BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

********** ADVERTISEMENT ********** Turn your children’s church into Superkid Academy! Superkid Academy Children’s Church Curriculum Vol. 1: My Father Loves Me #S171201 Vol. 2: The Fruit of the Spirit in You #S171202 Vol. 3: Sweet Life: Living in God’s BLESSING #S171203 Vol. 4: The Heart of a Superkid: God’s Character in You #S171204 Vol. 5: The Superkid Creed #S171205 Vol. 6: The Superkid Creed II #S171206 Vol. 7: The Superkid Creed III #S171207 Each 13-week volume includes: ● Weekly, progressive lessons ● DVD with video messages ● Complete teacher preparation CD ● Original praise & worship CD ● CD-ROM full of resources and more! Visit SuperkidAcademy.com for free samples. Risk-Free, 60-Day Guarantee $129.99 each reg $249, $229 or $199 superkidacademy.com 1-800-606-4190 FREE standard shipping included. Offer prices valid until Dec. 31, 2017 ******************************************* ***** article continues below ***** That kind of peace means living in a state of rest, quietness and calmness. It is the absence of strife—a place of tranquility. It generally denotes perfect well-being and includes harmonious relationships between God and man, and between men, nations and families. Doesn’t that motivate you to cultivate peace in your life? Obtaining Peace Alexander Maclaren said: “True peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God and will be deep and passing all understanding in the exact measure in which we live in and partake of the love of God.” Think about that for a minute…peace isn’t determined by the absence of trouble but rather by the presence of God. Love, joy and peace issue out of your spirit as a result of fellowship with God. To the degree you walk in the love of God—loving God and loving others—that’s how much you can enjoy peace. Every fruit of the spirit depends on walking in love. It’s impossible to walk in strife, unforgiveness and hatred and have peace at the same time. Hebrews 12:14 says “Follow peace with all men….” If you have peace with God, you can have peace in every other relationship in your life. This time of year we often hear the Christmas story from Luke 2:14 about the birth of Jesus and how the angels announced, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The word peace in this scripture is very significant. It means “to bind together that which has been separated.” Our peace comes from being joined to God. When Jesus was born, the way of peace was back in the earth making it possible for man and God to have peace with one another again. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). When we accept Him as our Savior and make Him Lord of our lives, we are in covenant with God and it’s a covenant of peace. The message of salvation is also called the “gospel of peace” because Jesus paid the price for our sins, providing peace with God. If I had to define salvation in one word, it would be “soundness.” When you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, not only are you forgiven of your sins and born again, you also get to receive soundness, wholeness, in every area of your life—spirit, soul and body. Send Anxiety Packing Jesus made the way for us to experience soundness when “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole” (Isaiah 53:5, "Amplified Bible, Classic Edition"). Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus bore all the bad things that could steal our peace—sin, grief, depression, anxiety, fear, mental illness and disease. He paid the price for us to live peacefully in this life! But it’s important to realize that peace doesn’t come automatically—there is something for us to do. It’s true that Jesus has given us His peace. Like the rest of the fruit of the spirit, it becomes part of our new nature when we are born again. But just like the other fruit of the spirit, we have to yield to peace in order for it to manifest in our lives. And we must choose not to yield to anxiety and fear. It takes a conscious commitment to be obedient to God’s Word and walk in the fruit of the spirit. In John 14:27 Jesus comforts us with these words: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” Then He added this: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” And in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” ("New King James Version"). 30 : BVOV

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