WE HAVE THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Ons het die vrede van God wat alle verstand te bowe gaan”
A few people wrote to me on occasion and asked if I would like to write something about the conditions in South Africa and all the bad and fake scare stories that are sent over the Internet from time to time.
That was exactly when such a bad fake email was circulating again.
Here is how I experience things:
The first astonishing thing that stands out to me in the current circumstances in South Africa is the fear that exists among many people who call themselves Christians.
There is a certain faction among the Christians in South Africa, it seems to me, who sees in everything only "doom and gloom".
I read in the Word:
2TIM 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
I also notice when I listen to the "doom and "gloom" Christians, that there is also a great deal of dissatisfaction in them. Of course, this is another thing that should not be present in a Christian.
Regarding the dissatisfaction that exists among some Christians, I just want to say that the Word of God teach me that with Jesus dwelling in me, I should experience the following in my life:
PHIL 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Now I do not say everything’s coming up roses – but with my eyes on Jesus I have glorious peace, divine peace, and I can approach and handle my circumstances from that point of view.
JOHN 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. “
After all, our Lord told us in advance that our journey through this world will not always be ‘moonshine and roses’ (perfect, with no troubles of any kind).
JOHN 16:33 “These things have I spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. “
Nor am I saying that we should not work, (some would even call it fighting), for what we consider important in this world – but – as I understand the Word – if I pay more attention to those things, than I do to my relationship with our Lord and His kingdom, I need to look again at my relationship with our Lord. Because I'm moving in a direction that can literally, if I do not do something about it, become a hell of a problem for me later in the afterlife.
Now I want to say something about all the scare stories that are being sent all over the internet like this.
It is tragic to me that many, (or most) of these scare stories are written by people who call themselves Christians.
Sometimes when I read what people come up with, I say to myself that in my opinion the person who wrote it, either has a very distorted sense of humour, or must be mentally ill.
Let's look, for example, at the case of 'the night of the long knives'.
I only use the one example because he occasionally makes his appearance again in some disturbing form, but you know yourself that I could have chosen from a multitude of others.
Someone somewhere heard the words “the night of the long knives” and apparently then used it in a mentally sick way to write a scary story full of all kinds of drivel.
Let me quickly tell those who do not know where ‘the night of the long knives’ originated.
I could have said a lot about ‘the night of the long knives’ but in short only the following:
As it is now with dictators – They always walk around with a fear that they are going to be overthrown and with Hitler it was no different either. He, Hitler started to fear the SA which later, in terms of manpower, was stronger than the army.
With scare encouragement, people like Himmler got Hitler to the point that Hitler killed his biggest supporter, namely Ernst Röhm, the leader of the SA, with Ernst Röhm's whole leadership corps and a whole bunch of others on the night of 29/30 June 1934 in what Hitler called "the night of the long knives".
Now someone with, in my opinion, a mental problem has heard or read something about ‘the night of the long knives’ somewhere and now uses it as a scare story on those who easily runaway in fear.
Personally, I cannot, no matter how hard I try, identify any leader in the ANC or any other
right-thinking leader, in any other realistic political party in South Africa, with anything of Hitler.
Of course, I do not include the German people when I talk about Hitler and his evil.
I look at life around me and I try to live to the best of my ability as follows:
Our Lord has placed me in this land. I had no say in the matter. It was the wonderful decision of our Lord.
Therefore, for as long as our Lord want me to live and work for Him here, I will live and work for Him here with the glorious peace He gives me to do it for Him.
Too many of us have too little trust in our Lord and we would rather do things our way.
Like the Pastor who told me he would sometimes lie if the circumstances required. Then he gave me some examples of when he would lie and the great tragedy was, that in every one of those examples I could see that he would lie, because he did not have enough faith to trust our Lord will help him without his lie.
Listen my friend –
PHIL 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Our Lord has placed you here, let your life here be a testimony to Him, until our Lord would decide otherwise.
I plead with you my friend, that before you send out an email, first ask yourself this question:
"Will Jesus send out this email?"
Then you think of the following from the Word – before you decide to send, or not to send.
Just after we read in the Word in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
We then read – and I want to ask you to think carefully about what is written in our Lord's Word before you send out that email.
PHIL 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.
Then, with what you just read as a child of God, you decide to send, or not send that email.
While you also always remember that we must bear fruit that suits repentance.
MAT 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
MAT 7:17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.MAT 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
MAT 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
My friend, look around you and get very excited. Because you see everything that needs to happen that show it's almost time that Jesus come to fetch us.
LUKE 21:25-28
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
Think about it –
When you woke up this morning, it was one night less before Jesus is coming to fetch us!
"If I believe it, then I must live it."
Greetings,
Sakkie