He is-The Character of God: He is Prince of Peace

Christmas isn’t about chasing a fragile calm; it’s about meeting the One who is Peace. We dive into Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 2 to explore why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, how His arrival establishes unbreakable reconciliation with God, and what that means for anxious hearts and complicated family rooms. Instead of teaching you to “try harder” at serenity, we walk through a better way—receiving the presence of Christ and letting His peace rule your heart when the night feels longest.

We unpack the difference between human treaties and God’s permanent peace, and we get practical about carrying peace into real life: tense gatherings, frayed nerves, and the pressure to keep traditions perfect. You’ll hear how aligning spirit, soul, and body with the God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24) reshapes your responses, helps you set healthy boundaries without bitterness, and turns you into a quiet catalyst for reconciliation. From the glow of Christmas lights to the quiet work of blessing others by name, we share habits that move you from control to trust.

Stay to the end for a spoken blessing of peace drawn from Scripture—words to still your mind, guard your heart, and remind you that His government and His peace will never end. If you’re longing for more than a mood, come rediscover the Person who brings wholeness, comfort, and courage that lasts beyond the season.

Transcript

Christmas Intro And Isaiah 9 Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:02

The Father's Business was founded by Sylvia Gunter to encourage people to a deeper relationship with God. I'm Elizabeth Gunter Powell.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

And I am Kimberly Roddy. Welcome to the Father's Business Podcast. We are so glad that you've joined us. Well, Merry Christmas, everyone. Thank you for being with us today. We hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas season. This will be released on Christmas Day. And whether you listen on that day or not, it is the season of Christmas, and there's a lot going on and a lot of busyness around us. And so in the midst of all that, we are continuing in our conversation where we have been talking about he is the characteristics of God. And we have covered so many characteristics of God. We can't cover all the characteristics of God because he is amazing and wonderful and all the things we've talked about

What Prince Of Peace Really Means

SPEAKER_01 0:50

and more. But through December, we have really focused on the verse Isaiah 9, verse 6, which says, For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Today we're going to be looking at that final name there that he has called, which is Prince of Peace. And this name and title that Jesus carried was meant to convey his divine role that he had in bringing this inner peace to us as his children and this ultimate peace and reconciliation between God and man. And so I think it's it's a powerful term. In the New Testament, he's often called the Son of God and things like that. But here he's particularly called the Prince of Peace, which meant he would come and rule over our hearts with peace. He would rule over our lives with peace. And yet many of us sit here and go, I don't feel peaceful. And yet the reality is that his coming meant that he would be the Prince of Peace, that he would bring ultimate peace, which is shalom and wholeness to us, which means he would bring ultimate reconciliation and salvation between man and God. He was the one to do that. He was the only one who could do that. He was the ultimate sacrifice. And so today, this time of year, as we celebrate his birth, that was the entrance, that was the coming of the child who would grow and be a perfect human, which we cannot understand, and grow in his humanity and his deity to be the ultimate sacrifice, to give us not only that inner peace that we struggle to often hold on to, but ultimately to bring us the peace of reconciliation salvifically, right? And I think it's just a it's a wonderful title to think about and something that's the way I think we struggle to hold on to, because we think of peace as something that's fleeting. We don't think of it as permanent. And yet he says, I am, not I will be future-oriented, but I am and for always your Prince of Peace.

Peace Announced: Luke 2 And Rome’s Shadow

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Yeah, Kimberly, the other verse I think of, especially on Christmas Day, is the, you know, a lot of families do this as a tradition in my house growing up, is we would read Luke 2 together as a family. And I think even in that announcement, as the angels are filling the sky and proclaiming, they're saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace. And I I I love how wrapped into the Christmas story this idea of peace is. And you're right, they weren't just announcing, you know, some cool vibes or some quiet nights or an or an easy life. They were declaring the arrival of the one who came to restore everything, to restore us back to God, to restore creation itself, to make all things new and whole again. And this announcement is coming during a time where they, again, we've talked about on other podcasts, they are being oppressed. They are being ruled over by some a very dark government system over them. They don't feel like they have anyone coming for their rescue. And here comes from Isaiah and in the New Testament this proclamation that we have peace.

