A Pathway To Peace

As I sit down to write today, I'm contemplating my journey of life and expressing gratitude for where my path has led me, recognizing that the good and the bad have all worked together to bring me to this point in life. And, yet there is so much more to be and do in the world that stirs in my heart.

That brings me to a critical lesson that I think is pertinent for re-establishing and rehashing at various stages in our journey:  expressing gratitude right where we are!‍

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The truth is that there is much to appreciate and be grateful for in our present experience; and it is a fundamental law of consciousness that the more we stir up gratitude in our awareness, then the more experiences we attract and pave in our future for which to be grateful! In other words, when we are thankful for whatever good is present, at whatever level, however small or great, we then magnify in our own consciousness the reality of pleasantness and will draw to ourselves more events and situations of pleasantness in the future.

This disposition also impacts the here and now,  as it shifts our vibrational center and causes us to show up in the world around us as more centered beings, radiating the love and peace of God, over and above all trials and difficult circumstances.

This is the outpicturing of that "peace that passes all understanding", as the biblical text directs our attention to in Philippians 4. In fact, that entire verse reads this way:

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).

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The author of this passage is encouraging people to find their strength in the Spirit of God, and provides some wonderful keys for doing so in this chapter.  In verse 4, the people are instructed to stir up their power of rejoicing. However, it's worth noting that their rejoicing is not in an external source, but rather the inner reality of Spirit that transcends all. The verse simply says:
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"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4 NKJV).

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This rejoicing is not based on present circumstances, but is rooted in the Spirit, which transcends circumstances and can direct circumstances to a different state of reality. This rejoicing is an intentional perspective of seeing Spirit as the Higher Reality; and therefore, from that glimpse, the individual can rejoice that the victory they require in any area is already secured in the Spirit, causing one to "rejoice in the Lord"!

And then the next verse moves from rejoicing to reasonableness - other translations say forbearance or gentleness. It says:
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"Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5 ESV).

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The Greek word used here in place of reasonableness/gentleness has English implications that include patience, moderation, forbearance and equitability.

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In other words, it's referring to "love for others, as you love yourself"! Sound familiar? (It's a cardinal statement that Jesus built his message and life around, found in various places in the Bible, including Mark 12:30-31.)

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These spiritual realities at work within us, cause God's Spirit to be "at hand", or ready to demonstrate in our experience!

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Then we move to a reminder to let go of our anxieties by releasing our cares to God's Spirit and to begin communicating to Spirit the true desire of fulfillment, thereby replacing the former frustration with the divine fulfillment. It reads:

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"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6 NKJV).

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In this place of rejoicing in Spirit, walking in love, releasing our worries and gaining our fulfillment in Spirit by offering THANKSGIVING or GRATITUDE, we are then able to receive that "peace that passes all understanding"!

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At this stage, God's peace can act as a blanket-covering over us and a shield around us, ushering us into the beauty of the Holy Spirit that has been secured for us as spiritual beings.

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We may find ourselves needing to repeatedly enact this pathway to peace, throughout our spiritual lives.  We live in a world that constantly bombards us with the opposite of peace. But today, may you find your firm footing as you reclaim your peace - the peace that Christ has secured for humanity - the peace that passes all understanding!

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May it be yours, this day!

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Amen!

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~Jason Powell

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