The Posture of Peace- Where is your peace Positioned

Welcome back to In the Moment. I'm Pastor Lindsey Jones, and I am so glad you decided to spend this moment with me.

Today, we are stepping into a word that the Lord has been dealing with me on — The Posture of Peace. And the question I want to leave with you before we even open the Word is this: Where is your peace positioned?

Not do you have peace — because most of us will say yes.
Not do you want peace — because everybody wants it.
But where is your peace positioned?

Because church, peace that is positioned in your circumstances will move when your circumstances move. Peace positioned in people will shake when people shake you. Peace positioned in your bank account will crash when the market crashes. But peace positioned in the presence of God — that peace will hold when everything else is falling apart.

We are going to walk through Mark chapter 4, where the disciples are in a boat with Jesus in the middle of a storm, and Jesus is asleep on a pillow. And I want you to see something today — the storm did not disturb His peace, because His peace was positioned in the Father. And that same peace is available to you.

So grab your Bible, grab something to write with, and let's get into it. Because in this moment — right where you are — God wants to reposition your peace.

Stay with me.

Transcript

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Bibles turn with me to Galatians chapter number five beginning at verse 22 through 24. That is our theme text as God has had us in this theme, the posture of virtue. He had us in his theme, the posture of virtue. And then we're going to jump over to Mark chapter number four thirty-five through thirty-nine. But Galatians 5 22 reads like this. But the fruit of the Spirit is love. We talked about love. Joy. We talked about joy last week. Peace. Long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law. And those who are in Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Turn with me to Mark four, beginning at verse thirty five. It says, On the same day when evening has come or had come, he said to them, Jesus is talking to his disciples here, let us cross over to the other side. Now when they had left the multitude, they took him along in the boat as he was, and other little boats also were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat onto the boat. So they was already, so that it was already filling. But he was at the stern, sleeping on a pillow. And they awoke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Put your Bibles down and let us talk to our Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father, we want to say thank you. Thank you for this moment that we have to glean from your word this morning. We ask God that you enlighten us, empower us, and give us a word that will change our lives. Let the words leap off the page and become lights in our bodies. Now, God, I ask for your forgiveness. If there's anything I said or did this week that is not like you, cast it in the sea of forgiveness and remember it no more. For this moment, I yield my mind, my spirit, my body, everything about me belongs to you, God. Use me for your glory. And God, I pray right now that you don't let them see me, but let them see and hear you. Hide me behind the cross, God, that they may see the fullness of your joy. Now, God, I ask that you touch the ears of the people that's going to hear this word. That it may change and transform them, God. That they may be able to do the good work that you have called them to do. And I bind the hand of the enemy that will try to bring distractions and technological issues, God. That this message goes across the airways and the people receive it without any interference, God. Do it now in Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. As we continue, and our overall theme, the virtue, or the posture of virtue, I want to leave this thought with you as we deal with the posture of peace. This message is entitled Where is your peace or where does your what where is your peace position? Sorry. Where is your peace position? What is peace? We have to explore this form or this word from two different perspectives. Because we live in a world that views peace differently from the way the believer views peace. The Merriam Webster dictionary breaks the word peace down to two forms. The first form is a noun, and the second form is a verb. And when we look at the definition from those two perspectives, we get two totally different meanings. It almost tells us exactly what we need to know about the word peace already. The noun form of peace is the world view. And the verb meaning of peace is the spiritual view. The posture of the believer needs to be the word peace from the spiritual point of view. Notice the difference. The noun is the world's view, the verb is the believer's posture of peace that we should be walking in there. Here now, the Apostle Paul gives us the third fruit of the spirit that the believers must consume and stand in, and that is peace. Not from the world's perspective, because the world's view of peace is circumstantial, meaning it is based on what is going on around you. This view we see or have seen, and even some of us have experienced it. Someone being rude to you doesn't say thank you for holding the door open, bumps you by accident without saying sorry, curses you out, or even try to put their bad day that they're having all on you, or try to project it on you. How does that saying go? Misery loves company. See, it's the enemy's position or the enemy's mission to go after your