Treaties Vs God’s Unbreakable Peace

SPEAKER_00 4:22

And, you know, in our modern day, I think of even like, you know, when nations go to war and there's a there's a peace treaty that is drawn up at the end. And you know this, Kimberly, in your negotiations as a mediator, when you reach peace even between two of your clients who have been in conflict, there are concessions made, like, you know, or in going back to the idea of a war, neither side gets everything they want, but we come to a place where we just kind of agree that we're going to be at peace. And as you said, you know, that peace can so easily be broken. How many times have peace treaties been drawn up and then all of a sudden someone decides to strike again? And what God is offering us is so different from that.

Light In The Longest Night

SPEAKER_00 5:05

You know, Romans 5, 1 says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is, that cannot be taken away. Our salvation in Him is permanent and He is faithful. And Jesus paid the price. And as we come into relationship with them, that cannot be stripped away from us. And that that is the really the foundation and the bedrock of our faith is regardless of what may happen in life, regardless of whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in, what I know that I know is that my peace with God, meaning my relationship, my reconciliation to Him, can never be shaken. And that is worth celebrating on this Christmas day.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

You know, Elizabeth, when I think about as we're living in this season right now, you know, we have just faced the the longest night of the year, right? The shortest day and the longest night of the year is in December, where we have a lot of darkness. And often with that darkness, we don't feel a sense of peace internally. And so I was having a conversation with someone the other day, and we were talking about lights. And I thought, you know, this is this is why this is one of the reasons so many people enjoy the Christmas season is because of all the lights. And I think Jesus also said he came to be the light of the world. And so I find so often that, you know, we say in the darkness, it's it's in the darkness we feel all these things, but morning will come this time of year when we see the all the lights displayed. You know, we have we have light throughout the whole year through sunrise and and lamps and light bulbs and everything else. But this time of year in particular, it is darker. And to see the light displayed in so many different ways through Christmas decorations, through Christmas trees, through wreaths, through people lighting up their, lighting up their houses, like whatever it is, there is there is light to be found. The lights remind me that Jesus is the here, honestly. Like I I can drive around at night and I can think I am discouraged. I am not hopeful. I am not at peace. And when I see all the lights around me this time of year, it kind of lightens, it has the opportunity sometimes to lighten my spirit a little bit. And to remind me if I can choose to focus on that and let Jesus speak to me, I can remember that he is the light of the world. And not only is he the light of the world, but as we're talking about today, he is my prince of peace. He is our Prince of Peace. He gives me a peace internally by being Jesus, by being my savior, the savior to savor that we talked about a few weeks ago. He is my wonderful counselor, he's my mighty God, he is my everlasting father, he is my prince of peace. But I don't have to conjure up the peace internally. In fact, I can't. I can't force myself to be at peace. In fact, what I'm saying is when I see these lights, to use this as an example, when I see these lights during this dark time of the year, I get to look towards Jesus. And by looking to the light of the world, I remember and sense the peace that he brings me. It isn't about us sitting there and if, you know, to use that example another way, it's not like I'm looking at the lights and I'm going, I will now find peace because I see that Jesus is the light of the world. I will now muster up enough peace in my heart and my core

Peace As A Person, Not A Product

SPEAKER_01 8:47

and my stomach and my head and my mind to feel okay. No, Jesus Christmas is actually proclaiming to us that Jesus is the prince who establishes peace. And he has he is peace.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yes, yes. And so even in that, he doesn't give peace, he is peace.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Right. That's a huge distinction, isn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Yeah, it really is. And so we have at our disposal not just someone like who gives out peace, but we have living within us the essence of Christ. We are in Christ, and so we have the peace of God in us, living through us. And that doesn't mean that we don't struggle with fear and anxiety and all the other things. And it doesn't mean that, you know, stressful things and hard things don't happen in our lives, but it does mean we have someone living inside of us who is standing guard, who is offering himself, who is willing to give us his presence and the power of who he is so that we can go through anything that throws itself at us. And I agree with you, Kimberly. You know, as I as I drive home during this season, it is so dark. And like I just I keep wanting to get home and turn all the lights on, just so it feels so much brighter. I mean, even last night I looked at my husband, I was like, it must be midnight. And I looked at the clock and it was 5:45. It's just, it's so dark right now. And so we all are all hungering for more. You're right, Kimberly. We can't make it happen. I can't say I'm going to be peaceful and manufacture this peace within my own self. But what I can do is lean into the Prince of Peace. I can bring all of who I am, spirit, soul, and body to him and allow him to flow in me and get my spirit, soul, and body in full alignment with him.

