Romans 15:13

NASB	NLT	VOICE
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.	13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.	13 I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our Source of Joy and Peace

Joy is a deep-seated sense of happiness that comes from our relationship with God. Peace refers to a place of tranquility and harmony with God and others. These qualities were necessary for the early church, for they focused on unity and perseverance during their time of persecution. Faith is how we can receive the promises from God. To believe in God is to create a personal relationship and commitment with him. To overflow shows our abundance, showing that the hope given by God is unlimited. The overflow comes from the Holy Spirit. It’s our source of power so that we can witness and live out our faith. The Spirit helps us to guide, comfort, and strengthen others, showing they can experience and express God’s hope, joy, and peace.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Trusting God is our way of getting joy and peace. Which do you need more of right now? 

Fruits in Real Life

Joy and peace are great signs of our relationship with God. Joy is our happiness and how it comes from a place in our relationship with God. It’s a way for us to connect our happiness with the pleasures that God provides. We often try to use things of this world as the source of happiness: video games, socializing, gambling, traveling, and more. We use these items as moments that provide happiness, but the unfortunate side of this is that they provide happiness in the short term. Our consumerist culture knows this and works to indoctrinate us that this is only way we can be happy. God shows us that our happiness can be found in all things through his provisions. It’s a restructuring of our mind that allows us to find more joy in our everyday lives. Allowing us to find joy in just being alive, interacting with whom we can, always utilizing our current resources to enjoy the life that we were called to live.

Peace is our place of tranquility. It’s not an avoidance of chaos, but it’s tranquility during the chaos. It’s recognizing that while our current state of being is struggling, this is not forever. Our stress is temporary. Our anxiety is not our identity. This peace is a place of contentment with our stress and recognizing the strength and power to overcome. It’s not easy by any stretch to walk through, but it will allow you to feel a calm that feels otherworldly. I got to experience that during my sextortion incident, and it allowed me to not focus on the stress and instead focus on the path before me. It allowed me to be present. It allowed me to be better. It allowed me to grow with God above everything.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Looking deeper at our joy and peace – it centers on contentment and focus on God. How can you make sure to focus on God at all times?

PRAY Action

Praise God for the joy and peace He provides. We know that the things of this world are temporary, but God’s gifts are eternal.

Read Galatians 5:22

Ask God to do an inner check about the fruit you produce. See how you can better sow the fruits of the Spirit so that they provide sustenance in our everyday life.

You deserve joy and peace in all things. You are not the stress, chaos, and anxieties that face you. You are stronger than them. You are an overcomer.

Next slice of manna: Living by Faith || Galatians 2:20 || Manna for the Mind #329