Peace Is Spiritual

WED., JAN. 23, 1991, 6:29 AM
FARM, STUDY

You were agitated last evening about the nature of the war your country has fomented. Of course the aggression was initially that of your present “enemy,” but that did not produce a war. The war is on now, however, and it has disturbed your peace. Should it?

The message I give you is that peace is spiritual – a quality of spirit. It has little to do with the conditions of life and with armaments being employed, though actual warfare is a genuine test of the spirit of peace. A person can be peaceful without a close relationship with Me, but it is much easier when your hand is in Mine.

But let’s look at alternative ways of seeing peace. Peace is a condition of having no enemies… having no one who is taking away your rights (and this can be at the personal up to the national level). Your country is not often at peace, for it seems almost necessary that it have at least several enemies (including Cuba). You, personally, are more easily at peace, because you do not often define enemies. You do not have the feeling that Iraq is the enemy your country is portraying it to be., and that is part of your present agitation. Your spirit does not want to be moved from a position of peace, but much that you hear, see, and read urges you to hate the enemy and to justify the killing and destruction your armaments produce.

Some people can be militantly peaceful. That is, they can march, demonstrate, and rail against their government for being in the war. Their enemy becomes their own government and its leaders, and you experienced some of that in your Cuba group. Such persons can be servants of Mine, with a calling to be this sort of activist Christian. They strive to achieve peace by aggressive, almost warlike ways. You are not easily one of these, for it does not seem that there is any more peace in their spirits than in those who overtly favor war.

Yet you see that it is not easy or comfortable to have a spirit attuned to peace when war is in actuality. The agitation that arises when you are not like others want you to be is a disturber of peace. For to be in opposition to others is a warlike rather than a peaceful posture. So I say again that peace is a quality of spirit. The spirit of peace could allow you to be aware of the war, but to gently reject the active support of one side as opposed to the other. This is often difficult, but it is what a peaceful spirit urges.

As Jesus I generally exhibited a peaceful spirit. The only “enemies” I seemed to have were the Pharisees, whose actions in institutionalizing the religion into which I was born were upsetting to Me. Clearly I was not peaceful when I verbally lashed out against their pride, their practices, and their lack of acceptance of My teachings. The story is told of one violent outbreak of Mine against the money changers, whose presence went back to the Pharisees. Yes, these Scriptural accounts can be models for righteous attacks on evil, in any form, and some of My servants use them well.

And yet My basic nature was peaceful. I said, “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” Wasn’t this a gentle acceptance of Roman rule, with oppressive taxes? I would not lead a revolution. I would not even defend myself against false charges. I went to My death as a peaceful spirit. The spirit of “winning” was in the ultimate rather than in the immediate.