About a month ago we celebrated the most joyous season of the year – Christmas. For many it is a time for holiday parties, decorations, gifts, etc. For Christians it is so much more, it is the birthday of our Savior, the Messiah. If you don’t personally read or quote Isaiah 9: 6, you most likely hear it recited in a child’s Christmas pageant or in a movie at once during the holiday season.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. This child is born to the world as a gift, and not only will He bring peace, He is The Prince of Peace. He proclaims peace, He ordains peace, He embodies peace.

If we truly believe all that the prophet Isaiah declared in Isaiah 9: 6 why is real peace so difficult to maintain? Dictionary.com describes “peace” as “freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession; a state of tranquility, serenity”. All of those descriptions of peace are the exact disturbances that interrupt the peace that our Savior desires for our everyday existence. By honestly addressing the following it may help discover what hinders us from the actualization of real, lasting, peace.

1. You must determine what peace really means to you.

   Too often we equate peace with joy and happiness. Peace can incorporate those two emotions, but real peace should never be predicated upon them.

2. You must determine what the peace “robbers” are in your life.

   One of the biggest robbers of peace is worry, the twin of anxiety. Whenever we are faced with a situation we cannot control and have no knowledge of the outcome, worry and anxiety easily set in. However, if we really think about it, we’re not in control of anything — God is! So when we put everything in His hands and purpose that His way is better than our way, peace will be our state of mind. Being anxious about our finances, our health, our future, our relationships will rob us of the peace that we should have when we allow God to control and orchestrate His predestined outcome in all of those situations.

3. You must determine what you need to do to maintain peace.

   The first order of business to maintain peace is given in Isaiah 26: 3
   “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”. The instruction is to keep your mind on the Lord and in so doing you will demonstrate to Him that you trust Him. Our minds are so easily distracted even when our intentions are honorable. When flesh is allowed to triumph over God’s spirit our peace is most assuredly challenged. Whatever or whoever we give the most thought and attention to in our lives will take precedence over everything else. It is impossible to enjoy a peaceful relationship when the relationship lacks trust.

4. You must determine that genuine peace only comes from God.

   If we look to anything or anyone else as our source of peace, we are looking in wrong direction. That place of tranquility and serenity even in the midst of a storm is free for the asking. He’s waiting . . . will you trust Him?