Aligning Spirit, Soul, And Body

SPEAKER_00 10:45

And that's what I love. The verse that we use a lot of times when we're talking about spirit, soul, and body is kind of the basis for rock journey, is 1 Thessalonians 5, 23 and 24. And I've quoted this verse a thousand times. And it was only when I was kind of sitting and meditating and thinking about what we're going to talk about today as we talk about Prince of Peace that I realized that it says, May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you. Because I always kind of jump over that phrase a little bit. I'm like, may God Himself sanctify you, because I focus on the fact that it's not up to me to sanctify myself. But it just really struck me this week as I was reading this verse again, may God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who has called you is faithful and he will do it. And I think that's what we're both, you know, really latching onto this time of year for in our own lives, and also wanted to encourage others with is one, he is peace and he is faithful. And it's up to him to allow his peace to flow into us. And then it's our job, right, Kimberly, to partner with him in that and lean into that and to allow his presence to so saturate us so that as we walk into places or we walk into circumstances that feel hard, who he is is filling us up to the point that we have peace. But then we also get to share that peace with others.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Elizabeth, as you say that, I think that's a great reminder. And practically,

Letting Peace Overflow Into Relationships

SPEAKER_01 12:20

how does what does that look like? It looks like if you are feeling the stress of family gatherings or friend gatherings or whatever it looks like that you're you're walking into something relationally and you are like, there are people, these two people are at odds over here, and these two are at odds, and these four are at odds, and these five don't get along, and la la la la, right? Like it's a time of year where we see those things with dynamics. And so what this looks like is remembering that you can't manufacture the peace.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

It's not your job as the even as the matriarch or the patriarch of the family to like go in and force peace, encourage it, certainly, but not like carry the burden and the weight of making sure that everyone gets along. Like just let Jesus have that. And I know it's easier said than done, but but it is a releasing that to Jesus, releasing that that that is God's to-do. He is the peacemaker, he is peace, he is the peacekeeper, he is peace. And so I like you were just saying, our role relationally is to just like you said, allow ourselves to be filled up with his peace because that is who he is, and we have him living within us, and we walk in step with his spirit. And so as we do that, and as his peace rules in our hearts, then it can overflow to those around us. So we get to live out his peace relationally with others, and we get to, by living that out, hopefully it fosters peace among others. But that's different than it being our responsibility to make others be at peace, to get in the middle of the drama with people and say, you've got to be at peace. You know, like

A Christmas Hosting Story Of Blessing

SPEAKER_01 14:07

sure, there are there are parenting opportunities to teach your children's things, but in the bigger scheme of things, you don't have to carry the weight of hoping that and making sure that everyone gets along. Just carry, I think I think we underestimate what it means to actually carry Jesus' presence, his peace, his forgiveness, the fact that he's our wonderful counselor, the fact that he is our identity, the fact that he's our shepherd, the fact that he's faithful and loving and compassionate and kind and mercy and grace and truth, we carry those because we carry Christ within us. He lives in us. He is Christ in us, the hope of glory. And so today of all days, this season of all seasons, be encouraged that a baby came to bring salvation. If an infant can be Jesus, can be the savior of the world, then your small little life carrying Jesus and the hope of glory can overflow with all of his characteristics and attributes so that those around you experience him.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

How much more can we allow him to rule and reign when we stop fostering and striving for things to happen? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Yeah, Kimberly, I agree. I think our part is to make sure our own spirit, souls, and body are in alignment with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we've taken the time before we enter that family gathering or office party or what wherever it is that there's the possibility for tension this season, because they're in most family systems, there's there's the opportunity for tension at some point. Our role is to first and foremost make sure our own spirit, soul, and body are in alignment with him, and then allowing who he is to so saturate us that we are so full of him that when the tension comes, when the snarky comment comes, when the when the upsetting circumstance presents itself, we're able to draw on that deep reservoir that we have built in our own heart, that we've allowed the peace of God to rule over our hearts and guard our hearts in those times. And then out of that overflow, we get to be the blessing of peace to others. So I remember one Christmas in particular, you know, just being honest, mom and I uh were in charge of cooking everything, and everyone was coming to mom's house, and it felt more like a duty than a delight to host everyone and have to do everything. And we knew there was going to be conflict.

