Devotional | Peace, Perfect Peace – a Promise and an Instruction

Early in January, we had three wonderful nights at a retreat house in the border ranges of northern NSW.

As we arrived at this little place of peace, I asked the question. God what do you want me to do in 2026? My strength is limited. What is the best way to use the strength I have?
I didn’t hear any voices or dream dreams, but I knew the first priority was to spend time with Him. The second was to continue to write, to create and to edit.
The following week, I joined a five-day web course to ‘reset’ the year. With this encouragement and instruction, I felt my word for this year was ‘Peace’. A promise of peace, a command to be at peace, faith to release peace, and to decree peace.

“Peace, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (The Passion Translation.)

A wonderful promise but also an important key to the question. How do I stay in peace? Older translations read, ‘whose mind is stayed on You.’ I’ve known that scripture for years, but the translation ‘whose imaginations are consumed with you’, opened up a new vista of understanding.
Is my imagination consumed by Him, or is it overrun by worries, troubles, and trivialities? When I wake at one am disturbed by negative possibilities, my imagination running furiously away from God, how do I correct it?
My imagination seems to have a mind of its own! But in truth it exposes areas where my faith needs an adjustment. It displays, in my thinking, where the kingdom of the earth is overrunning rough-shod over the Kingdom of God.

I think of the old book, ‘Practice the Presence of God.’ And random clips from the Word.

• ‘Take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.’
• ‘As a Man Thinks, so is he.’
• ‘Think upon these things…’
All these phrases command action. Staying in peace is not a passive activity. It requires action and determined eviction of our enemy.
We would never leave a thief in our home, or allow him to steal our treasure.
Likewise, we mustn’t entertain negative ungodly thoughts, letting them dictate our thinking. It’s time to pull out the handcuffs and arrest rogue musings. Paul uses violent language as he instructs us.

‘Our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defences behind which people hide. We can demolish every deceptive fantasy and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist it bows in obedience to the Anointed One. Since we are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we stand ready to punish (or court martial) any trace of rebellion…’ 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 TPT

It is time to bring my imagination to the cross! Not that it would die, but that it would be flooded with Him, sanctified, leaving all ungodly thoughts behind. Yes, we do have problems that seemingly have no solution. But I also know God always has a plan, and His ways are higher than mine. I trust those even though I don’t know what they are or how He will do it. I think of His faithfulness in the middle of the night. I ask God to redirect my imagination.

A few weeks ago we found ourselves at a family member’s house, arriving in the middle of the couple fighting. Instead of leaving we stayed, cuddling a toddler and her brother, listening to hearts break. When I had a minute without a little one on my knee, I remembered, or God reminded me. ‘Jo. You can release peace.’
I took a deep breath, pushed doubt away and declared, ‘I release peace over this house, peace over each person, peace over little children.’ No one heard except my grandson. He asked who I was talking to.
Before I could answer the angst broke.
Threats were replaced by tears. Lies were evicted by truth. It was like a pin had popped an evil bubble.
Everything changed. We hugged them both and left, knowing our task there was finished. Somewhat dazed, we drove away, amazed at what God had done.

Peace! We must live in it, remain in it, guard it and release it. As I look back on that event, I realise we had remained at peace in the middle of the storm. We didn’t get caught in the argument or interfere, but just waited…in peace.
What a gift our Lord has for us in the tumultuous world we live in! All we need to do is have our imaginations consumed with Him. It’s time for action, to squash wicked thinking, to evict every thought that doesn’t honour Christ and let our full imagination run with His ideas.

Imagination is every writers’ source. No imagination, no writing, or no fresh, inspired writing. An imagination consumed with Him allows His ideas, His truth, His plot twists and His humour to anchor our writing. How amazing is that?
What about you? Is your imagination consumed by Him?
Are there any thoughts in your imagination that need arresting?