peace. Why? Because when your peace goes, your joy normally goes with it. When your peace goes, you get frustrated. When your peace goes, you lose all sense of things around you spiritually. Why? Because you're in a moment or in a place of unsettledness. So when the enemy comes and attacks you, he's gonna come after your peace. Why? Because he said if I get your peace, everything else will follow. Look at someone in the mirror or look at your friend or whoever you're standing next and say, I am not allowing you to take my peace. Ah, my peace is where I need to reside. My peace is where I need to stand. My peace is where I need to be now. But the believer's peace is not based on circumstances. Ah, the believer's peace is based on who we belong to. Ah, the Bible tells us in Romans 14, I'm sorry, Romans 8, 14 and 7, for as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you receive the spirit of adoption by whom we carry or we can cry out, I'm a father. The spirit himself bears witness without or with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs. And if heirs of God joint with heirs of Christ, indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him. See here now, we are positioned as children of God. And if you are the king's children, it means you belong to him. Then we should also walk in the king's peace, knowing who we belong to. See, ladies and gentlemen, when you know who you belong to, when you know that you are a king of God, or a king or a child of God, when you understand that God is your master, God is your king, God is your leader, you understand that now his peace resides on the inside of us. So when we get up and walk, we need to recognize who that we are a king of a child of God. And when if we're in the position of being children of the king, if the king walks in peace, we walk in that same peace. If the king walks in power, we walk in that same power. If the king walks up, we walk with our head up. Why? Because the king sets the stone or sets the sets the stage for us. And all we gotta do is walk behind him. So when the king says peace, or when a king walks in peace, that peace needs to resonate to us, and we should be able to walk in that same peace that he has walked us into. Huh. I feel something there because many of us who sometimes forget that we are children of God. But I understand, and I'm telling you today, that when you represent, when you when you know that God is your king and we are of his lineage, Jesus said it. We walk in his peace. So I understand why the enemy will come after our peace. Why? Because he doesn't want us to walk behind Jesus Christ. And when you stop walking behind Jesus Christ, you don't walk in his peace no more. You're trying to figure out your peace. And when you try to figure out your peace, it ends up in chaos. But God is standing saying, don't walk in your peace. Don't walk in your peace alone. I'm here standing. Walk in the peace that I give you. Ladies and gentlemen, don't let nobody take your peace. Don't allow circumstances to dictate your peace. Don't allow anybody to dictate how you are in your peaceful mode. That's the enemy's job to get you out of your peace. Because he understands that if your peace goes, your joy goes. He understand that if your joy goes, everything else will follow. And this is where he wants you to get to. But Jesus is standing there, telling us today, stand in my peace. Ah, the Bible tells us in Philippians 4, chapter 4, verses 6 through 7, be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. Here we go. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through who? Jesus Christ. So what this verse is telling us, ladies and gentlemen, is that yes, when the enemy comes and presents different things at you, don't be anxious of what you see. But go to God in prayer. Let him know what's going on. And go to him with thanksgiving and make that request known and watch the peace of God show up. Ah see, see, see, when a peace of God shows up, it will pass all of your understanding. It will pass all everybody else's understanding. Because they'll look at you and say, How can you be at peace in that situation? They say, How can you stand in that situation? They said, How can you walk in that situation? Look at what you're going through. Look at what you're facing, look at what's coming your way, but yet you stand in a posture of peace. Why? Because when you stand in a posture of peace, God said it right here. He will guard your hearts and mind. So, ladies and gentlemen, when anxiety comes over you, when things happen in your life that you don't understand, don't worry about getting frantic. Don't worry about getting your hopes up high or your hopes too low. Look at Jesus and say, God, I don't understand it. I need your peace. Say, God, I'm dealing with something. I need your peace. God, I can't handle this. I need your peace. God, move now. I can't make it without you. I need your peace. And watch God show up. And watch God show out. And watch how your heart changes. Watch how your mind changes. Why? Because Jesus stepped in the room. I don't know about you, but Jesus has stepped into many of my situations. I don't know about you, but God has showed up on the scene every time I feel like I'm losing my mind. Every time I feel depressed, every time my peace seems to be fading, Jesus steps in. Ah, and I'm so grateful that he stepped in. Why? Because I'm not at the sacred one looking for peace. I'm not outside looking for peace up in the sky, just saying peace. No, no, no. I have the peace of God inside of me. And it passes my understanding. And if I