Peace of God (Day 10.4)
February 7, 2010 by Christine
Filed under BF-Week 10
We’re back at the Bible Cafe experiencing the satisfaction and peace of God through our Beth Moore study of Breaking Free Updated Edition. What a display of His love for us-upon breaking free from captivity.
Today we learn about satisfaction and peace of God, and how those gifts are revealed in us. We know the key to peace is submitting to God’s authority with our own obedience. Many times, this submission is uncomfortable, or even difficult, as we’re tempted by the enemy to follow our own hearts, and not God’s heart.
Are you seeking peace?
When you experience peace, do you display this gift to others?
Prayer Requests
Pray with me, Isaiah 55:12
(Your name) will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before (Your name), and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Beth Moore Quotes
- He promises that those who empty themselves of other pleasures will have themselves filled by only something He can give-Beth Moore
- If we pour out our lives to satisfy the needs of the oppressed, God will be faithful to satisfy our needs-Beth Moore
- Captives truly set free are the most compassionate people in the world-Beth Moore
- The key to peace in our lives is submitting to God’s authority through obedience-Beth Moore
Today’s Scripture Verses
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18
If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:18
Group Discussion
What examples have you seen, when the satisfied soul display’s God’s splendor or peace? Is there a specific ministry, person or event that has displayed this beauty? How do you reveal His peace to others?
Breaking free,
Several years back my church set up Sunday School in the nearby projects. For the inaugural visit we did a big picnic and grilled hamburger and hot dogs. Gave out drinks and chips. We had a youth praise dancing team–several people got up and gave their testimonies of their deliverances & how they were now serving the Lord out of the overflow of their captivity and deliverance and we had many people come forward to accept Christ. At the end we handed out probably 3 to 400 bags of groceries we had bagged the night before with items donated by many vendors in the community off the back of a big truck. It was a wonderful day and you could feel the presence of the Lord there for sure. My husband didn’t want me to go because he didn’t feel it was safe. I told him that doing what God calls you to do is not always comfortable but I felt that God would protect us. When we got there the police were there with two cars and said they were glad we were there. They called the Pastor later the week after and said there are always several shootings a day in that housing authority and that during the time we were there there was no violence at all. This was a couple years ago and they are still doing sidewalk Sunday School there twice a month and helping clean up the homes of the elder citizens in the area who have no help. When you do this type of thing in obedience to the Lord you will definitely come away joy-filled.
We also bussed homeless men & women in to our Sunday evening services and bussed children from this same housing area for children’s church. We fed the homeless pastries that were donated the night before by Panera every week along with coffee. We would have an invitation at the end of service and I would sometimes help them up front with those who wanted to be prayed for & who wanted to confirm their salvation. I remember one night I prayed with this homeless gentleman and was able to relate some of my own personal struggles with his. We have such a stereo-typed opinion of the homeless so many times and it does them such injustice. Anyway, what pleased me the most that night was when we got done praying he asked me for a Bible and told me he had been raised in church but some of life’s turns had gotten him off track. He was given a Bible of course and he continued to come back every Sunday night and you could see perhaps some captivity lifted from his face.
Jesus calls us to the uncomfortable many times to not only minister but be ministered to. I miss these types of experiences and pray that will once again be obedient to these type of calls.
This lesson stirred these desires in me again.