Of Peace and Praise

Matthew 10:11-16
Ephesians 2:17-18


OF PEACE

Why Jesus always (at all times) greet his disciples with: "Peace be with you."? Even taught his disciples to do the same. (Almost all of the epistles had a greeting of "peace and grace" in the beginning.)

Why? Because Jesus' disciples are no longer an enemy of his Father. And the Father wants to reconcile mankind to Himself.

You don't greet an enemy of your Father with 'peace be with you' right?

That's also the reason why Jesus taught his disciples to get back the 'greeting of peace' if the person or place or house do not accept the peace of God.

How exactly would you know if the person/place/house accepts the peace of God? They simply accept God as sovereign over their own motives, actions, thoughts, and words -  simply put they accept and obey the Gospel you preach.

When they don't accept your greeting of peace then either you are not their person of peace or they simply don't belong to our Father. (All children of God hear God's voice.)

As Jesus taught, just let them be for a time. Just let your greeting of peace return to you and move on to the next assignment God has for you.

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Psalm 135

OF PRAISE

A mentor not a long time ago told me that praise is a powerful weapon against the enemy of our soul. She did not tell me why. I wondered and asked God why is that so.

Out of the blue God revealed that praise cuts through (or demolish) the enemy's deception that the enemy had the authority over this world or over you. "Praising God or Jesus" puts the enemy in his right place - that he is a defeated foe. God reigns. God is sovereign. God is God of all gods. Jesus is king of all kings.

So, the next time you feel blue or sick or defeated, remember God reigns and for that alone God deserves all praise. 

Giving God praise may not change your situation in an instant (as God might be teaching you a virtue or pulling down a stronghold or training you for a greater task) but, it would give strength to your weary soul. However, you must praise God from the heart. God is beyond manipulation. God knows when a praise is real and when it is not. (Remember God did not accept Cain's offering. ) So, in any situation, trial or test, give God a heartfelt praise. See how your spirit would leap from gloom to joy.