can't understand it, don't expect the world to understand it. We just gotta walk in it. We as believers don't have to be anxious or worried. All we gotta do, all we gotta do is go to our Father and allow his presence to position us in the posture of peace. Ah, notice this is why Paul puts these two back to back. They work in tandem, they work with each other. You cannot have joy and be miserable. And you can't have peace without joy in your life. Joy brings peace, and peace brings joy. These are the postures that we as believers should live in. When we begin to walk in a posture of peace, we've come to realize, as the songwriter Douglas Miller sang years ago, my soul is anchored. See, we understand that when being anchored, being anchored means we have a holding place. When you are anchored in the Lord, no matter what may come your way, no matter what demon hell might show up, no matter what circumstances may come your way, when your soul is anchored in Jesus and give you that peace to know that I'm unmovable, steadfast. So no matter what comes my way, no matter how the situation may seem, I'm steadfast, I'm unmovable. I'll stand in a peace that God has provided for me. Chapter number four, verses 39, 35 to 39. We find Jesus telling his disciples, let us cross over to the other side. Ah, look at what he said. He said, Let us. If I tell you to go, go. I already prepared the way, and I'm gonna be right by your side. As the boat was in the middle of the journey to the other side, a storm arises, and those that were on the boat were in the midst of a storm. I must stop here. What God is saying, whenever I tell you to go to the other side, or wherever I tell you that I'm leading you, expect opposition. Expect the enemy to try to keep you from reaching your destination. Expect the enemy to come and try to block you. Expect the enemy to come and try to throw obstacles in your way. Expect an attack from the enemy. Don't think that the enemy is not going to try to stop you just because Jesus told you to go. That's the enemy's job, is to try to get you to stop what God had told you to do. But lo and behold, Jesus said, I am with you. If God tells you to go, don't worry about the storm that's coming. Don't worry about the storm that you're facing. Don't worry about the storm that you may see. Don't worry about the storm that he's putting you in the midst of. Why? Because God will be with you. God is on your boat. Ah, notice that in the midst of a storm, Jesus is positioned on the boat. But Jesus is asleep. He is asleep on the pillow in the hind part, most part of the boat, which is the back of the boat. Here now is the problem the disciples had. The problem that some of us have today. They walked and talked with Jesus. They saw him do miracles firsthand. But yet, when a storm arose, they forgot who was on a boat with them. Ladies and gentlemen, when your storm arrived in your life, when circumstances come and you don't understand, don't forget who's on your boat. Don't forget you gotta ride and die with Jesus. You have somebody who's gonna hold you down. You got someone on your boat that knows the situation. Yes, he might be sleeping, but that doesn't mean that he's not there. Yet he might be sleeping, but that does not mean he does not care. Yet he's on the boat, but sometimes we forget that he's riding with us. And the storm arises and we go frantic because we forgot that Jesus is riding right beside us. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, don't forget who's on your boat. Don't forget who's Ride by your side. Don't forget you got Jesus living on the inside. Oh God, tell God I'm sorry I forgot that you were riding with me. I forgot you was on the boat with me. I forgot that your presence was everywhere I go. I forgot, God, how strong I am in you. Don't forget who's on your boat. They allowed the external position that they were presented with to bring fear and anxiety, causing them to panic, to the point that they went and woke Jesus up. And instead of telling him about the storm, they questioned him. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, something just dropped in my spirit. See, when you're in the middle of a storm, see, this is what happens when you forget who's on your boat. This is what you do when you forget Jesus the Almighty is riding with you. Instead of going to him and telling him about the storm, you question him. This is what the disciples did. This is what many of us do. Jesus or teacher, do you not care if we perish? This is what many of us do. We cry out, Jesus, do you not care that I'm in the midst of a storm? Jesus, do you not care that I'm drowning out here? Jesus, do you not care what is going on in my life? This is what we do in our spirit. This is what we do when we fall into temptations or when we fall into a midst of a storm. We instead of telling Jesus about the storm, we go and question him about it. Are we going to perish, God? Ah, that statement sounds like many of us. But ladies and gentlemen, anytime God sends you on an assignment, you're never alone. But you have to know that the enemy will always try to stop you from getting to the other side. Ladies and gentlemen, when you are doing what the Lord told you to do, know this. You are not alone. Jesus was on the boat with them. He is with them while they're going through the midst of a storm. He is going with you while you're going through the midst of a storm in your life. But, ladies and gentlemen, don't make the same mistake that the disciples made on that boat that day. Don't forget who's on the boat with you. Jesus is on the inside leading