Closing Blessing And Prayer Of Peace

SPEAKER_00 16:44

And um, as good Southern women, we had to have the perfect Christmas. And at the same time, you're grumbling under your breath about how much work you have to do. And I remember we had to make a conscious choice before the event started. We're not going to walk in with this heart attitude. We're going to allow God to fill us to a point that we feel blessed. But even more so, we chose that morning before anyone arrived to take daily spirit blessings, and you are blessed in the names of God. And we blessed the spirits of everyone who was going to show up at our house that day. And it did probably have an impact on the people who came into the house, but the person that impacted the most was us. It softened our hearts. It made it it just kind of reset everything. But I do remember that particular Christmas. Typically, people come, they eat, and then they start making excuses to, you know, go home, right? And people just seemed to linger more that year. And and it and it was a fun time where we enjoyed family. And I'm not saying that that's a magic solution to all your family problems. But when we start with peace, when we start from this reconciliation with God foundation that is the foundation of our life, and then we build upon that, okay, I'm going to actively pursue not only my own peace, but to bless others with peace. I do think it can have an impact on how we live our lives and how our families are impacted merely out of the overflow of our own personal walk with God. We talked a lot more about what peace means and how do we have it in our own, in our internal thoughts and hearts and emotions in an earlier podcast. Kimberly, when was that podcast? It was October 9th of this. Yeah. So y'all can go back and re-listen to that episode to really dig down more into this idea of what is peace and what does it mean that he is your peace. Um, but for today, I think we want to end our time blessing you with peace so that you can then be the peacemaker as you walk into this holiday season with your family. Beloved one, be blessed in the name of Jesus, your peace, the one who calms every storm within and without, who rules with perfect justice and unfailing love.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Be blessed to know that his peace is not the world's fragile calm, but his own divine wholeness or shalom, completeness, soundness, and rest of soul. He said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Be blessed to let not your heart be troubled, neither be afraid.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Be blessed to receive the peace that passes all understanding, guarding your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. When anxiety rises, be blessed to cast your cares upon him, for he cares for you. He himself is your peace. He has broken down every wall that divides and reconciled you to God through the cross.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

Be blessed to walk in the light of his peace, for the Lord blesses his people with peace. Let his stillness quiet the noise around you, and his presence fill every empty. Place within. Be blessed to rest in the promise that the mind stayed on him is kept in perfect peace.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Be blessed to know that the Prince of Peace reigns over chaos. He speaks, peace be still, and the winds obey him. He orders your steps in peace, for the path of the righteous is like the dawn shining even brighter. Even when you walk through the valley, his rod and his staff will comfort you.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Be blessed

Support And Follow The Father’s Business

SPEAKER_01 20:30

to live as a peacemaker, carrying his presence into every place of unrest. Let his spirit make you an instrument of reconciliation, bringing healing where there has been hurt, and blessing where there has been bitterness.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Be blessed to rest tonight and rise tomorrow under his unshakable reign of peace. For of the increase of his government and dominion and of his peace there shall be no end. His peace is eternal, flowing from his throne, ruling your hearts as you give thanks.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Be blessed, beloved, to breathe deeply of his peace today, the peace that silences fear, the peace that restores your soul, the peace that testifies God is here.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

For the Lord your God is your refuge and dwelling place, your quiet strength and everlasting calm. Be blessed to abide in him, the Prince of Peace, who is your perfect rest. I want to thank you for listening to the Father's Business Podcast. This podcast is made possible through donations by people like you. To donate, go to www.thefathersbusiness.com. Be sure to follow us at thefather's biz on Instagram and Facebook.