Victoria Osteen - Be A Peacemaker
You may be seated. It is so good to have you here this morning. You sound good, and ya look good, and I know you're feeling good now, amen? It says in Matthew 5:9, this is what Jesus said. He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons and daughters of God". It doesn't say, "Blessed are the people who can control the situation and make it go their way". It doesn't say, "Blessed are the ones who are right all the time". It says those who are willing to be peacemakers can walk in the blessings of God.
See, that's the key right there. What are we willing to do? See, are we willing to let other people be right even when we know they're wrong, for the sake of peace? See, there's got to be a willingness to make peace and maintain peace to walk in the place of blessings. One time, Joel and I were at this event, and we didn't know everyone at the event, but we knew a few people. And this gentleman came walking up to Joel and I, and he began to speak to us. And I noticed as the conversation, his passion became a little more intense, he began talking more to Joel than myself. And so I was watching this and listening, and he just had a conviction. He had an idea, and he was trying to persuade Joel to, you know, believe the same thing that he believed.
And so he's getting passionate about this, and, just, he's talking and talking, and I look at Joel, and I see this famous smile on his face. And I see this occasional nod with his head. And so after the man was finished, he walked off, and I said to Joel, I said, "Joel, you don't believe what he was saying. You don't agree with what he was saying". I said, "I know you don't. Why didn't you just kind of explain to him what you believed and what you thought"? And I'll never forget, Joel looked at me, and he said, "Victoria", he said, "I wasn't put on this earth to straighten everybody out". He said, "I would rather hold my peace than prove him wrong".
You see, when you allow other people to be right, it doesn't make you wrong. It makes you a peacemaker. It says in Romans 12:18, "As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone". You see, sometimes you just need to put a famous smile on your face and nod your head so that you can live at peace with everyone. Now, it doesn't say that everyone's gonna live at peace with you, but behind that smile and behind that nod is peace. It's a place that God wants us to live. It's a place of wholeness where things are together in our life. See, the blessing of being a child of God is knowing that God is fighting your battles for you. It's knowing you don't have to be right to do what's right. It's knowing that you may not be in control of the situation, but that God has ultimate control of the situation.
So often we want to fight back. We wanna be right because "Right" feels good. But can I tell you, "Right" is overrated if it steals your peace, if it costs you the blessing. It's overrated. You can be right and be miserable. You can be right and have strife in your home and in your family. You can be right, and you can have no friends. Being right is overrated. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to be a doormat, that you have to agree with everything that people say, that you're not allowed an opinion and to use your own brain. That is not what that means. It means that you are sensitive, and you are aware when a conversation is going too far, when it's getting heated, that you understand that when things like that begin to happen, strife is knocking at your door.
See, peace is your guard, and it's your guide, and it lets you know that, "Hey, wait a minute. I have complete control over this situation. I don't have to keep pushing back. I don't have to prove myself. God'll prove it in the end. I don't have to be right. I just need to do what's right", and that is "Hold on to my blessing of peace". You know, peace is a gift. Jesus said it like this to his disciples. He said, "Peace I give you. I give it to you". If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the peace of God he has imparted into your spirit. He's given it to you, but we have to continue to maintain and develop and hold on to that peace. You see, peace doesn't just exist when there's no conflict. Peace shouldn't come and go according to what's going on in our life, but peace is an inner being. It is something that controls us during conflict. It controls us in the storm.
Peace is a powerful force that causes you to be able to enter a situation and be able to radiate a calm stability in tense situations. You have control because you have peace. Peace comes by knowing God, by reading his word. Peace comes by meditating. You see, God wants us to first realize we have this peace and continue to develop this inner peace. Right now, there's so much violence, so much conflict, so much gossip, so much strife going on in our world. All you have to do is turn on the television, watch some movies, and you will not find an example of peace. You just won't find it. It's not out there. So God is saying, "Understand that you have to know and stay in touch with this peace". You can't just go out there and forget about peace and just react to situations and just do your own thing.
Who wants to live in strife? The Bible says that when there is strife, there is confusion, and there is every evil work. When you are in strife, you become a blamer, you become someone who is suspicious, you become bitter, you become everything that's not of God. Strife just, it just goes on and on. So you can today, if you're even in strife with somebody, you can say, "I'm gonna draw a line in the sand. Strife is not for me anymore. I'm gonna be in touch with this inner peace, this gift that Jesus gave me. I'm gonna continue to develop it. I'm gonna be a maker and a maintainer of peace because I want to walk in the fullness and wholeness of the blessing of God". And can I remind you, when it is hard, when it is difficult, you've gotta remember that God has called you his son or daughter. When you are in peace, maintaining peace, you are his.
I can tell you something, that God is not gonna let you out of his sight. He's not gonna let anyone do anything to you. He's not going to curse you or not bless you. He's gonna make things go your way because you're his child. Now, as soon as you get out of peace and start getting in there yourself, you've just got out of the place of blessing. But can I know if you're a parent today and you've got a child, you're gon' do everything you can to fight for that child. It doesn't matter what's going on. You are for that child no matter what's going on, and I'm gonna tell you, your Heavenly Father is for you. You are his child. Rest in that. Find peace in that. Listen, when we walk in peace, we walk in the fullness of the blessing. Be a peacemaker. Be a maintainer of peace, and you'll walk in the wholeness that God intended you to walk in.
Now, I just wanna take this time right now while I feel, like, that God has got our attention on peace, and maybe many of you are thinking things of areas or situations in your life, but right now I wanna just take this moment to, just, call that peace into awareness into our innermost being and to really ask God to give us a peace and get us in tune with that peace so that we can be the calmness in the storm. See, God wants us to wake up peace within us. Jesus was in the back of the boat. The disciples were in a big storm. Water was splashing over the storm, but Jesus was asleep. What did they do? They woke up peace. They got Jesus on the scene. And when you feel those winds and waves splashing you in the face, you need to say, "It's time for me to wake up peace. I'm waking you up right now, peace. I'm in touch with you. I'm in total control of this situation. I'm not getting in strife".
Father, I thank you right now, God, that you are just making us more aware than ever about peace. We'll understand that it dwells on the inside of us as a gift from Jesus to keep us calm, and it's a force, and it's a power to be reckoned with. Father, I thank you right now that you are giving everyone just a tremendous peace, and through the week, God, they'll be in touch with that peace. They'll say, "Peace, you still there? Thank you. I feel you, peace. I'm gon' feed you with the Word of God". I'm gon' believe that peace will sustain me and keep me stable in any storm. Thank you, Father, that you will bless your people, that you will bring a harmony to our homes and to the people around us. And as far as it is our ability, Father, we will be makers and maintainers of peace. Whether someone wants to live in peace with us or not, father, we know that we hold the keys, and that is your peace, in Jesus' name. And everyone said, "Amen".