resilience | lent devotions

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:17, NIV

You have all the peace you need. When you said ‘yes’ to Jesus you received his Spirit and were given his peace because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is Prince of the Kingdom of God which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You have a princely sum of peace. So, why might you find it hard to walk in that peace? Because accessing the store of peace takes a conscious decision. You see, you consist of three components:

Your flesh has one interest, the physical. You can treat your flesh well but - ultimately - it is the component that deteriorates and perishes.

Your soul is who you really are. It is the thing that most distinguishes me from you. Your soul tells you what you want, think, and feel.

Your spirit is what comes alive when you are in Christ. Uniquely able to communicate with God, it is your spirit that stores up a reservoir of word and testimony and responds to God in worship. And it’s in your spirit in which the deposit of peace Jesus has given us is stored.

The flesh and the soul are intrinsically linked. The natural order is soul to flesh, flesh to soul and both are utterly oriented to corporal human living. But we’re not called to live in the natural; we’re called to live in the supernatural. The supernatural order is spirit to soul to flesh. If we want to experience resilience bolstered by peace, we must discipline ourselves to let the spirit inform our souls and direct our flesh.

Let’s pray
Thank you, Jesus, that I don’t have to ask for peace; I just have to ask for a revelation of what is already mine in Christ and an understanding of how to walk in it. I ask for that revelation today and for the supernatural strength to let my spirit inform my soul and direct my flesh. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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