you. Jesus is on the inside directing you. Jesus is on the inside keeping you. Ah, look what Jesus did. Jesus got up from his sleep. He looked at the conditions. He rebuked, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace be still. Jesus had to address several issues here. And they had to be addressed in order, not in panic mode. Because everything must be done in decency and in order. First, Jesus rebuked the wind. The wind, the word rebuke means to forbid. It was often used in a Jewish world to cast out demons. But before you cast out a demon, they had to be silenced and rendered or made ineffective. And then they would be able to cast them or drive them out. Mark was implying here that the wind was driven by demonic forces. And Jesus had to rebuke the wind in order to let it in order to get it to be still before he addressed anything else. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, there are storms in your life that represents or that is built up in the atmosphere. Back that up with scripture. When he said, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, or against principalities, against powers, against rulers of this world, against hosts in wicked and heavenly places. See, Jesus recognized that this storm was not natural. This storm was not a natural storm. This storm was a spiritual one. And a spiritual storm needs to be addressed by a spiritual means. Too many of us in our lives, we don't recognize what type of storm hit us. We don't understand that a spiritual storm has hit us, and so we react in the natural. We will act differently. But I'm here to tell you today, too many of us don't recognize the storm that hit our lives. We don't have the discernment and we misdiagnose the situation and begin to panic. And that leads us to frustration and getting us upset with Jesus because we're going through a storm and we don't know how to get out of it. Even though we have the power within us to rebuke it. Now that the wind is silent and neutralized, Jesus now commands the sea to be peace, to be at peace, and to be still. Jesus here gives two commands in one sentence. Stay with me. He tells the sea to become peace. He didn't tell the sea to have peace. He didn't tell the sea to become peace. This statement, he told the sea to become peace. I'm sorry. This statement resets the natural order of things. When Jesus speaks into any situation, everything must come under subjection to his word and to his authority. So when Jesus spoke peace, he was not just speaking to the physical storm that was present, but he was speaking to the spiritual storm also that the disciples were facing. Their spirit had become under the authority of his word. So, in other words, ladies and gentlemen, here we have the disciples sitting on a boat in the midst of a storm. They begin to panic physically, but unrealizing and not realizing that the storm they were facing was not a physical storm. Jesus wakes up, gets up, and rebukes not only them for not their understanding what type of storm they was in, but he also rebukes this wind and tell the wind to peace or tell the sea to stop. When you're in the midst of a storm, God will not only speak to the storm that is creating physical chaos for you, but he understands that the physical chaos will cause your spirit to be unsettled. And he needs to address that part of you also. So his command both the physical and the spiritual storm to be at peace. Ladies and gentlemen, the posture of peace must come before the posture of being still. Peace must reign and rule. The apostle Paul wrote this in Colossians 3:15, and that the peace of God rule your heart, to which also you have been called into one body and be thankful. See, we can't we cannot operate without peace, because the posture of peace is vital in the life of the believer. God doesn't operate out of confusion, but he operates in order. So when you allow the peace of God, when a peace of God hits the room, when a peace of God hits the storm, everything in that area has to come conducive to what Jesus Christ has spoken, and that is peace. This peace that he brings into chaos makes it easy for us to trust him. This peace that he brings into the storm makes it easy for us to walk with him. This peace that he brings into the chaotic makes it easy for us to walk in the posture of obedience because he is there. Notice that after he spoke the word peace, the next thing he said, be still. In other words, Jesus was telling the sea, settle down. Jesus again was reminding the sea and the disciples, who's in charge? He, Jesus is still in control. No matter how chaotic the storm may be, all it takes is one word for the Lord to change and turn the moment from fear that has gripped your life, from fear that is now present in your life, from the anxiety that you now feel. All it takes is one word, be still for you to start walking in the posture of your peace. Because when God tells the storm to be still, he's quieting your spirit down as well. So now your spirit does not have to flare up. The spirit inside of you does not have to get anxious. The spirit inside of you does not have to show fear, it just calms you down. Why? Because Jesus has just stepped in and said, peace. See, see, see, many of us, when going through a storm, does not allow the peace of God to rule. Because we allow the circumstances to override what God is trying to do. But today, God is saying, Yes, you might be in the midst of a storm. Yes, you might be in the midst of anxiety, but I'm stepping into room and I'm telling the storm to have peace. And as I'm telling the storm to have peace, I'm speaking to your spirit as well. Peace be still. See, when we begin to stand in a posture of peace, you'll be able to stand in the stillness of that peace, knowing that God is with you. The Bible tells us in Psalm 46 and 10, be still and know that I am God. When God says, be still and know that I am God, He is telling us, watch Him go to work on our behalf. When God steps in the room and tells the chaotic situation to cease, He's saying, I walk into the room now, look at me go to work. Watch how I step in. Watch how I make things easy for you. Watch how I take away the anxiety that you have. Watch me go to work on your behalf. