Morning Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
It's Week 3 of the Fruit of the Spirit 5Ws series and this week we're reviewing the third fruit peace. My prayer is that we learn how God biblically defines His fruit, how to express His fruit in our lives, and how to practically walk by the Spirit so we don't gratify the desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:16).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ~Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
Fruit of the Spirit– Peace
Who
Who has peace?
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God (Acts 2:38, 10:45) to glorify Jesus Christ (John 16:14) and only indwells in those that have:
Chosen to make Jesus Christ their personal Lord and Savior (John 14:26)
Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins
Believe Jesus Christ resurrected three days later
Therefore, who can possess God's inner peace, one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, as God defines it?
Answer: Only true believers and followers of Jesus Christ.
What
What is peace?
When most people think about peace, they’re envisioning a tranquil life without struggles, or a world without war and violence, and/or a state or season of calmness. While these are true definitions, biblical peace is much deeper and everlasting.
There are three different types of peace in the Bible. BlueLetterBible.org explains, they are:
1. Peace with God
When a person trusts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, they are at peace with God. The Bible teaches that we are His enemies before we trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once a person is saved, there is peace between them and God.
This peace is a result of the new relationship we have with God.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~Romans 5:1 (NKJV)
2. Peace of God
We cannot have peace of God until we first have peace with God. This peace type describes God's very nature and is the inner peace within the soul and spirit that all believers can experience during times of trials, turmoil, and tough circumstances. The Apostle Paul addressed the church in Rome by saying:
This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you, and He has chosen you to be His holy people. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. ~Romans 1:7 (ERV)
This is a supernatural peace that comes from God during our times of struggle. It is beyond all human understanding:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)
Because we have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we can experience this wonderful peace of God, no matter what the circumstances are. Furthermore, this is a peace that unbelievers cannot understand or experience.
Peace as a fruit of the Spirit describes this peace type. This peace fruit practically looks like tranquility, calm, and peace experienced internally when there's all kinds of chaos, tough times, and stressful circumstances attacking us externally. Times like these, we should feel hopeless and very emotional– full of fear, anxiety, anger, and worry... Yet, due to having peace of God (God's peace) during such moments, we're genuinely full of calm, tranquility, and peace internally that transcends all human understanding externally, and can only be credited to God's divine power via the Holy Spirit.
Now, there’s a worldly peace we have when everything is going our way. But the peace Jesus gives is a totally different quality of peace than what the world gives. It’s a peace that passes our understanding; it makes us peaceful when all-natural reasoning says we should be upset. ~Joyce Meyer
The peace referenced in Colossians 3:15 and Galatians 5:22-23 is about harmony, safety, friendliness, and contentment. It’s a picture of sleeping soundly while the world’s (and our own) chaos cycles round. ~Robyn Roste
A person who has genuine, godly peace can endure an avalanche of hardship and difficulty and still enjoy an inner peace that surpasses all human understanding. Why? Because it does not come from pleasant circumstances, nice events, or good things others may do for us. Instead, it is based on the fact that the Spirit of our holy, omnipotent, and never-changing God lives within us. ~Charles F. Stanley
3. Peace on earth
Unlimited peace is promised by God when Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom on the earth. The prophet Isaiah records God's plan for His Son Jesus:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)
At the announcement of Christ's birth, the angel said to the shepherds:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! ~Luke 2:14 (NKJV)
When
When do we have peace of God (God's inner peace)?
The world's peace is temporary and usually comes in the form of money, pills, sex, entertainment, vacations, and other activities. God's peace that Christ spoke of (John 14:27), His inner peace that can handle the cross, comes to us when we're at our weakest– no longer relying on our own strength because we've fully surrendered to God and allowing Him to work within us.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ~Colossians 3:15 (NKJV)
Only the Holy Spirit is required to possess God's peace. And, God's peace should be our permanent nature or standard way of operating, no matter the circumstances, at all times.
If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace. ~Romans 8:6 (ERV)
In other words, God desires we always possess His peace, regardless of life's unpredictable circumstances, and we experience it when we dive deeper in Him through:
Nurturing a vital, maturing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Trusting God and remembering His promises
Studying and meditating on His Word
Prayer and fasting
Authentic worship and fellowship with other believers
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ~John 14:27 (NKJV)
Where
Where do we find God's peace?
If God is inherently a God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:16), we will find His peace in Him and wherever He dwells. Christianity.com explains, "The nearer we move to Him, the more of His peace we can experience."
God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you. ~Isaiah 26:3 (ERV)
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 8:17 (NKJV)
Why
Why do we have God's peace?
Because as a believer, the Holy Spirit indwells in us. Hence, we inherit His peace because it's sourced by the Holy Spirit.
It will bring light to those who live in darkness, in the fear of death. It will guide us into the way that brings peace. ~Luke 1:29 (ERV)
We also have God's peace because:
God desires we grow in His nature and Christlike character (1 Corinthians 11:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:20) in how we think, act, and feel. So, if God's nature is peace, then His will is that we grow in Him to demonstrate and experience His peace in any circumstance.
God is not an author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), and He desires we author the same (Matthew 5:9) within our own lives.
God desires we live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Hebrews 12:14). This doesn't mean we're "doormats" or turn a blind eye to sin by any means though. Instead, this means wherever possible, we always hold each other accountable in peace, agape love, and encourage each other to speak and practice God's truths versus enabling and perpetuating sin.
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Remember, it's all about progression, not perfection! God loves you! With Him, you got this! Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
~Natasha
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