El camino angosto a la paz personal

The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Therefore, go around the world teaching and preaching the gospel to every creature, to the last of the earth. En Contacto, the ministry of biblical teaching of Dr. Charles Stanley. Today on En Contacto, the narrow path to personal peace. Jesus Christ said, I give you my step, I do not give it to you as the world gives it. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor be afraid. And he gave these words to his disciples the night before his crucifixion. Of course, they did not fully understand the meaning. They had an idea that something very serious was about to happen, but he said to them, I give you my step. If I ask you today, do you have peace in your heart? In other words, he has rooted a sense of satisfaction. It does not mean that everything is fine, but he has a relationship with God, for which he is convinced that whatever he faces in life will be fine, because he has God and the security that he lives within you. His name is in the Book of the Life of the Lamb. If he dies or he comes back first, he knows that he will go to heaven and that all this disaster will be over and everything will be fine as God promised. Does he have that feeling in his heart? Well, we do not live very peaceful times, that is true. People do not have peace in terms of their employment, their marriage, their children, the circumstances in which they live, or where they live, or how they have to live. So when the Lord comes and says, I give you my peace, I do not give it to you, as the world gives it, that is, the world cannot give the kind of peace that Jesus Christ offers. So I ask you, do you have that kind of peace? You can say frankly, I have that feeling of peace now.

The Greek word is eirene, which means to unite something, that is, to gather something. That is, if someone has genuine peace, we feel that unity in our heart. We feel that union without conflict, without consternation and everything else that happens. The peace that Jesus Christ offers is a peace that comes from a relationship with him. That is the only genuine source of lasting peace. Everything else in the world is false. Someone can have all the money they want in the world, go wherever they want, do almost everything they want to do, have almost whoever they want to have, but if they don't have Christ, they don't have peace. They don't need anything else, nor do they need anyone else to have peace. Jesus Christ said, I give you my peace. Why did he say that? Because that is the only source of genuine and real peace, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Let us think about what the Lord said and how he said it. He affirmed that we are the children of God. Who is God of peace? That is who we are. When we receive Christ as our Savior, we accept a new relationship, the most important in life, the only one that will last beyond this life, and it is a relationship with Christ. He said that we must be followers of the Prince of Peace. Who is the Prince of Peace? Christ. He is the way. He is the Prince. And he said in the Sermon on the Mount that we must be called pacifiers. I wonder how many here consider themselves pacifiers. Now, some would have to admit,

well, not in the situation I live in, I am not a pacifier. Well, Christ did not say except, yes, nor but. We must be pacifiers. Look, there must be something in us that connects us to someone else and helps them connect with the true pacifier so that things begin to change. When our relationship with Christ is good, we will have the basis of true peace. Until then, that will not happen, not being there. If you ask most people, do you have peace? Well, maybe sometimes, but deep down, not really. And I think of everything that Jesus Christ said, he affirmed, having given us the gift of peace is not something that we develop, it is a gift that he gives us. What is that gift? Pay attention, the gift is the same. When Christ comes into our life, pay attention, he satisfies the desires of our heart, he promises to do so, he satisfies that hunger and thirst in our life that truly satisfies us. The world has all kinds of imitations, but there is a narrow path to peace, it is not the path of the world. This offers many fakes. There is only one path to peace, and most people die without having found it. And I ask you, do you know what that peace is?

Do you know how to walk that path? Or, like the rest of the world, are you trying to obtain this, that, go from here to there, do this and that, looking for something that fills the void, that fills your heart? Something is certain. You cannot falsify your peace, you cannot. Peace is a valuable, precious gift of a person who is Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that there is another source, but I only ask you if you have it. It does not mean that you have everything you want in the world, but, pay attention, you can have the continuous and full fulfillment of God's peace in your life, and not have many things. When I think of Jesus Christ and the apostles, he said to them, I give you my peace, I do not give it to you as the world gives it to you. Why did he say that? Because he said to them, the world cannot satisfy the desire of its heart. My peace, said Christ, I give you my peace, not as the world strives to give it to you. So, when I thought about that, I found this biblical verse, which I do not know how I had overlooked all these years, and I was ashamed to realize what I had overlooked. I had to ask God to forgive me. I invite you to join me in Luke 10, and you will have to ask God to forgive you as well. But let us see, in Luke chapter 10,

when Jesus Christ sent his disciples, well, he instructed them as to what to do and how to do it, and he said in Luke chapter 9, and then we will move on to 10, and wherever they may not receive you, leave that city, and shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them. Reaching chapter 10, it says, in verse 5, now think about this and apply it to your life. Do not think that it is in the New Testament, but right now. In whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house. Do you see what it says there? In whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And I began to think, Lord, how many houses have I been to in my life, and I have never said that. Christ said, In whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house. So I had to ask God to forgive me. I thought, Lord, I have not done that. Someone will say, Jesus Christ did not mean that. Of course he did. So, Christ said it very seriously. He meant to say, Pray for these houses.

