Many people do not have peace, because they’re not satisfied. They’re not satisfied with the way they look or with what they have. They’re not satisfied with their house, car or work and not with their children or spouse either. Most things in their lives bring them only discontent and that is why they’re always looking for more. People like that think peace is to be found in the things we find on earth. If I simply work a little bit harder and just earn a little bit more, I will be satisfied some time or another. Then I will find real joy in life.

But even if you have all the things you ever desired in life, even if you are satisfied with everything you have and how you look, and even if you have eventually achieved “even more”, real peace still seem to evade you. Just ask the guys who have everything. They’ll be able to testify that none of those things can bring true peace.

Real peace is not temperamental. Real peace is not stolen by circumstances. The worst storm can rage around you, but your peace will not be stolen. The depth of your peace is not dependent on your emotional condition or the place you find yourself at the moment. Even if you lose your job, even if you lose your business, even if a loved one dies, even if your state of mind takes a dive, real peace will not even have a hiccup. It stands strong and the flag will keep on waving strongly in the wind.

Some people always radiate complete peace. People who have tasted the fruit of real peace and now bear that fruit. These people know <strong>22… serenity. </strong> Yes, real peace is not to be found on earth. It comes from God.

Real peace becomes possible when there is peace between man and God. When you know things are right between you and God and when there is no hostility left between God and you, when the search for your Saviour is over and you have fallen into his loving arms, a kind of peace comes over you that you have never ever experienced before. The running after “something” and “more in life” stops. The search simply stops immediately. Eventually you are really content, because the real peace that surpasses all understanding now flows through you.

Every person is programmed to look for real peace. The problem is that most look for it in the wrong places. Why do you think celebrities get involved with drugs? They have everything! They have loads of money, many friends, houses all over the place and fast, shiny cars. But they still look for more. They don’t even realise it, but they are struggling to find real peace, because none of these material things can give true peace.

Real peace eventually comes when we’re back in the camp with our Creator. If we don’t get there, we’ll never be satisfied, and real peace will keep evading us. But when we discover real peace, the world can throw any curve ball. Hardship can come. Yes, we may feel discouraged, we may howl from the pain while we struggle on, but we can still experience true peace, because our relationship with God is sorted.

I often use an example from my own life. My third book, Saamloop, which has been launched this week, was printed in India. During the printing process a difficulty arose and when the first five books arrived, I realised we could not release the book in that condition. My first response was peace…? Not really! I was flat on the ground. I was stunned, disappointed, angry and much more. I shook, I felt like crying, because you see, I’m only human and all of these are human reactions.

When the dust eventually settled and I realised that a whole lot of human errors had happened, I asked our Father to quieten the storm so that I could become calm again in his presence. In this whole process of emotional seesawing my peace didn’t disappear. Because nothing, absolutely nothing can destroy the peace that exists between God and me.

Real peace is a fruit of the Spirit and nothing and nobody can take it away from us.
<p style=”text-align: right;”><strong><a href=”https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/97/gal.5.msg” target=”_blank”>Galatians 5:13-23</a></strong></p>
<strong>Reflection</strong>

What does your fruit look like?

Will the Spirit put his sticker on it?

Do people see the fruit of peace in your life?

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<strong>Prayer</strong>

Thank you for the encouragement, Father. Thank you that I can be at peace knowing that my search for real peace stops with You. Thank you for putting the desire for real peace in us and that we will not stop looking for it until we have found it in You. Please help me to live in real peace and to guide others to find it too. Amen