This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Peace.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
“I just lost my job. People are saying things about me that aren’t true. My spouse is acting crazy. My kids are acting crazy. My car payment is due. My mortgage is late! What do I do?” These are things people are facing and the immediate reaction is for us to freak out. I’ve found that most people live their life in reactionary mode. They react to one situation then another. I’ve been here before. I overreact and sometimes react to things that have no bearing on my present or my future. So what gives? What do we do when things fall apart or we really need something to happen but we can’t do anything about it? We stay in peace. This sounds so nice doesn’t it? Just stay in peace and it’s all going to be alright. Ha! Yeah sure. How do I stay in peace when everything around me isn’t peaceful? Some folks practice yoga or go get a massage or put on some soothing music or drink a glass of wine to find peace. Finding peace isn’t something we actually find. Peace is something we experience. Peace isn’t something on the exterior, peace is found through our inward relationship with God. Peace isn’t something we can just make happen, it’s a fruit that is grown and it’s grown through chaos. Peace is grown through adversity.
Reacting to a situation or making a big decision requires peace. These days my life is pretty peaceful, except when I invite chaos into my life by my own accord! That’s right, chaos can’t exist unless you allow it. Before we react or act on something we should measure our peace. If we are in the middle of something that requires a decision, we need to check our peace. If we have unrest in our spirit or anxiety about something then we aren’t in peace. Sometimes we have to make decisions by faith when we are unsure; but being unsure and being anxious or in unrest are not the same. When we make decisions in faith we should still have peace. Having peace in faith means that maybe you have no idea how it will all turn out but you move forward anyway because of the peace of God.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
Peace will guard us against anxiety through circumstance if we have prayed and asked God to help us. Allowing peace to guard us is what will get us through any chaos that may be happening in our lives.
Take a deep breath, and tell yourself, “It’s all gonna be ok.” Stay in peace.
