a simple and God honoring human being who was more impressed with all that God was doing for him than all he had done or was doing for God.

This is what I define as RIGHT THINKING. It is a viewpoint that first looks to God and BOWS with a thankful heart at who and what he is and not at who and what we are.

I love this wise and gentle man; he is still alive at 91 and is one of my very best friends. I think you can see why I love him and respect his God first thinking! This is a living example that can be realized when our thoughts, instinctively, first consider our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

How are you to be occupied with your Savior? You must look to him in and through his word. Here is a clear picture for your looking!

Heb 12: 2-3, Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, victorious over sin, death, hell, and the grave. vs 3, for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your mind.

Every believer in Christ has every reason to look first to him and to the powerful and mighty assets he left specifically for your use on the battlefield. Remember, we have over seven thousand spiritual artillery pieces to combat any attack directed toward us as we march forward on the spiritual battlefield of life.

Satan is not afraid of you nor of your emotional dust in the air, bench jumping, frothing at the mouth sincere efforts. He is too much for you, but he is not too much for a trusting Child of God who knows and claims the pertinent promises that are designed for time, in crises, in fear, and in the onslaughts of Satan and his damned demons.

How would you feel if you knew, for sure, the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them. Ps 34: 7.

How do you feel now? You can and should know you are fortified by the angel of the lord… says so right here!!

It is the mighty word of God that is with you and enables you to rest in peace during and through any testing, or trial. You indeed, are on a real spiritual battlefield, and you are either going forward as a victor or you will retreat as a victim.

A victim, stops and bows when the opposition presses too close. A victor attacks by using the armor that is provided for every Christian soldier. Notice the description of a well-equipped Christian soldier, It is more than impressive!

Ephesians 6:10-17, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

May I ask, are you aware you cannot become the spiritually mature believer you are designed to be unless you experience, in combat, the trial of your faith?

This may not go down easy, but one of the most amazing things God does for you is to give things you don’t want.

Because he knows what is good for you, he gives difficulties and hardships so that you will wake up and realize he expects you to lean on him and truly believe he is the living God, who is ever present in your life.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths, Prov. 3:5,6.

Give it a try… what have you got to lose, stop, look and listen to the truth, promise, and power that is in his holy word! This portion of scripture is just for you and is one of your greatest weapons, and it is primed, ready and prepared to launch into enemy territory.

To go forward without being clothed in the armor of God and the failure to use the vast arsenal of available spiritual weapons is to be alone with no weapon and face to face with an angry demon who will have no mercy.

The gracious Lord who saves and who you serve, expects you to be aware of his promises, embrace them, know them, and by faith claim them as if you are the last person on earth that will believe and trust him for all things.

In the event you are living under difficult circumstances as opposed to living on top, through and in front of them, you have some alternatives. You can stop what you are doing that is not working and embrace and employ a new tool that will work.

You are not in a hopeless situation; you may think you are, but perhaps you are so enveloped by the immediate problem that you can’t see through or beyond it to a solution that may be closer than you think. You may have held on to the problem for so long that you won’t let go to embrace a solution.

I am sure you are familiar with the statement; you can’t see the forest for the trees. The negative aspects of your remedies may have imprisoned you to hopelessness and despair. You may feel as though you are blind and can’t see anything beyond what you have already attempted. So, if you keep on doing what is not working, odds are it will keep on not working. You either give up or circle around the problem in the same manner as before or you find a new tool or a solution that will work.

So, let’s not forget our subject! It is a generic word called peace. How can anyone have true peace when unresolved problems are constantly surfacing, from within, that affect almost everything you are facing on the outside.

Your alternatives are to truly believe God’s word and therein, find a place of rest and deposit all of your care on him. Alternatively, you can doubt his sure word and be totally miserable. I am guessing you have tried many options that have not provided correct solutions and feel you are on a treadmill, on and on you go, but without success.

What if, on the other hand, God opens your mind and you ask Him, God, what would you have me to do? Will he provide a response to this question? God says to you…. look at my word, the arsenal you need is in writing. It is, “Believer, lean on me… trust in ME! I have given you my word, my promises and the bible information are there, just waiting for you to discover and claim.

God admonishes you and declares, I have promises that will carry you to the end of your life, but you must know them, and then you must believe them, and apply them to your specific problems. What a tragedy it is to overlook or fail to claim this powerful portion of his infallible and reassuring word. Notice closely!

For in the time of trouble (your time) he shall hide me in his pavilion, that’s a promise to you, in the secret of his tabernacle, that is a place close to him, shall he hide me, he shall set me upon a rock, Ps. 27:5.

We know that one day in eternity future we will have no more sorrow, pain, worry or impossible circumstances. But our primary concern is with the promises that affect us now, while we are in this tabernacle of flesh with all of our seemingly impossible circumstances.

God allows difficulties, pain and suffering in order to try your faith in him, to discipline you, to teach you the benefits of standing on his promises.

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning YOU, 1 Thess. 5:18

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes, Ps 119:71

I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me, Ps. 119:75.

Without the thorns there is no sweetness in the rose. Adversity is a serious challenge for you to increase your knowledge of bible information; for you to become spiritually self-sustaining and thereby, meet with success every challenge and test you may face. Something wonderful has been provided for you and his character stands behind each promise. Meditate on this blessed and sustaining gift.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature i.e., godlikeness through spiritual maturity. 2 Pet. 1:4

The thief on the cross, asked the son of God, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered immediately, THIS DAY, not tomorrow, you shall be with me in paradise.

Call on him and he will hear you and he will save you immediately.

Romans 10:13 Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

He knows where you are, who you are, and he will save anyone who trusts him, he doesn’t reject, he saves, but after you breathe your last it will be too late.

Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?  You can’t!

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

Romans 10:9 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.