How to have peace (3)

In order to find real peace, you must do two things: (1) Live by the principles of God’s Word. “Great peace have those who love your law.” Peace arrives when you live in harmony with God. A new car comes with an owner’s manual. It tells you that for your car to perform well, you must do certain things at certain times. Likewise, the Bible is your owner’s manual for life. It contains guiding principles for finances, health, marriage, business, relationships, and considerably more. Just as your car drives more smoothly when you use it according to its design, so your life will go more smoothly when you live it according to God’s design. (2) Accept God’s pardon. Guilt is the top destroyer of peace. When we feel guilty, we feel haunted by our past. That’s why we read about people who make amends for a wrong they committed thirty years earlier. They say, “I was living in hell all those years and had to get it off my chest.” The only way to have peace is to possess a clear conscience, and only God is able to give you that. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives…transgression?…You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Micah 7:18 NIV). Notice, Micah reveals God is eager – ready and waiting – to clean your slate. It’s His personality. He enjoys forgiving. He owns a big eraser. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).