Morning Hope – April 20, 2011

We’ve been looking at the fruit of the Spirit as spiritual weapons against strife.

Galatians 5: 22-23 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV) 

Today I want you to read this verse yet again, slowly, purposely asking the Holy Spirit to make clear the revelation you need for victory against strife.

Strife comes at you in many forms.  Through angry words, snide comments, disobedient children, co-workers, people you love and people you don’t love. Often times it comes at you through people you don’t even know. And sometimes it even comes at you from within yourself, your own attitudes toward a situation can definitely be strife riddled.

Strife can come at you in the form of resentment and unforgiveness towards others as well. It has been said that holding anger, resentment, unforgiveness or blame toward another person is like drinking poison and expecting them to die.

It’s deadly. Physically and spirutually. Science has even come into agreement with this showing how stress effects your physical and mental health.

Peace on the other hand, is the perfect weapon against strife. We all have the worldly understanding of peace as calmness and that is one way it can be manifested.  Making a choice to stay calm when something or someone else isn’t.

When I looked up the word peace in greek, the one used in Galatians 5:22 this is what it says in Strong’s Concordance.
1.(a) exemption from the rage and havoc of war

I love this one! When strife comes up I can say “No! I have the fruit of the Spirit, which is Peace and I am exempt from strife having any foothold in my life and bringing confusion and every evil work!!!”

2. peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord

You can have peace between people even if it isn’t there right now! Glory to GOD!
6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death

This one is interesting! It’s the same state we will have in heaven? We can have it right now?! GLORY , that’s dancing music right there folks!!!

So you see how Peace fits on top of Joy, yes!? God is GOOD!!

Be blessed!

-Kath

Scripture quotations marked “KJV” are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.