Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1 (NKJV)  Can you have peace with God before you clean up all the messes in your life? Yes, absolutely!    Here’s why: Jesus was the final and complete sacrifice for sin. Now, first-century Jews struggled to comprehend that God no longer required perfect obedience or animal sacrifices for them to enjoy right-standing with Him. They could hardly fathom that when you believed on Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, you received the gift of salvation and your sins were permanently forgiven (not just temporarily like it was under the old covenant).   When we accept what Jesus won for us through the cross, we receive a new nature on the inside. …

Now that we have God’s approval by faith, we have peace with God because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.  Romans 5:1 (GW) Many people think they have to clean up their lives prior to accepting Christ—or before Christ will accept them.   But did the thief crucified beside Jesus clean up his life first before accepting Jesus’ sacrifice? No—he didn’t have time! Yet that same day, he made Heaven because he believed on Jesus (Luke 23:39-43). You see, today’s verse does not say we gain peace with God by cleaning up our lives first or through behaving perfectly. No, it says we have God’s approval when we place our faith in Jesus.   When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we become a …

For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.  Romans 10:3 (NLT)  Until we understand the Gospel, we’ll struggle to experience true and lasting peace. The reason is that we misunderstand sin and think we can become right with God through our works. That mindset is called religion, and it leads nowhere good.  In fact, those who subscribe to a legalistic Christianity are usually the unhappiest people. Why? They don’t understand the freedom Jesus won for them through His death, burial and resurrection. So they live stuck in a rut of trying to be good enough in their own strength—an impossible, …

“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who relentlessly accused them day and night before our God, has now been defeated—cast out once and for all!”  Revelation 12:10 (TPT)  Some governments maintain their power by feeding people alarming headlines and then positioning themselves as the only solution to get people to submit to their agenda. After all, if you can scare someone enough or convince them to believe a lie, you can control them.   Satan operates the same way. He’s not some all-powerful being—Jesus stripped him of his power and authority (see Colossians 2:15.) He can only try to manipulate you into falling for his lies through fearmongering. This will either steer you away from the truth or sideline you completely.   As a pastor, I’ve …

May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you…  2 Peter 1:2 (AMPC)  If you’re struggling to know God’s peace, how do you find it?   One important way is to ensure your beliefs align with what His Word says. You see, our beliefs affect everything. They attract and connect the dots of our lives. Let’s say deep down you’re convinced God doesn’t love you because of what you’ve done. That belief has consequences that will impact everything from your relationship with God to your self-esteem, life goals, who you marry and how you raise your kids.   Our beliefs hold incredible power! We must get them …