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, this is the power that we have when God shows up. When you walk into a chaotic situation, when you walk into your job where everything in hell is all breaking loose, when you walk in, it should reign peace. When you walk into a chaotic household, when you walk in, there should be peace. Because you and Jesus just showed up on the scene. And when Jesus shows up on the sea, peace shall reign. When Jesus shows up on the sea, chaoticness has to stop. When peace shows up on the sea, you no longer need to be anxious. Why? Because the peace master had just showed up. Ah, when when peace shows up in a room, everything else must go away. You don't believe me. Carry Jesus into your boardroom. Carry Jesus into the doctor's office. Carry Jesus wherever you go. Watch when you show up with the power of God behind you. Watch peace rule. When we see Jesus go to work, our faith grows. When we see Jesus go to work, our trust grows. When we see Jesus go to work, we can walk in that posture. Why? Because John just showed up and changed the whole atmosphere. Have you ever been in a place where you saw the hand of God move on your behalf? What happened? Did your faith grow in him? Did your trust grow in him? Did your knowledge grow in him? Did your peace posture grow in him? Every time I see the hand of God move, my faith grows. Every time I see the hand of God move, my trust grows. Every time I see God move, my knowledge of him gets stronger. And every time I see God's move, my peace posture grows. Why? Because God is moving on my behalf. He goes before me and sets the stage. So when I show up, I'm walking in my peace posture. Why? Because Jesus already set the scene. Allow God to set the scene in your life. No longer do you got to walk in anxiety. No longer do you got to walk in fear. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but a power of the power of love and a sound mind. See, when you walk in the power of love, you walk in the power of peace. When you walk in the power of joy, you walk in a posture of peace. Don't allow the enemy to frustrate you. Don't allow the enemy to get you out of your posture of peace. This is what he meant by learning of me. Every time I move in your life, you need to learn more of who I am, God says. I am your provider. I am your shield. I am your keeper. I am your peace. I am your everything God is telling us today. As I bring this message to a close, we all have had moments in our life where our peace has come under attack. We all have had moments in our life when we forget that Jesus was on the boat with us. We all have moments when we knew we had the power to rebuke certain things over our life. But we have allowed, we have allowed anxiety, we have allowed fear to rob us of standing in a posture of peace. Today, many of us, some of us, may be facing an issue, a problem, a circumstance that has totally put our peace in jeopardy. Today, God is reminding you who you belong to. You are a son and a daughter of the king. And Jesus said it like this, as a reminder, in John 14 and 27. Peace I leave you with. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Today, someone may be facing an issue, someone may be dealing with a problem that totally is about to wipe out your peace. Today, God is reminding us who we belong to, who we belong to. How do we take the peace of God with us? How do we stand on the peace of God? And how do we walk in the peace of God? This is how. Heavenly Father, we want to say thank you. Thank you for the moment right now, God, of peace and stillness. God, we have to admit that sometimes we have allowed our peace to be in jeopardy. We have allowed our peace to be taken from us. We have allowed the world and its influences to distract us from what real peace is. But God, today I'm asking that you give us back the peace. That you let us stand in a posture of peace. We take back our peace from the enemy and we place it back where it rightfully belongs in you. So now when storms come, we won't be afraid. When circumstances hit our life, we won't begin anxiety. But we'll face it knowing that we are a child of the king. We'll face it knowing that if the king says peace, peace has to rule. Thank you. Thank you. God, I thank you for doing it, God. Now, God, I pray that someone on the line that is struggling with their peace, that this message will resonate in their spirit, and that you will give them the peace that they need to fight any battle. To give them the peace that they need to stand firm in you, and will be so mindful to give you honor, glory, and praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. I want to thank those who are with us via Facebook, YouTube, for those who are going to watch the replay later. Stand in the posture of your peace. Don't allow the enemy to move you. Don't allow the enemy to take you off your posture of peace. Thank you for joining us. And we will see you next time here at Destiny Temple.