Peace to Conquer the World

John 16:33

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.

Jesus said this to His disciples before He died and rose again. He had not yet conquered death, yet He still lived in victory over the world. Because He walked daily with the Father, He had peace in the midst of troubles, suffering, and persecution.

Jesus never promised us happiness. He never promised us an easy or carefree life. In fact, He promised we will find suffering in the world, just as He did. His answer comes to us in the form of a command to be courageous. He overcame the world, and so can we if we are in Him and walk daily with the Father, as He did.  In Him, we won’t avoid suffering – we will overcome it.

To have peace means to live with integrity. Many people are living a lie because they can’t accept the truth of who they are. Life has not happened the way they dreamed it would, so they’ve created a facade – a vision of who they want others to think they are. Perhaps, if enough people come to believe the lie they’ve created, they can believe it themselves and actually live the life they’ve always dreamed of living. Others have accepted the lies the Devil has told them about themselves, and they behave in a degrading manner because they have yet to learn the truth about who they are in God’s eyes. Some have abandoned all responsibility in order to chase some fleeting fantasy of what they think will make them happy, and they’ve convinced themselves God approves because they deserve to be happy. Such people have not conquered the world; they have allowed the world to conquer them and rob them of their purpose.

We find true peace in Christ by surrendering to His Lordship. That means we make Him the boss. We accept who we are – failures and all – and surrender them to Him. We walk in integrity, knowing that whatever mistakes or disappointments we have faced can all be restored in Him because He has conquered the world. We will never overcome this world as long as we give in to it and accept its standards. Any peace we find in living a lie is temporary and false.

Christ came so you could have life and have it in abundance. He came to give you real peace and real joy. Don’t settle for less than His provision for you by surrendering to the world’s attractions and standards. Live out of the purpose to which He has called you, and find a life worth living. In Him you will find peace because He has overcome the world, and you are His. You don’t have to try to be something you are not. You can be all He created you to be. Choose His peace, and conquer your own world.

Have a blessed day!