Hi. We continue in our series looking at walking in the Spirit. We’ve talked about the Fruit of the Spirit: Love and Joy. Now we’re going to look at Peace, the Shalom of God. What does it mean to have the fruit of the Spirit producing peace in and through your life? Can people notice it when you have the fruit of the Spirit of peace in you? Do they notice that you’re not anxious, that you’re not worrying?

Here’s a definition of Peace: a state of assurance, a lack of fear provided only by God, the unity between believers, freedom from worry and oppressive thoughts.

I know so many people that come to me in pastoral counseling and in mentoring situations that are just anxious and concerned about where their future is going. And sometimes it doesn’t feel comforting at the get-go to encourage people to live by faith, to walk into the unknown and be unafraid. I think our world has so trained us to be in control that when we don’t feel that we know where we’re going, we start getting anxious. That way of thinking and that way of living is putting us in the driver’s seat, us in the Lordship seat of our lives, if you will. Not God. The peace of God comes when you submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In and through His grace, He’s guiding us to that place. You can breathe! You know that you are loved! You let that love and that joy of walking in obedience, produce that peace. You are anxious for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests before God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus, we are told.

So I want to encourage you in that. Another part of the definition of peace is the confidence and rest in the wisdom and sovereignty of God more than your own.  You see, when I can believe that God is all powerful, all-knowing, and He can bring anything about, it brings me peace. If God wanted me to have something that I’m anxious about, He’d let me have it. And if not, I’m at peace. I can embrace my lot in life. I’m content.

And then, can that peace move between people? Can we have peace with each other? Jesus commanded us to be at peace with each other. Again, that is the fruit of the Spirit, my ability to bear with others, to love them anyway and to give them grace.  To be at peace comes because I first have received the grace of God and I feel loved. I feel at peace.

I pray that that fruit of the Spirit would be yours today.

Let’s pray: Father God, I’m so grateful that you want to bring your peace into our lives. And that Shalom that we can all experience by the power of your Holy Spirit is right here for the having. Father, I pray that we would get away from leading our own lives, that we would stop trying to control it, and that we would learn to rest in You. You lead us by your still waters, as we are reminded in Psalm 23.  You restore our soul. Father, help us to be at peace. Help us be still and know that You are God. I pray that You’d bring that about today in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God bless you. Let His peace reign in your heart and in your mind. Amen.

Here’s another devotional on walking in the Spirit vs walking in the flesh, looking at Galatians 5. Last time we looked at the fruit of the Spirit of Love. Today I want to look at the next fruit, Joy. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy….”

Here’s a definition of Joy for  you to consider: “to delight in God and His salvation for the
sheer beauty and worth of who He is, not based on circumstances. It’s obtained by doing the will of God.

Joy is mentioned in Scripture many times. One example is, “for the Joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Well, what was so joyful about that? This is right after the Garden scene, where Jesus is literally crying tears of blood and weeping and begging God to take the cup from him. Joy really does transcend circumstantial realities. It’s not happiness; it’s Joy. It comes from doing the will of God. There’s that inner satisfaction. There’s that inner joy from knowing that I’m doing what my Lord and Master has commanded me to do. You’re doing it in His strength, so you’re not actually the one doing it. It’s His love moving through you and you have that Joy knowing that even though you’re being resisted by the world and Satan and your sinful nature, you’ve submitted and you feel the joy of being on mission with God. You know that He will accomplish His will, even though you might not know what that is. Sometimes we don’t need to know. Sometimes I’m on a need to know basis and I don’t need to know. I’m just told to go … and God moves through me.

So I want to challenge you to consider your obedience with God these days. Is it bringing this gladness, this delight, this special presence of God, this inner Joy, this inner glow? And do people notice it? It is the fruit of the Spirit. God will help you experience Joy as you follow Him.

One of the things I love to watch is when pilots fly aircraft, especially in dogfight situations, in F15s and Raptors, etc. When they lose sight of their target, they call out, “No Joy!” So this would be you losing sight of the target of God’s will for your life. You will have no joy, but once you have acquired the target again which would be the will of God, you will be fully Joy.

Let’s pray: Father God I pray that you, by the power of your Spirit, would make your will plain to every one of us. Father, we come seeking your will. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.  On earth as it is in Heaven. Father, we want to hear, “well done, good and faithful.” We want to obey. We want to be guided by you today. We don’t want to be distracted. We don’t want to be off-mission with you. We don’t want to be tempted away to pursue any other idols and listen to them. We want you to be our God and our Lord. Command us this day, Father, and strengthen us that Your will might be done. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

God bless you. Walk in the joy of the Lord today. Amen.