The Peace Solution

Jerusalem means "City of Peace," yet it is without peace.  Countries around the world are trying to force peace in a way that peace is impossible.  Sure, some ways may reduce conflicts for a short time, but the way peace is being sought is impossible.  In fact, the US is far from peace within itself and here's why.
The world is splintered into all kinds of factions.  These factions may have some things in common, but in general, they have conflicts for different reasons and of varying degrees.  Whether you see these factions as "nations" or "religions" or whatever, there is seldom peace in the way the greeting "Shalom" refers to, whose root denotes completeness, wholeness, and soundness.
Want me to stop blabbing and jump right to it?  Okay, here's the solution to peace.

Oneness and Peace in Christ

Ephesians 2:11-18 NLT
Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

So, according to the Bible, peace is achieved through being united in Christ, the Prince of Peace.  This peace is not just the lack of hostility.  Jews who are in Christ and Palestinians who are in Christ love each other because they are more brothers and sisters in Christ than they would've been if they had been born into the same natural family.  Don't get me wrong, being in Christ causes us to love our enemies--enough to share the Gospel with them because we know that is the only power that can bring peace between them and God and with those around them.  However, we are not at peace with our enemies.  We are united in Christ, but enemies to the unseen, demonic forces, which control those who are not in Christ.  So, while there is a division, we still reach out in love in hopes that they will repent of their sins and turn to Christ.  There is no other way.  All other ways will fail--even if they give the illusion of peace for a season.

Peace in the world will grow one soul at a time.  Share the Good News about Jesus with someone today!  We can't have meaningful peace with others if we aren't first at peace with God.

Are you in Christ?

John 3:18-21 NLT

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him [Jesus]. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Romans 10:9-10 NLT

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

You cannot be in Christ unless you repent of your sins (forsake your own ways and turn to God) and trust in Jesus as your sacrifice for sins--and that alone!  You can't do one modicum of anything to merit this salvation!  Any good works that you perform show that the faith you have is true faith.  You can only repent and believe.  If you have truly done this, the Bible affirms that you have the Holy Spirit working in you, which is how you are united to Christ and you will have been born again into a new creature with new desires (preferring righteousness over wickedness).

Friend, declare to someone that Jesus is Lord and believe in your *heart* that God raised him from the dead.

If you have done just that--let me be the first to welcome you into God's family.

Oh, and here's this for you to enjoy, too:

Luke 15:7 NLT

In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

Shalom

A notable Spiritual experience for me

Father, use me to glorify Your name.
I had a spiritual experience about 6 months ago.  It was on a Sunday and the preacher let us know that the Long Island Medium was coming to town that Wednesday about 7:30 or so p.m.
He called us to set aside time to pray at that time.  Immediately, something like a rushing wind entered my heart (not the literal heart).  It felt like there was a rushing wind swirling around inside my heart--it was amazing!  I had never experienced anything like it before.   I have not experienced it since.  It was a constant, very persistent wind.  That's the only way I know how to describe this spiritual experience.  This lasted up and through the time we were called to pray.  I couldn't eat anything--I had absolutely zero desire to eat.  People brought food in at work for us to eat that is normally a temptation for me, but I could look at it and feel 100% content--no desire to eat it.
I called my pastor up about Tuesday and asked him what he did to me--my heart felt so different.  He was concerned that I should get to a doctor at first, but I explained that it wasn't anything like that and explained what I just wrote above.  I prayed, "my God--what are you calling me to do?"  It came to Wednesday about 7:00 and I sat down to pray.  I had fasted for several days now and prayer was an experience like none other before nor after.  It felt like I was connected to God in a way that I never felt before.  When I've told this experience to others, sometimes they say that I was "anointed" for this task by the Holy Spirit. I find it hard to put spiritual experiences to words, and it looks like the prophets also had a difficult time, but I know that for myself, that was not physical, though it affected the physical (no desire to eat).  I prayed against the demonic realm that is exercised by mediums.  Anyway, the point is that this is my experience.  I can think back to it and relive part of it without the breakdown in putting these experiences in words.  I thank God that I have this experience!  No amount of intellectual discussion about why we should discredit the Bible means anything.  God laid out promises.  I read some of those promises and took God up on them by telling Him, "You say this in this verse.  I want to claim this for myself.  Please help me meet the criteria so that you have to deliver on your promise."  I have followed through on reading the law and being smitten by it--it said not to do things that I had already committed.  It led me to Christ.  I told God that I was wrong.  I did these things, I watched pornography, I lied, I stole, ... etc.  The Bible said that Jesus paid for my sins and that I need to turn away from my sinful ways and confess that Jesus died for my sins, was raised by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit on the third day, and now sits at God's right hand.  I believed this and accepted God's salvation from His wrath.  I received His Holy Spirit, as the Scriptures promise.  Yes, that void in my soul is gone--truly amazing!  I had been filling it with online games, pornography, the next big "geek toy."  Now I could finally appreciate what I had--appreciate life!  Appreciate a life that the Bible says will never end--eternal.  Laying claim on the Bible's promises requires humility and submission.  God created me--He knows how the world works best.  If I continue doing this bad stuff, it plays out in various ways and my sin finds me out.
I had accepted Christ before that call to prayer and fasting and after I was given an appreciation for the blood of Christ.  I received the appreciation for the blood of Christ while listening to the series "The Way of the Master."  I had missed looking into the perfect law of liberty to see my specific sins and what that would look like had I not had a savior.  Even though I claimed the name of Christ as my savior, I didn't have an appreciation for the blood it took to save me.  What an amazing breakthrough!  I really recommend watching that series!!
So, what's with the long introduction?
I simply encourage the following:  Pick a promise in the Bible and claim it for yourself.  Do what I did.  Tell God that you see this promise and want to meet every criteria for that promise.  See what happens.  I recommend starting with Luke 11:13.
Luke 11:13 NLT
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Numbers 6:24-26 NLT
‘May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’