Pray for those who live here. What kind of problems do they have? They have marital problems with their children, economic problems, disappointments, and everything that happens in a home. Christ always had a purpose for everything he said. So, what he told them was, When you go, wherever you go, pray for that house before you enter. Now, there are things that steal our peace in our lives, and I want us to think about that. For example, God has promised to give us peace, and we do have peace with God when our heart is well. We have been saved by the grace of God. It does not mean that we will never sin, but we ask for forgiveness, and our walk is a walk of peace. But there are thoughts and ideas that steal our peace. Remember that peace is a narrow path. In other words, if we walk in peace, there are many things that will not be on that path. So, let us think for a moment about some thieves of peace. One of them is lustful thoughts. You can't have lustful thoughts and have peace. Because the Spirit of God in a Christian, for example, will make us feel not only peace, but a feeling of conviction. When you look at something, at someone with lust, it's not that the Spirit of God says, Blessings? The Spirit of God is giving you the conviction that you shouldn't look, think, desire, or covet.

The narrow path to peace eliminates many things. Lustful thoughts don't create peace, but chaos in someone's heart, in someone's soul. And we live in a society that is full of that. That's one thought. Another example is guilt. If you feel guilty for a sin in your life, if you feel guilty for something you didn't do or shouldn't have done, guilty for what you said or shouldn't have said, you can't have peace. Pay attention. If you hear me, say, Peace is fragile. The path to peace is very narrow. That is to say, guilty thoughts destroy peace. Or anger. You can't be angry and be at peace. You can't. God speaks of anger. It has no place in our hearts. You can't be angry with someone and have peace in your heart. At the same time, someone will say, Well, if you know what they did to you, you have the right to be angry. Of course not. How can you have peace in your heart if something inside of you chokes you and makes you bitter more and more every day? You can't. Peace is a narrow path.

I think of people who, for example, are very bitter about something that happened in their past and can't get over it. The way they were treated, perhaps what they feel is true, and nowhere in the Bible does it say, You have the right to be angry and bitter if someone does this and that. No. I will tell you that He resolved that. When Christ went to the cross, if someone had the right to be bitter, angry, and resentful, it was Him. But He wasn't. So, with His example, He teaches us, in His word, not to be bitter and angry no matter what happens. There are many people who are unhappy today because they are resentful of someone for something they did to them. Perhaps they betrayed them in some way. Perhaps they broke a promise they had made to them. I think of how many people made promises in marriage and broke those promises. You can't lead a double life and have peace. It doesn't matter how fine your car is, or how large your bank account is, or what your position is.

You can be number one in any situation. There is no peace with God without obeying God. You can't. The world doesn't believe that. They are trying to kill their consciousness and their feelings because what happens inside them is wrong and is destroying them. Our mind can't evade our thoughts with a pill or a drink. Look at how foolish we are to be able to have the peace of the loving Heavenly Father and say, I won't take this path. And then there are people who seem very good when you see them. Ego-centrism. They are very ego-centric. Everything is me. Everything is what I want. Everything is about what I deserve. Everything is what I think. It's about what I want to do. Look, you can't have peace if you are self-centered. That ego-centrism is selfish.

It speaks of pride. You can't have peace like that. I also think of people who doubt. People who live in doubt. They doubt the word of God. They doubt that God answers their prayer. They doubt that going to church will impact the world. They doubt their friendships, their relationships. They are skeptical by nature. There is no peace in that. In fact, if we think about it, it is a very, very narrow path that leads to genuine peace. Because we are surrounded by many things that will steal our peace if we allow it. You can live in peace, have peace. Enjoying peace in a confused, confused, and as bad a world as this one, if you can? Look, it's not a relationship plus, it's a relationship dot. That's what you should write. It's not a relationship plus, it's a relationship dot. It's Christ in you. He is the source of peace. He is the source of peace. Him and only Him. And just by looking around him, talking to his friends or enemies, or his coworkers, find out how many of the people he talks to

can tell by their conversation if they have peace or not. Because, look, someone who doesn't have peace can't hide it. And people think that if they get enough money, they'll have peace. How much money is enough? It's never enough. There's only one genuine and true path to peace. It's to have a sense of union with God. A sense of unity. That's the source of all genuine peace, whatever happens. That's why we meet people from time to time who are going through situations that make us think, how can they handle that? And from time to time I meet someone who I... I'm thinking, Lord, I hope I can have that kind of peace that they have in what they're going through. Christ. Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ. He's the source of genuine and lasting peace. Anything else and everything else is a substitute. I also think of people who live in doubt about God's things. I think, for example, of those who are not believers. And I've lived long enough to know this. I've never met someone who isn't a Christian and has given me genuine evidence that he's truly happy. Everything is very superficial.

