My prayer for you today is that no matter what battle you are facing and no matter how fierce the storm is— that you will be fully fitted with the gospel of peace.
The peace of Christ is what gives you calm in any storm and amid all the chaos happening around you. As Christ is your center, He becomes the eye of the storm where you are held. Peace is an internal promise that external forces cannot penetrate.
When I was young I would get drawn into the chaos, drama, and fear of unwanted battles that would come and surround my life. During these time I would take my eyes off of the Lord and sink under the fierce waves of unbelief and fear. The wind was too strong for me and the waves would pull me under until it was hard to breathe. I would feel as though I was fighting for my life. But God recognized my youthfulness and spiritual immaturity, therefore, in His faithfulness and compassion, He would save me once again and draw me back into the center of His peace. There was a heavy cost that my soul paid in trauma and suffering during those times. A trauma that I had to be healed from.
One day the Lord spoke to me and said, “Daughter, where there is peace there is no warfare. Let Me teach you how to live in the peace that surpasses all understanding. The inward peace that cannot be stolen from you.”
He did not say that there would no longer be any battle to face but that within the battle I would carry a peace that stilled the internal warfare that had continually been tormenting my heart and mind (the story of this journey is in my 30-day devotional: Peace).
The Lord took me on a journey to discover how to live in peace. He will take you on the pathway to peace as well. It is important to know that peace is connected to other aspects of Christ that secure it and become a whole defense system for living. These aspects are given to us in Ephesians 6:10-18 when we are given the instructions of how to clothe our lives as Christians— Children of God and soldiers in God’s army.
The Belt of Truth
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
The Shield of Faith
The Helmet of Salvation
The Sword of Spirit
Peace is right in the middle of all these things: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and Spirit (His Word).
It is amazing to be able to breathe deep and find peace when storms and chaos surround you. Sometimes it takes a few moments to align your soul with His truth but practice by inviting the Lord to lead you in your next battle. Better yet, don’t wait until a full attack is upon you— begin to let Him teach you how to clothe your soul and spirit so that you are always prepared and found in His perfect peace.
For me, learning to implement peace (and the aspects of Christian living that surround peace) did not happen overnight. I was invited by the Lord into a journey to learn peaceful living and His ways that are like spiritual retaining walls that hold it in place. The other aspects that I mentioned from Ephesians 6 became the walls or banks that contained my “peace like a river” that now flows in my life. And it can flow in yours as well.
“For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees.” Isaiah 66:12
Peace will be how the Spirit of God nurtures you, carries you, and calms you. It is a river that will make your heart glad amid a world filled with chaos and an enemy who is vying for your constant attention.
Peace is the destroyer of demonic distractions and the wall that the enemies of your soul cannot scale.
If you have been tormented by fear, drama, chaos, and warfare— God is inviting you to join Him in rebuilding the walls and restoring the gates in your life. Just like in the Book of Nehemiah, the walls and gates of Jerusalem had to be rebuilt to keep the city and its inhabitants safe. He knows where your gaps are and where the enemy is gaining access— and He will fortify those places. But you must be intentional and partner with Him to see peace established within the boundaries of your life.
Today is the day to respond to His invitation. His ways are the only way to live in the peace that surpasses understanding amid difficult circumstances. Battles may surround you but if peace is in you— you can lay down in green pastures and sit by still waters.
“Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:18
“Lord, today I pay attention and turn to Your ways and choose to live in all of Your commandments. I desire peace like a river and righteousness to come upon the shores of my life like the never-ending waves of the sea. I receive the invitation to learn Your ways and to be clothed in Your armor. I will intentionally partner with You to see the walls and gateways of my life restored and fortified so that peace is established. Come and impart peace to my life that is impenetrable and not disrupted by the battles outside of me or that come to surround me. Even then I will have peace, which leads to hope and joy. Right now I put my foot down upon the pathway to peace and begin the journey with You. I take Your hand and together we will see my life transformed into something beautiful.”
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Inscribe Ministries
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