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‘When the Holy Spirit controls our lives He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace.’ Galatians 5:22 TLB

Panic and anxiety are often our first reactions to conflict and problems. In those initial moments, choosing peace seems impossible. Your subconscious whispers, ‘If you really care, you will worry.’ As panic begins to rise, it’s important to turn to the Holy Spirit and tap into the peace He offers. Panic is the enemy, not the situation. Anxiety just empowers and enlarges the problems we’re facing. Your best problem-solving resource is always peace.

Fear and anxiety block solutions; answers flow more easily and naturally from a peaceful state of mind. And God’s peace is always available to us—if we choose to use it. Paul writes, ‘When the Holy Spirit controls our lives He will produce… peace.’ Refuse to let your negative emotions run uncontrolled. Don’t let them decide your response.

Jesus said, ‘Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful… intimidated… cowardly and unsettled.’ (John 14:27 AMPC) That means you have options; you can choose between peace and inner conflict. In the same verse, Jesus also said, ‘My [own] peace I… bequeath to you’ (John 14:27 AMPC), and ‘bequeath’ relates to executing a will. When someone dies, they leave their most cherished possessions to the people they love. But just because Jesus left us His peace doesn’t mean it will automatically operate in us. Plus, when we lose our peace, it’s harder to hear from God.

When Paul says, ‘Let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule… in your hearts’ (Colossians 3:15 AMPC), the word ‘rule’ means ‘to govern and to control’. So instead of letting yourself get anxious and panicky today, choose peace.

SoulFood: Phil 3–4, Luke 21:12–24, Ps 18:1–29, Pro 9:4–6

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024

The Word for Today

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