Live Juicy – a 10 Week Study of the Fruit of the Spirit – Week Four – Peace

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace. Ephesians 2:13-14

Life is unbearable without peace.

Life is unbearable without peace. Without peace, you have turmoil. In the story of Job, we see a man who is blameless and upright, fears God, and shuns evil. The narrator even goes so far as to say Job is the greatest man among the people of the east. He was a good father to seven sons and three daughters.

So, Satan, who had been out roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth, comes before God to make a petition. He claims the only reason Job was so good was because God had put a hedge of protection around him. So, God allowed Satan to destroy his livestock, his possessions, his children, and his health.

Job comes to the place where he curses the day he was born, and he claims in Job 3:25-26, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

Job has suffered the most significant loss of all, his peace. Life is unbearable without peace. Without peace, there is only turmoil.

Perhaps you, like me, have experienced a time where you lost your peace? A series of sleepless nights, tossing and turning from fear or anxiety? A time when your mind does not stop churning up painful memories of the past? An extended period when you felt out of control?

For He, Himself is Our Peace

In Ephesians 2:13-14, Paul says, “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace.”  We, now because of the bloodshed on the cross, have access to the Prince of Peace Himself. The One, who in the Old Testament was far away, has now been brought near!

Several places in Scripture we find Jesus saying these words: PEACE BE WITH YOU. (John 14:27, 20:19 and 20:26 for example.) But before we can experience the peace of God, we must first be at peace with God.

I don’t understand.

Have you ever encountered a time in your life where you were surprised by peace? Recently our family experienced a direct encounter with COVID 19. My husband got the virus in early April and three months later, continues to battle with the aftereffects of the illness.

We had every reason to be anxious and troubled. And to be honest, we were at times. However, EVERY time my heart took a turn in that direction, God showed up with His peace that passes all understanding and quieted my heart and mind.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

We have only one reason not to fear—the presence of Christ. Because of my relationship with God, I can know with all certainty that peace is always near and available to me. It is when I take my eyes off Christ and look at my circumstances that I experience fear, worry, and anxiety.

Remember a few weeks ago when we looked at the story of Peter walking on water? (Click here to go back and read High Adventures at Sea) It was in a time of peace that Peter got out of the boat and walked on water. It was in a time of fear when he began to sink. The difference was his focus. When it was on Jesus, he had the peace that transcends all understanding, the peace that said the impossible was possible. But the second his focus shifted to the storm, his fear weighed him down, and he began to sink.

How to make peace your life motto.

Remember earlier in this devotion; I said that before we can experience the peace of God, we must first be at peace with God. We can be at peace with God by accepting His gift of grace given on the cross. Once we have done this, we will experience peace with God.

In my newly released book, A Warrior of Peace, I share how to make peace your life motto. I hope you will consider reading this devotional. It will remind you of the peace available to you through the knowledge that Christ Jesus has overcome this world. You will discover how to live at peace, promote peace, and be patient in peace. We all need to make peace our life motto.

Keep turning your back on every sin, and make “peace” your life motto. Practice being at peace with everyone. Psalm 34:14 (TPT)

In conclusion, we have seen how unbearable life can be when we lose our peace. We have seen how keeping our focus on God, not our circumstances, is key to having a steadfast mind governed by peace. And we learned that to experience the peace of God, we must first be at peace with God. Finally, I hope you will join me in making peace your life motto and practice being at peace with everyone.

Heavenly Father, I choose to be a Warrior of Peace and live at peace with the world around me. I commit to focusing my mind on you and away from the storm. I thank you that because of who you are and what you have done for me, I have the peace of God in me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For a more in-depth study of the fruit of the Spirit, I recommend and am reading myself, Living Beyond Yourself, by Beth Moore

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