A lot of this sounded good, but the more I listened and observed, it was what I didn't see or hear. That's not peace. I'll tell you something. When you have Christ in your heart, you can't reserve Him. It doesn't mean you have to pretend. There's nothing to pretend. It only allows Him to express who He is through His conversation. Notice, His conversation, His conduct, and His character. And I think, for example, that people who live in disbelief are unhappy, no matter what they say. They're unhappy. If you don't have Christ in your life, allow me to ask you, ¿Qué tienen lo que en verdad pueda depender? Jesucristo es la fuente, el camino angosto a la paz. Es una relación con Cristo. Pienso, por ejemplo, en las personas que se vuelven envidiosas. Creen que todo lo tienen y viene alguien más y se ponen celosas por eso, por aquello, y envidiosas de alguien. Eso no es paz. La paz es un don de Dios que viene mediante la presencia de Cristo en nuestra vida. Esa es la fuente de paz.

Por eso es que algunas personas pueden pasar por las situaciones y circunstancias más terribles de pérdida, sufrimiento, pesar, y dolor en su vida, y tienen ese gran sentido inquebrantable de paz, porque tienen una relación con Jesucristo. Ahora, ¿cómo experimentamos esa paz? Te invito a tomar notas. La primera es esta. Debemos creer que Dios tiene el control de nuestra vida y de nuestras circunstancias. Si no lo creemos, no tendremos paz. De lo contrario, trataremos de tomar el control y no hay paz en esa lucha. Pero creo que Dios tiene el control absoluto si lo tiene. Solo porque yo me descontrole no significa que Dios también pierda el control ni que no controle nada. Así que pregúntese, ¿creo que Dios tiene el control de mi vida? I believe that he has control. The second affirmation is this. We must believe that his offer of peace is real and be willing to accept it despite our feelings. We do not live by emotions. His offer, I give you my peace. I give it to you as the world gives it to you. Do not let your heart be troubled. What I give you, he says, he does not give it to the world because that does not satisfy him at all.

Then, in order to have peace, we must completely surrender our life, mind, will, and emotions to Christ as Lord. We must completely surrender our life, mind, and emotions to Christ as Lord. That is, my character, my conversation, and my conduct, I must surrender them to him. Peace is that wonderful eternal relationship, that unity with Christ. Does it mean that we will never have problems? No. Will we never get sick? No. Will we not have fear? No. But this happens. Whatever comes and when it comes, we can react with this absolute certainty. The Lord Jesus who is in me will take me forward. He will be enough, no matter what happens in my life. Then I ask him, does he have peace in his life? When he arrived and sat there, he was worried about something, worried about something. Maybe he felt envy, or maybe he felt greed. Maybe he felt consterned about the way they have treated him. Maybe he was concerned about what would happen tomorrow because of his job, or because of that person who does not like his presence. Look, he can go to church and leave in terrible condition, unless he is willing to surrender his life to Christ. And to say, Lord, here I am, here is my life. I will trust in you, not because of how people treat me,

nor because of what I receive or do not receive. I will trust that you are in me, what only you can be. I will trust that you have absolute control and that you will make everything come out in such a way that it is a blessing for you, Lord, and a blessing for me. Sometimes the most painful tests and circumstances in life turn out to be a seed, a simple seed of wonderful peace that God sends into our lives. Now, pay close attention. Have you listened to all of this? And everyone knows in their heart whether they have peace or not. You do not have to ask anyone. You yourself know whether you have peace or not. Pay close attention. You may have it. No matter what is happening, you may have it. The invitation to peace is always there, by Christ. What is required of me? Surrender my life to him. All right, Lord, I have ruined everything. I surrender myself to you. Whatever you decide, I will do. I will believe that you are the source of my peace. You are my peace, and you will take me forward in what I face. You will help me overcome it. I know in my heart

that you are the source of my peace. Finally, I ask you, if Christ is not the source of your peace, be sincere. If Christ is not the source of your peace, what is? I love that verse. I give you my peace. I do not give it to you as the world gives it. Do not be troubled, nor be afraid. Perhaps you are listening, seeing, and thinking, well, you do not know my circumstances. God does. He knows them thoroughly. And do you know what he is willing to do? To forgive your sin. To cleanse you. But it is a matter of surrendering, and it is a matter of faith. I am willing to believe that God can fix this terrible disaster that I have made if I give my life to Him. I ask Him, is there a great disaster for God? Then He can take care of it or not. He is waiting for me to address it, waiting for me to bring it to Him and tell Him, Lord, I have lost my life, I have hurt others, I have betrayed, or whatever I have done in my life, and I give it all to You. I give my life to You. What will He do? He will forgive, and He will forget. And He will give you a new beginning.

And that is my prayer for you. Father, thank you for not giving us a list of 20 things to do and change to have peace. You said, trust. Trust. Trust in me. Thank you for loving us so much that you made it so simple and precise. Thank you for loving us so much that you forgive us and forget us, and give us a new beginning. In the name of Jesus, amen.