*Devotion
Often, we hear the word ‘peace’ thrown around to describe our desired state of relief from life’s challenges. The Word of God defines peace to be so much more than this. Have you been faced with one challenge after another in this season? Have you and your spouse not been on the same page in quite some time? Has your job become the place you dread going to everyday? How many times have you said and/or thought to yourself, “I just want peace of mind.” I have good news. If you are a born-again believer in and follower of Christ, you have the Fruit of Peace already. It just needs to be cultivated so it becomes part of your daily living.
According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Greek definition of ‘peace’ is “set at one or rest in”. So, in essence, peace, as defined by the Bible, is being one with God, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit. This means the only way to truly be at peace is to live, speak, think and do in oneness with God and His Word. Being one with God and His Word as a way of life eradicates the effects of the works of our flesh and darkness on us. This was the example Jesus Christ showed us that we ought to imitate in Luke 8:22-25, Luke 9:10-17 and Luke 8:40-56. We see in these Scripture verses, and there are many others throughout the Bible, how Jesus responded to what seemingly were impossible and peace disrupting situations. Because He lived a life of oneness with the Father, he was equipped with the Word of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to respond with faith, trust and sole reliance on the Heavenly Father; all of which lead to a place of peace.
Peace is our divine legacy from our Savior and part of our Salvation benefit package. As mentioned earlier, we were given peace when we became born-again, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate it in us and choose to operate from it daily to be stabilized in Christ Jesus. We must never allow the enemy to rob us of it (2 Cor. 13:11). The true source of our peace stems from us being one with our Father in Heaven. This means walking in peace is not based on our emotions or circumstances, but rather us knowing, understanding and having a revelation of God’s perspective on the matter. So, how do we keep our lives at peace in God?
3 Ways to Keep Your Life at Peace in God:
1) Taking everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6-7)
2) Loving the Word of God in a practical way (Psalm 119:165)
3) Be intentional about thinking/meditating on Christ-based things (Philippians 4:8-9):
a. Allow the Word of God to filter what you watch, listen to, and speak.
b. What you consume heavily influences your thinking. If you allow your spirit to be
exposed to peace disrupters, that is exactly what you will get. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This Scripture alone, although there are many others, demonstrates both the value and source of our peace. Peace must be important if Jesus thought it necessary to leave it with us prior to Him making his ascension to Heaven to sit on His throne at the right hand of God the Father. I believe He was intentional about gifting us with His peace because He knew we would need it to overcome the temptation of our flesh and/or the works of darkness to live without it. Let us choose to be and remain committed to living in peace daily.
Prayer to Cultivate the Fruit of Peace in Your Daily Living
Father God, in the Name of Jesus, thank you for gifting me with your peace. Please forgive me for any times I have taken your Fruit of Peace for granted. Holy Spirit, I give you full reign to develop the Fruit of Peace in my daily living. Reveal any peace disrupters that I have allowed to take up residence in my life, and help me to, once and for all, overcome them. Holy Spirit, I ask you to help me to be disciplined in seeking God through prayer, reading, studying and applying God’s Word to my life daily. Holy Spirit, empower me to not just be a hearer of the Word but a doer also so I will not be deceived. I declare that I am right now putting off the old man/woman’s ways and picking up my newness of life in Christ Jesus. By faith, I receive and praise you for what I have prayed for in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s Challenge
Today, I am challenging you to respond with action in the following ways:
1. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas in your life in which you may have allowed Satan to disrupt your peace.
2. Find and read aloud three Scriptures that speak to that/those area(s), confess them over your life, write them down and meditate on them throughout the day. To Get You Started: Read, meditate on and pray Luke 8:22-25, Luke 9:10-17 and Luke 8:40-56.
3. Keep a journal with you throughout the day and take note of any revelations the Holy Spirit gifts you as you meditate on these Scriptures.
4. Before you go to bed, write down one action step you are going to take to align this area to God’s Word. Find and share with your accountability partner.
5. Comment below what the Holy Spirit revealed to you and how you are going to partner with God to become more like Christ in this area.