Leon Fontaine - Peace That Passes All Understanding
So many Christians are living their lives on their own strength. Much of the teaching in the New Testament that Paul writes about is trying to get people to move out of their kind of self-governance, move them out of their self-strength and their own abilities, their own thinking, and to begin to walk the Spirit life. Now, many think that is this crazy weird life like some kind of a weirdo that in its ecstasy in the Spirit realm. But no, he's talking about everyday life as husbands and wives, as business people, in finance, in health, in every area. And so as we go into this lesson today, I'm promising you if you listen and allow Holy Spirit to teach you and you begin to walk this out, you will live in an area of incredible ability.
So let's start with the verse in John 14, and today I wanna show you something that will change your entire make up when it comes to your mind, when it comes to stress, and living in peace. In John 14:16, Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter". Now it goes on in the Amplified Bible to show you the other, all of the different things this word comforter means. It means Comforter. It means Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. And it says, "He will remain with you forever". Then it says the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive. All right, let's just stop right there. First of all, the Holy Spirit who is in our lives cannot be in the lives of people who don't accept Jesus. Many who want that peace that the Bible brings, they might find a little relief quoting a few scriptures or, you know, dabbling into church, or popping by when their life's a mess. But if you want to walk in an incredible level of love, romance, finance, business, relationship with God. Then you need to give your life with Jesus Christ and then this Spirit of Truth can be yours forever.
Now, the word comforter doesn't do much for me as a man. When I think about comforter, I think of the big old quilt on my bed. You know, it's a comforter. So it's like Holy Spirit is this fuzzy blanket and it's just kind of in my mind it makes me, it just destroys the power, the incredible ability that He really has. This word comforter, let's look at this this one aspect of it. He's talking about this. Holy Spirit will comfort you. He will bring you a sense of peace and this peace will keep you in health. This peace will keep you creative in your job, your career. This peace will make every one of your relationships just blossom. So many people today live a stress out life. The stats that are out today, I mean, they're everywhere. They're all over. Doctors are saying that over 80% of the visits that they get are from people who are there because of stress and it's affecting their emotion, their physical body, their relationships.
There are people watching right now that you're married, but you can't even go to work and be at peace or you're just continually worried and fearful about your relationship breaking up, are they happy, where are they, what are they doing, it's jealousy, envy. You're not at peace. When you go to work, you're always worried about it, someone's gonna fire you, or someone stab you in the back. You don't live in this peace. Now, this peace is a confidence. This peace brings so much confidence that when people meet you, they just want what you've got. It's like this, and I don't like the word aura because it means a lot of negative things in other new age stuff. But there is this attitude, this atmosphere that surrounds you. That when they meet you, they think, "Wow. You just seem so together". And you are, but not because of your ability, but Holy Spirit within in us.
When you allow Him in your life, and He comforts you. Which means He brings peace to you. You can literally enjoy life knowing that when you go home with your wife, your kids, your family, you can be at peace. Why? Because Holy Spirit comforts you minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, even in incredible circumstance. Have you been living a stress out fearful life? Have you been walking into situations trying to dominate, manipulate, control them with your own ability? Or do you wanna learn to walk into situations with the peace that passes understanding. It started when I was 19 training to be a paramedic. And so we were based out of the hospital. The city that we lived in didn't have a paramedic program. So it was actually one of the very first pilot projects and it was looked after by the doctors. They trained us in the OR's, in the intensive cares. We were, so we had an incredible training and I immediately was pushed into situations I'd never seen before.
As I began to get on the cars and go to brutal accidents, go to suicides, go to where families are freaking out because a loved one had died. And I was in the most stressful situations you could imagine. Places whereas the years went by, I spent seven years doing that. That a lot of my friends became drug addict, alcoholics, few hang on to their marriages, many had, just like, I don't know how to put it, so much stress that that's why they would alleviate the stress by anything that was addictive. That would give them a little bit of peace. It might be smoking dope. It might be drinking. Just to give themselves a sense of peace. It might getting involve in sex and other way, other pleasures that is destroying their lives but was a destruction from the stuff they saw every day and the situations that you would walk in.
Today, I can still remember the smells, the looks on faces. Some of the things that took place and situations that I actually have never even shared with my family. They were so horrible, so brutal, as I went in to help people in the worst situations of their lives. The one thing I found out really quickly, an advantage I had over every one of them was this peace that was on me. And many of them begin to notice it. They would see me even as a young man step out of that ambulance to a horrible accident scene, with cars all over the highway, bodies. I mean, people crying, screaming. Things you'll never get out of your mind but you could see. And while others were wide-eyed and trying to handle this, and trying to hang on of their emotions as they were bringing help.
