PEACE AND FAITH
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also…John 14:12 NKJV
Peace is deep assurance and confidence that is unruffled by the circumstances in the atmosphere. The gift of faith is the God given ability to command or decree in the name of Jesus the impossible to come to pass according to what the Lord has shown you by revelation. One is the third fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians Five, and the other the third gift listed in 1 Corinthians Twelve. They go together like peas and carrots as Forrest Gump would say. They are the power twins that allow you to walk in the miraculous glory of Heaven, and do the will of God anywhere.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27-28 NKJV
You can’t have peace in your heart if war is still simmering in there.
“NO! I DON’T HAVE TO!” The after-church ministry session got decidedly more interesting when a demon began to manifest. Three ladies were trying to help another lady get free of a demon, and the demon wasn’t cooperating. I finished with my person, folded my arms and watched before deciding to get involved. “Mister demon, why don’t you have to come out of her?” I said. “Her father raped her when she was thirteen and I don’t have to come out!” it responded. I knew immediately what I had to do. I had to get her to forgive her father because unforgiveness in her gave the demon authority to defy the name of Jesus. Do you get it?
I said, “I want to speak to Catherine (not her real name)!” The snarling face changed to normal. “Catherine, let’s pretend I’m your father. Catherine, what I did to you when you were thirteen was wrong. Will you forgive me?” She looked up at me, and in the voice of a thirteen-year-old said, “Daddy, I forgive you!” Instantly, she was in her right mind.
RM loves to put a stew on in the morning in the crockpot and let it simmer all day, filling the house with delightful scents and making dinner prep easy. Unforgiveness is like that…it simmers in us for a long time at low heat but it is YOU AND I that are being cooked! Jesus said that the Father would deliver us to tormenting demons – torturers – if we did not forgive those who have transgressed against us (Mt.18:34,35).
Let’s dive into forgiveness briefly before developing more of the practical side of peace and the gift of faith. It’s incredible how much peace and joy we leave on the table because we don’t practice forgiveness all the time!
Forgiveness out of love is the basis of all relationships.
I learned in traffic school one time that almost three traffic laws are broken for every mile a driver drives. I suspect that is true, but I can more authoritatively state you won’t walk a mile with someone before they say or do something, usually innocently, that rubs you the wrong way. Forgiveness is the grease in the wheels of relationship!
When I minister in forgiveness I have the person declare four things, and I’ll tell you why.
The four things are: who they are, what they did, then declaring ‘I forgive you’ and ‘I love you.’ I will have them do this even if the person they are forgiving is dead because even though they are dead, what they did is still very much alive in the other persons heart. They can do this effectively before God without the offender necessarily even being there. Declaring who they are is obvious – for your sake you must be clear about who you are forgiving. Then you have to declare what they did. This can be painful but you must deal with the reality of what happened, not bury it. You are confessing the forgiveness of a sin against you.
To forgive means to release from the penalty of that sin. You are releasing the offender from any claim in your heart of them owing you anything. Do you see?
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. Luke 15:22 NKJV
Finally, you want to restore them to the place of honor they had in your heart before the wrongdoing was done – this is where the rubber meets the road, the true excellence of forgiveness. This can be hard too, but it is exactly how God forgives us. Think of the parable of the forgiving father! You don’t necessarily have to be this thorough, but if the memory of the deed is still painful, walk through these steps thoroughly. Then rejoice!
Peace allows your ‘inner telephone system’ to call Heaven, and take calls from Heaven without a lot of static. It’s amazing to consider the detail of revelation that can come to you when you are at peace. Incredible insight…amazing details! I went to Rwanda one time to minister in a conference and the Lord showed me the history of the country for 150 years without any effort on my part – I understood it – all of which proved to be true, and allowed effective ministry in that conference. I’ve laid hands on dear ones and known exactly what was wrong with them. I’ve found people in a country when I only knew their name, and had no access to the internet or any other information source. I’m nobody special…you can do this too!
The gift of faith is revelation and peace activated through authority. It’s a gift freely given which is why children walk so effectively in it until they are taught the unbelief of the adults. You want to get healed? Get some bright young one freshly anointed (Ps. 92:10) out of Carl’s children’s church, or Bill and Lorna’s kids, to pray for you…BAM! You’re good to go…
The gift of faith starts with peace that is the seedbed for revelation. The older I get, the more I value the early moments of the day. Ministry here at Lightbearers begins at 545am most days, and runs all day long, so I have to get up at ‘0-dark-30’ to get time with the Lord and be in the presence of God. I love those times! Rex the worship dog and I awaken the dawn with our praise around the fountain of living waters outside my office (we don’t let Rex praise too loudly (Ps. 150:6) because he will awaken the neighbors!). Revelation comes in those early quiet moments to release the gift of faith to produce miracles. Someone once said that if your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s too small. God’s vision is always way bigger than ours…and He is willing to release it to you and I!
Seek the Lord for the fruit of peace and the gift of faith. Then find ways to sow both! One of the great equations of faith is that you are always ‘in’ what you are giving ‘out.’ If you want Heaven, sow Heaven. If you want hell, sow hell. If you want part Heaven and part hell, sow both…because you are always ‘in’, what you are giving ‘out.’ Capische? Love you!
Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…