"And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee;and thou shalt fear day and night,and thou shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say would God it were even and in the even thou shalt say would God it were morning for fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear and for the sight of thine eyes what thou shalt see."

- Deuteronomy 28:66-67

Trouble, pain, suffering and woe, bombs in Boston, floods in the Midwest, earthquakes in China, rapes in India, explosions in Texas, famines in Africa.

Pestilences, wars all conspire together to afflict our sense of well-being and trouble our peace of mind. Mayhem, malevolence and malaise mingle together to madden the souls of men, while fear and worry threaten every heart.

Whether orchestrated by the enemy, initiated by natural phenomena, or caused by our own hands, everything, nowadays, contributes to an uneasy, uncertain feeling.

That explains why the bumper sticker I glimpsed the other day is so apt, timely and appropriate.

Know Jesus.

Know peace.

No Jesus.

No peace.

We live in a world that is dominated by a spiritual foe who ignited the first conflict in Heaven. Thereafter, in our fallen, natural state it became impossible to generate or make peace on our own.

So we need an asset or supernatural agent to assist us in our search and lift our thoughts beyond our present condition.

However, we continue, sometimes with herculean efforts, our attempts to formulate peace in our time. Think Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. It remains elusive like gold, difficult to locate, precious and highly desired. From the beginning of mankind, there has never been a period or age without war or with total peace on the earth.

Strife and struggles, borne of necessity, can produce progress, but our innovations can only be appreciated in an atmosphere of peace.

Art, music, beauty, love or laughter can only be enhanced, acknowledged and promoted under a cloud of serenity.

Even though the Bible says,"money answereth all things,'' finance, fame and fortune, will be lightly regarded and of little value if our soul is not at rest.

Remember a Midas can be miserable and a hobo can be happy.

We discover, to our regret, that peace cannot be forced, bought, borrowed or brokered.

Nevertheless, this is one circumstance that must be self-actualized. External conditions, whether positive or negative, may have an influence on our existence, but our state of mind is solely our responsibility. It must begin internally, be retained and maintained by our own hands under His direction.

Faced with an impossible task, the truly wise and astute amongst us eventually realizes the implication of the angels' declaration to the shepherds upon Jesus' birth:

Peace on earth, good will to all men.

True and lasting peace, a gift of God, can only be achieved through the person of Jesus Christ. The peace that passeth all understanding can only be had as our minds are focused and stayed upon him.

The world, the flesh, the devil, Oprah or Iyanla will offer other avenues or solutions, drink, drugs or therapy- temporary fixes to an eternal problem. Access to this end will only be found in the phrase,"In the beginning, God.”

He has confidently assured us,

"Beside me there is no Savior,

"My peace is not the same as the world's peace,

"I have overcome the world."

Rejection of Him will only result in a fruitless endless quest for that which is humanly unattainable.

Belief and acceptance will leave you with joy in your heart, rest in your soul, peace in your mind and with a song on your lips,

"Peace,peace,wonderful peace

coming down from the father above,

sweep over my spirit forever I pray,

in fathomless billows of love."

V. Knowles is a husband and father with an interest in penning issues that serve to uplift mankind. He melds his love for Classic literature, The Bible and pop culture - as sordid as it may be - into highly relatable columns of truth, faith and justice. Hence the name: Just Thinking. If he's not buried in a book or penning his next column, you may find him pinned to his sectional watching a good old Country and Western flick.