There was this peace that I had learned to rely on that only Holy Spirit can bring. Any situation that arises in your life, He is the Comforter. It doesn't mean that I just rolled up into ball and felt comforted. No. It meant that as I walked into work situations, as I walked into any kind of situation there was a peace. It was like there was this cloud around me. This bubble that I could work and I would make incredible decisions. I remember going into situation were, was very hard to maximize survivors because of the way people were laying under cars, and on the sides of cliffs or whatever. And as I would walk in there was such a peace about me that I would make decisions that others would miss and it wasn't because I was so good. It was because I was so at peace that I knew, "Hey, don't move that man yet. We've got to stabilize that car. We've got to do this. And they'll say, "What do you mean"? And then they go and look and realize, "Wow, he was right. We gotta be careful here".
Sometimes it was a peace that I could notice. Other times Holy Spirit was showing me things. Because when you are at peace, you're your most creative. You make the best decisions. You notice and see things that you can do as a leader. This word Comforter, you know, Jesus said, "My peace I leave with you, not peace as the world gives". You see, the world doesn't have peace unless two things happen. You get rid of the thing that is bringing pain and heartache and horror. You get rid of the fear. You know, when the situations all changed, you kind of go, "Okay, things are great". But if you think you're gonna live your life where there's no problem, you're wrong. The Bible says the thief comes to steal, to kill, to destroy, for the rest of your life on this planet until we go to heaven. He'll be trying to steal your marriage, steal your attention. He'll try to kill your health. He'll try to kill your relationships, your kids, your family.
So people are continually in stressful situations and they live in this stress environment but actually it's their own making. I found that when I begin to fellowship with Holy Spirit, get into God's Word, and recognize there was a peace that passes understanding. Jesus said, "My peace I leave with you". Why did Jesus have peace? Because He knew that He can walk on those waves of that storm or He tell it to stop. He knew that any demonic thing that came against Him, He could take authority over. He knew that even if a crowd tried to kill Him, if He didn't wanna die, He'll walk right through the crowd and they didn't even see Him. He knew that if He walk in to other people situations and they wanted help. That He wouldn't be helpless, but that Holy Spirit had anointed Jesus as He walked this planet in that human body. All man but yet all God.
That Holy Spirit will work through Him to bring miracles, to bring answers. He brings a peace because His ability is upon us. He brings a peace because you study the Word and recognize that there are armies of angels around you, encamp around about you. That you don't need to be afraid. Getting into God's Word and praying, fellowshipping with Holy Spirit will bring the most incredible comfort and peace into your life. I don't know how many people would walk up to me as I begin to learn to fellowship with Holy Spirit and allow His peace, His confidence to rise up in me. How many people would notice it both in those who didn't know Christ. They would often stop me and say, "What's different about you"? And I'd say, "I don't know. Why"? He says, "I don't know".
I remember one time, I was in a restaurant drinking coffee and as I was sitting there. I was kind of, it was after work. I was a paramedic at that time and I just sat by myself. I just kind of reading and drinking my coffee. I haven't grabbing a bite to eat and I looked up and I noticed this body builder across the room staring at me. And I didn't think anything of it. But all of a sudden, this guy gets up and walks over to me, stands at my table aggressively. Looks at me with his eyes furrow and he goes, "I'm stronger than you". Now, that's the craziest thing, just be sitting in a restaurant and have a guy walked over to you and say he's stronger than you. And I went, "Cool, cool. That's cool man". Just thinking he's gonna go away. I don't know if he had a mental problem or what his issues were. So he looked at me again and he says, "I'm stronger than you".
Now, he puts his finger close to my face. And I went, "Dude, I can see that. I can tell you worked out. Good for you. That's awesome". Now, 'cause the Bible teaches us to be at peace with all men. Don't create problems. Then all of a sudden, he just gently bows his head and he goes, "But you've got more power than me. I've been watching you for the last few weeks coming in here and having coffee. I come in here and have coffee. There's something about you". He said, "That I don't know what it is. Could you tell me"? I said, "I love to. Grab a seat. I'll get you a coffee". He sat down and I simply began to share with him how I had given my life to God. Then I explained who Jesus was, the presence of God, Holy Spirit. And that this presence, this confidence, this peace, would always be on my life. And I said, "You can have it if you want". And he said, "I would love that". We got up and went out and got into the car together. I lead him into Sinners Prayer and he gave his life to Jesus Christ.
And you can see him transform in front of my eyes. 'Cause although he had learned as a bodybuilder and as a tough man in a society that admires strong men. You can see internally that he had learned to act confident. He had learned to act together. He was wearing a mask that made him looked like he had it all together. But inside he knew he was barely holding it together. And I found out as we talk that he was almost ready to lose his mind and then his relationships were struggling, his work. And every area of his life he was struggling and he was trying so hard to keep this front up. What's beautiful about Jesus is that when you serve Him and you fellowship Holy Spirit, there's a comfort that comes and in every situation that I would walk into.
