Grace in Galatians (Part 145): When The Holy Spirit Gives You Peace

https://youtu.be/wGs4abWjVdc?si=lrNJO0s9nvYZ2acq

Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

2 Peter 3:18 GNT“But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever.”

Luke 10:20 Mirror“It’s time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven’s perspective.”

1 John 3:10 Mirror“There is a very visible and vast difference between living one’s life from your God identity or from a fallen man’s mindset.”

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Scripture we will study today:

Galatians 5:22 TPT“But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: …peace that subdues…”

Supporting scriptures:

Philippians 4:7 TPT“Then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.”

John 14:27 NKJV“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.”

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Colossians 3:15 TPT“Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as members of his one body. And always be thankful.”

Setting the Stage:

Yesterday, we looked at joy that overflows as the first expression of divine love. Today, we move to the second expression: peace that subdues. Notice that word: subdues. The Passion Translation doesn’t say “peace that whispers” or “peace that hopes for the best.” It says peace that SUBDUES. This is an aggressive, militant, conquering peace. It subdues anxiety. It subdues fear. It subdues confusion. It subdues every thought that tries to exalt itself above what God has said about you. And remember our foundation: peace is what love looks like when it rests. When you are secure in God’s love, peace is the natural overflow. In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, it’s time to discover a peace that doesn’t just comfort you; it overwhelms you.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Peace That Subdues Is Not Passive; It Is a Force.

Most people think of peace as the absence of conflict. But the peace Paul describes here is not passive; it is an active force that subdues everything that tries to disturb your spirit. This peace doesn’t run from the storm; it walks into the storm and tells it to be still. Jesus demonstrated this when He slept in the boat during a raging storm. He wasn’t anxious; He was at rest. That’s the kind of peace the Holy Spirit produces in you.

How this applies to you:

— God’s peace doesn’t avoid conflict; it conquers it. There is a peace living in you that can empower you to walk into a chaos-filled situation and bring order and calm.

— You don’t have to beg for peace because Jesus already gave you His peace in John 14:27. You just have to receive (by faith) what’s already yours (by grace).

— When anxiety knocks at the door of your mind, the peace of God stands guard and refuses it entry. That’s what Philippians 4:7 means when it says peace “guards” your heart and mind.

— When you have God’s peace guarding your heart and mind, you do not allow yourself to be disturbed in your thoughts or your spirit. 

— In John 14:27, Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.” That word “let” is a permission word. Jesus wasn’t saying your heart WON’T be troubled; He was saying don’t ALLOW it to be troubled. You are the gatekeeper of your own heart.

— This means God will allow whatever you allow. He gave you dominion over your inner man. Grace made the peace available; your faith enforces it. You have the right and the responsibility to say “not today” to fear, worry, and anxiety; and hold the peace Jesus already provided.

— When you know you have peace from the Holy Spirit, you can sit in a meeting where everyone is panicking and remain completely unmoved.

— This peace is not something you generate; it is a fruit of the Spirit produced as you yield to Him.

— The highest form of faith is rest. When you are at peace in a storm, you are making a declaration that you trust God more than you fear the problem.

— This type of peace (that comes from the Holy Spirit), becomes a weapon. The enemy doesn’t know what to do with a believer who refuses to be disturbed. Conversely, when he finds a believer he can manipulate by simply changing circumstances, then that believer becomes a slave to conditions. To be clear, God does not want you to be a slave to anything!

2. Peace Is the Force of Consistency.

One of the most powerful things about God’s peace is that it makes you consistent. You are the same person in the storm that you are in the sunshine. You don’t fluctuate with circumstances. You don’t have “good days” and “bad days” that are determined by what’s happening around you. You have a peace that keeps you steady, stable, secure, and unmovable. This consistency is what makes you trustworthy in leadership, reliable in relationships, and dangerous to the enemy.

How this applies to you:

— Peace produces a consistency that people can depend on. You are the same every single day. No matter what is going on in my life, when you encounter me, you will not be surprised by the “Rick” who shows up. I will be the same person, day in and day out.

