Have you ever got into an argument before church and felt like a hypocrite during the entire service? Understand this: the enemy knows that God’s Word can only be ‘sown in peace’ (see James 3:18), so he will do everything he can to keep you from receiving it and being blessed by it. That’s why you must do whatever it takes to keep your peace. There’s power in peace! If the devil can’t get you upset he has no power over you. He only gains control when you ‘lose it.’ He plans to get you upset in order to steal your peace, confuse you and make you run in circles. Don’t let him. James writes, ‘The wisdom that is from above is…peaceable.’ In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases this Scripture: ‘Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterised by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoys its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour’ (v. 17-18 MSG). Notice, getting along with others can be ‘hard work.’ So next time you get worked up about some issue, ask yourself, ‘What’s the Enemy trying to do here? If I give in to these emotions what will the result be?’ When you’re stressed out you lose your joy, and when you lose your joy you lose your strength because ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength’ (see Nehemiah 8:10). So today, pray, exercise self-control, and keep your peace.