Now, as a single guy and as a paramedic, I found out that I can walk into horrible situations and be at peace. Later on, as a married man, I found out that I could walk into tense marriage situations and be at peace. As a couple just learns to deal with stuff and talk things through and emotions run high and I could be at peace that His confidence could flow and that this comfort would flow off of me to the people I was with. And they would feel comforted by the Holy Spirit that was within me and upon me. I would be in situations in different place, whether it's a business situation. Whether, you know, and the person would say to me, "I just feel so, I'm just glad you're here". Like, and they would struggle. I just feel so, and they were at peace or knowing that you're here. And they didn't know that it was the Spirit of God upon me.
I want you to know that when Jesus says, I'm gonna ask the Father, in John 14:16, and He's gonna give you another Comforter. Jesus was the comfort of those disciples. He calmed the waves. He spoke to a demon possessed man, screaming and running at them when they landed their boat on that one place and He just spoke demandly hit the dirt and it dealt with those demon's spirit. Jesus brought comfort and He brought power and He brought peace and ability to those disciples. But Jesus was about to leave. What would it be like if you're walking through the jungle? And you had a guide that knew every poisonous plant, knew how to spot every boa constrictor hanging in the tree ready to drop on you. Knew every noise and how to avoid lions and all the poisonous plants and all in that jungle. And then all of a sudden, he's like, "I gotta go. See you". And he disappears and you're stuck in a jungle that you don't know anything about.
Well, Jesus trained the disciples in how to function in this world with the power of Holy Spirit. Then when He left, He knew they were gonna start freaking out and they did freak out. And this whole process of Jesus dying and leaving. I mean, they all abandon Him. It was a hard thing. But He said, "You wait until you were endued with power. There's another Comforter". And this word another Comforter means exactly like Jesus, who would function like Jesus, who would think and operate like Jesus. But Holy Spirit could be helping everyone, everywhere simultaneously when Jesus couldn't, because He had given up whatever form He had before and He was now in a human body. Did you know that at the righthand of the Father is Jesus? And that He's in a human body and He is gonna be a human forever. All human yet He's all God and the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Have you been fooling yourself? Have you been living a stress out fearful life? Have you been walking into situations trying to dominate, manipulate, control them with your own ability? Or do you wanna learn to walk into the situations with the peace that passes understanding? Do you wanna walk into situations where there is Holy Spirit comforting you, comforting the people you talk to because He flows through you. He is around you. Did you know that when you walk into a house? Jesus would teach His disciples say to that house, peace be on this house. And He said their peace would be on that house. And He said if they don't want your peace and they prefer fear or they disagree. He said, your peace would come back to you.
When you walk into your home, your job, your car, your family. When you're about to walk into board meetings, trouble meetings. You know, you've gotta spend some time with your spouse, your kids, a teenager talking about hard topics. You say, "Peace, Father. I speak on this situation. In Jesus' name". You need to spend some time in the Word so that you can get rid of your fear and get and sense and know the peace. Holy Spirit is our Comforter. One, and there's a ton more we're gonna talk about. But one of the things He brings into your life is an incredible peace. A peace that passes understanding. A peace that you could begin to trust on and know. A peace that doesn't mean you have answers. A peace that doesn't mean that you even see the problem solved.
It means you might be leaving for the next six months going to work with a job that could fire you any second. There's trouble everywhere in your industry. Everybody stressed, scrambling, freaking out, and you're at peace because you know that God will make a way. And if He impresses upon you to begin to look for other jobs, prepare yourself for change. He'll guide you into that change. There's a peace you know only He can bring. Now, you could, for those who don't rely on Holy Spirit or develop a relationship with Him on this planet. They can be brilliant men and women, have minds that are amazing, plan all sorts of escape routes from their situation, plan all sorts of second and third opportunities if this one fails. But for the rest of their life, their own reasoning, their own ability, they'll be trying to solve everything, trying to think through everything, trying to outguess those around them, trying to look for, you know, where is this job going, where is this career going. And it begins to develop this stress 'cause you're always like this and you're trying to keep everything under control, your future under control.
Now, there's things that I do to prepare for the future. You bet in every area of life, that's wisdom. But I don't live in the fear of my own ability. I know Holy Spirit will always guide me in every area, from relationships to ministry, to finances, to even the things of this world. And as you deal with each individual situation, preparing for it, walking through it. There's a peace that passes all understanding where you'll make the best decisions. Where you will know which one to make when you're unaware of what to do. This peace is the most incredible thing.
I challenge you today, make sure that as a Christian that you spend time worshipping God. You spend time meditating in His Word. Spend time praying in the Spirit. Spend time fellowshipping with Holy Spirit and know His peace. He's continually bringing the comfort that only His presence can bring. Father, I speak peace right now to that troubled mind. I speak peace right now even though the situations haven't changed yet. I speak peace, healing, direction. In your wonderful name. Amen.