Today we are going to take a posture of peace by becoming aware of our inner peace.
Posture is a short audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything.
Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.
In John chapter 20 verses 19 through 22 it says,
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the
doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
Peace be with you.
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side, and the disciples were overjoyed
when they saw the Lord.
Again, Jesus said, Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.
And with that, he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit.
Inner peace, finding peace within yourself, peace of mind, so many are searching for these
things right now.
And I just love this moment in scripture.
I love what it illustrates to us about the presence of peace in our lives.
I've talked about this passage of scripture before, but it's a truth that I will always
be astonished by, because Jesus comes right through the doors that fear tries to lock
us behind.
He cannot be shut out or shut away from you today.
The Bible says that the presence of God now dwells in you.
And just notice the shift in the disciples when they realize this truth about the presence
of Jesus, never leaving them nor forsaking them.
They went from being totally locked in by fear to being overjoyed when they saw Jesus.
This is what happens when we become aware of his presence in our lives.
No matter the circumstances swirling around us, you know, there's still angry leaders
that were out to get the disciples.
There was still a broken world they were called to reach.
It wasn't that their lives became instantly easier or that the circumstances became fixed.
It was that their awareness became fixed on Jesus.
You know, when I used to search for inner peace, it's just some kind of relief from
the fear and anxiety I was dealing with.
I used to do so many unpeaceful things.
I used to be so hard on myself for not having all the answers or for feeling the way I did.
I used to scroll endlessly through social media, just trying to ignore or numb the anxiety
or the fear or the panicking thoughts.
I used to come to God's word or approach him in prayer like it was a transaction.
Like if I just did the right thing or read the right thing or said the right thing, God
would then fix my circumstances.
Instead of resting in my relationship with him, resting in his word, resting in his promises,
resting in the truth that he never leaves us nor forsakes us because he is now in us.
So today, if you're searching for inner peace, if you're feeling locked in by fear or worry
or condemnation, or if you just feel overwhelmed by the circumstances swirling around you,
I want to encourage you to do not all the things, just one thing.
Make a shift in your awareness.
Make a shift in what you are fixed on today.
Don't believe the lie that Jesus is distant from you or that he's unaware or unresponsive
to what fear is trying to do to you.
Instead, rest in the truth that your Prince of Peace is already in you.
Instead of searching out there for inner peace, instead of inviting peace to come to you,
invite him to rise within you.
Become aware of his presence today and let that awareness spread through your heart
and your mind.