— Your coworkers, your family, and your friends know what to expect from you because your peace is not circumstance-dependent.

— Consistent people get promoted. Leaders trust those who remain steady under pressure. They are more productive. They provide stability for their teams. 

— The enemy’s strategy is to make you inconsistent through emotional highs and lows, by simply changing the conditions around you. Once again, if the enemy knows he can change your internal state, simply by negatively influencing the external conditions around you, then he can easily manipulate you. But when you walk with God and allow teh fruit of the Holy Spirit to become natural to you, God’s peace keeps you on an even keel.

— In your marriage and family, your consistency creates a sense of security that everyone needs.

— Peace-filled consistency is one of the most powerful testimonies you can offer the world. It says, “My God is bigger than my situation.”

— When you are consistently consistent, you become a stabilizing force in every environment you enter. 

3. Peace Guards Your Heart and Mind.

Philippians 4:7 says that God’s peace “will guard your heart and mind.” The word “guard” is a military term. It means to post sentries around something to protect it from attack. When I was in the Army, we called it “guard duty.” God’s peace literally pulls guard duty around your heart and your mind, preventing worry, fear, doubt, and unbelief from entering. This is not something you do; it is something God’s peace does FOR you as you yield to the Holy Spirit. Your job is to keep your mind stayed on Him. His job is to keep you in perfect peace.

How this applies to you:

— Isaiah 26:3 says God keeps in “perfect peace” those whose minds are stayed on Him. Your focus determines your peace. The original language of “perfect peace” is actually “shalom shalom,” which in a literal translation is “peace peace.” In other words, when you fix your mind on God, He can give you DOUBLE PEACE!

— You don’t have to fight every anxious thought; God’s peace fights for you when you keep your mind on Him.

— When negative reports come, let the peace of God process them before your emotions do.

— In high-stakes business situations, this supernatural peace enables you to make clear-headed decisions while others are reacting emotionally.

— Here’s a huge revelation: when you walk with God, and He walks with you, peace is a permanent guard, not a temporary guest. It doesn’t come and go, because the Holy Spirit does not come and go. This type of peace (that the Holy Spirit produces); stands watch permanently when you stay yielded to the Spirit.

— In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, discover that you don’t have to manufacture peace; you just have to stop resisting the peace that’s already inside of you.

4. Peace Is Love Resting in the Finished Work.

Here’s the connection back to love. Peace is what love looks like when it rests. When you know that God loves you, that His plans for you are settled, and that IT’S ALREADY DONE, what is there to be anxious about? Peace is the natural response of a heart that is secure in God’s love. You rest because you trust. You trust because you’re loved. 

How this applies to you:

— Peace comes from knowing that the One who controls the universe loves you personally.

— When you rest in God’s love, anxiety has no foundation to build on. In other words, when you walk with God in earnest, your life is built on a foundation of love, trust, peace, and rest, so fear, doubt, unbelief, and worry don’t have anything to build on.

— You can have peace about your future because God already went ahead and prepared everything you need. IT’S ALREADY DONE!

— Peace is not the absence of problems; it’s the presence of God in the midst of problems.

— Love removes the fear that produces anxiety, and when fear goes, peace floods in.

— In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, the greatest discovery about peace is that it was never missing; you were just too busy striving to notice it was already there.

— GREATER IS COMING FOR ME, and I can be at peace about it because the God who promised it is faithful to deliver it.

That’s enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You for the peace that subdues every storm in my life!

I declare that Your peace is pulling guard duty around my heart and my mind and anxiety can’t get in!

I am not moved by circumstances because my peace comes from Your Spirit, not my situation!

I am the same person in the storm that I am in the sunshine because Your peace makes me consistent!

I rest in Your finished work, and because IT’S ALREADY DONE, I have nothing to be anxious about!

Peace is love resting, and I rest in Your love today!

I refuse to let worry, fear, or doubt penetrate the guard that Your peace has set around my heart!

I am discovering new dimensions of peace in THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY!

I am living from the inside out, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!