Day 17: Joy and Peace
Wednesday, February 24
READ
REFLECT
If you have a yard, at some point soon chances are you will begin pulling weeds out of your flower beds and from other parts of your outside spaces. Not only do weeds look bad, they choke the life out of the beautiful plants and flowers you want to grow in your yard. In short, weeds can choke out life! In a spiritual sense, anxiety and fear can choke out joy and peace from our lives. This is why it so crucial to allow the Spirit to produce joy and peace as a result of our relationships with God.
Each part of the fruit of the Spirit cannot exist apart from another. This is particularly true for joy and peace. Interestingly, the root word of “joy” is the same word for “grace.” Evidently, when we have experienced grace through peace with God, we also will experience joy.
When we spend time with God, we should experience joy. But we cannot spend time with God in His presence until we have first experienced peace with God through His forgiveness. In a world that tries so desperately to choke our joy and peace with anxiety and fear, our relationships with God can allow the Spirit to produce what the world cannot touch!
RESPOND
Spend time in prayer, following the Upward, Inward, Outward, Upward format.
Upward: Who God is; What God has done, is doing, will do
Inward: Who you are; How you live
Outward: Intercession for others; unified prayer focus with Pathway
TODAY’S PRAYER: Father, we do not want the world to steal our joy and peace. Show us where and when we are most vulnerable to these threats. God, help us to be a people who bring joy and peace to the world because of what the Spirit is producing in us. Help us to be a fellowship of joy and a champion of peace in our city!
Upward: Thanksgiving and Worship
Our final Prayer & Worship Gathering will be this Sunday evening, February 28, at 6PM. We’ll be taking communion to wrap up our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting, and a headcount would be helpful for our team. RSVP for Sunday, or view recordings of previous gatherings HERE.