Our flesh cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit must come from the Spirit of God. The enemy really wants to steal the fruit of the Spirit that God gave us. The fruit of the Spirit is the character of God. The enemy wants to steal the character of God from His children. We are made in God’s likeness so we are supposed to act like God. What is God like? The Bible tells us plainly.

• Galatians 5:22-23 New King James Version – ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

God loves us and answers our prayers. But, God doesn’t always answer with something tangible. Sometimes God answers us with strength of character. When difficulty comes, God will often answer our prayers with longsuffering or joy right in the midst of sorrow. God will give us the ability to hang in there when others cave in and quit. Then God will give us peace in the middle of trouble He has not yet taken away.

Why should we worry when God has given us His peace? Why worry about tomorrow, when we haven’t finished with today? God told us to pray for our daily needs–not our next week needs. We shouldn’t imagine that the worst will happen when we have the opportunity to focus on God today. We must learn to enjoy today. When we exercise the fruit of peace, we can appreciate what God is doing right now.

• Isaiah 26:3 New King James Version – You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

God promises to keep us in perfect peace–not to keep us from all trouble. The Lord told us we would have trouble in this world.

• John 16:33 New King James Version – These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
• John 14:1 New King James Version – “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

We must follow the leading of the Lord and we won’t make bad decisions based on fear or anxiety. We should be willing to wait and pray about each decision. When we hear from God, we can rest in what He has said. Hearing from God releases peace into our lives. When we step into obedience to Christ, trouble has no power to disturb our peace.

But we can’t think we can do nothing and have this peace. No–we must fight to hold onto our peace. It is a precious fruit of God’s nature the enemy will come against. We are instructed to be alert and protect the character of God He placed in us.

• 1 Peter 5:8 New King James Version – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We can have peace even before our situation changes. Peace has power. Powerful people of God are not upset and anxious. They are at peace and standing firm on the Word of God. The three Hebrew boys who were threatened because they would not bow down to idols, had peace in the middle of a fiery trial.

• Daniel 3:16-18 New King James Version – ¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

They stood firm on their loyalty to God and were even willing to die rather than betray God. God delivered them.

• Daniel 3:28-29 New King James Version – ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ²⁹ Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

The moment we start to trust God, is the moment we must decide to eat on the fruit of peace.