Courageous PeaceSample

## DAY 2 - What is Courageous Peace? A couple of years ago before I was married, I was looking for a new place to rent, and was being shown around an open home by a real estate agent. He went through each room describing the features of the house in great detail. Until we reached the bathroom. He opened the door, and an intensely horrible spell erupted from the bathroom. The kind of smell that makes your eyes water. “We had a dead possum in the air vent in the bathroom last week.” The real estate agent said matter-of-factly. I remember asking him, “How did you get the possum out?” He then responded, shocked, “Oh, I don’t know how to get it out… It’s just there.” I think that for a lot of us, this is our approach to areas in our life where we need Jesus to give us peace. “Worry — I don't know how to get it out; it’s just there." “Doubt — I don’t know how to get it out; it’s just there." “Fear — I don’t know how to get it out' it’s just there.” Our key passage for this plan is John 14:26-27 [TPT]: > “I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!” We’re not called to settle in defeat, but instead, God has given us the gift of peace. The peace we have received isn’t a fragile peace given by the world, but rather an unchanging, courageous peace. In Chronicles 20, we meet Jehoshaphat, who was the King of Judah. He was in a chaotic situation where he was surrounded by armies ready to attack Judah. In this moment, Jehoshaphat stands up and shares a prayer with the people of Judah. In verse 12, he prays to God saying: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." You might be in a situation right now where you don’t know what to do, but you can fix your eyes on Jesus. Courageous Peace is the revelation that I can step forward knowing that I can fix my eyes on Jesus. Peace is knowing that God is working even when we don’t understand. It enables us to act confidently in the character of God. In a world that has normalised defeat, we can stand with an assurance that we can be courageous when we choose to fix our eyes on Jesus. I can live with courageous peace. Questions: (1) What does living with Courageous Peace look like for you in your season? (2) What have you surrendered to defeat that you can surrender to Jesus? Prayer: Dear God. Thank you that you give me a courageous peace. I pray that you would give me a courageous spirit to face today. My eyes are on you. In Jesus Name. Amen.