The Peace of Christ 4-12-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me listen; help me trust; help me obey. ... "Now My soul is troubled. And what should I say -- 'Father, save Me from this hour?' No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again' " (John 12:27-28). In the final days of Your life on earth, You were not too proud to confess Your soul was troubled. Though You had the peace of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the affirmation of Your Father in heaven, Your soul was troubled at the same time. You knew Your calling, Your identity, and Your destiny; You knew the will of the Father; and You knew the suffering of the sacrifice of Your love for us You were choosing to make in the days to come. And though Your soul was troubled, You chose to press on in obedience and trust in fulfillment of Your destiny. This is the heart that glorifies the name of our Father. We often use the sense of peace as the test of whether we are in the will of God or not. But Your own example shows us that it is not either/or -- either we have peace or we don't. Instead, it is a knowing peace deep down in our soul, even though our soul may be troubled at the same time because we are aware of the reality of our circumstances and we are aware of the cost of the sacrifice of our obedience. Lord, forgive me for the times I have held back from Your will because I said "I don't have a peace about it." Those were the times when I didn't have a peace about the suffering of the sacrifice in obedience to Your will, even though I had the knowing sense of peace of Your purpose despite the sacrifice You were calling me to. Help me be more honest with the truth of my feelings and willing to test and discern the sense of Your leading and calling. Give me grace to trust and obey, that my choices in every hour will glorify Your name. This is true peace -- not the peace of the world, but the peace of Christ (John 14:27). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502.On the Web: http://www.messiah-ministries.orgCome to The Fountain the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel. Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com