Matthew 24:4-8, New International Version

“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah,” and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.’”

The peace of God comes from knowing God, from trusting God. Regardless of the situations we may find ourselves in, His peace surpasses it all. When you take God at His word, you begin to see His word come to life in your own life. It changes the way you view situations and people. You begin to see things through the eyes of God.  Your confidence in God grows, and your roots grow deep establishing you on a faith that is steadfast and firm. This is what we need, especially in the times we currently live in and the times to come.

It is so important to be in the Word of God. I can’t stress that enough! The Bible warns us about deception in the last days. Jesus is talking to His disciples when He tells them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8, NIV)

When you are in the world and know the Word, in these turbulent times that Jesus warns us about, you can have peace. We can see things happening around us that are signs pointing to the end. But even in our daily lives, there are things happening around us that affect us personally that we can have peace in. For example, just before sitting down to write this article, a storm came through. The wind had picked up, but I had felt peace the entire time as I asked God to protect our property and our lives. It wasn’t until an hour or so later, because our power had gone out, that we went into town to get something to eat. We saw damage done not even five minutes from our house that looked like it could have been a small tornado that had gone through. Yet, we were at peace. Our property and lives were unaffected by what had happened. The power of prayer and a trust in God, in His word, it got us through!

“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling.” (Psalm 91:9, NIV)

Regardless of the situation or times we are living in, I know that I need God. Every moment of every day! He is the only reason I will make it through this life, and the only way to make it through this life! He has made such a difference in my own life in a multitude of ways; I cannot imagine not having Him in my life. I encourage all of us, read the Word. Know the Word. Know God. When you are in communion with Him and have a relationship with Him, you recognize it isn’t about religion, it’s about relationship. It’s about love, which is what, deep down inside, we all long for. I pray that together we will become stronger in Christ, seeking Him continuously, and finding Him when we are looking for Him with all our hearts.