Is it Peace? Or Something Else?

“The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

Peace will always accompany God’s voice.

If you have a sense of peace in your heart about a situation, it is a strong indication that God is leading you there. Of course, it is never wise to discern God’s leading, especially about major decisions, based on peace alone. I always ask God to confirm His voice to me. And, amazingly, He always does. Sometimes it’s through a scripture and sometimes it’s through a trusted spiritual leader or mentor. Sometimes it’s through my husband or a friend.

God is the Prince of Peace and He promises peace to those who trust Him. It is a fruit of the Spirit. But while peace cannot be separated from God’s character, it is nearly impossible for me to judge in someone else. And is sometimes difficult to discern even within myself.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had people tell me they feel “peace” about situations that make every alarm inside me scream “NOT GOD! NOT GOD! NOT GOD!” I confess that many times, especially early in my Christian walk, I grossly misinterpreted a “good feeling” as the peace of God. I made some big mistakes following what I thought was God’s peace.

So how do we know when the warms fuzzies are God’s peace, or something else?

Well, let’s start by taking a look at a few things that could be misinterpreted as peace in our hearts:

Relief that a decision has been made. I personally hate to be in limbo for too long and prefer to know exactly where I’m headed (it’s called the spiritual gift of planning). That causes problems for me in the peace department. Sometimes if I wrestle with decisions for too long, the simple act of finally deciding to go one way or another can feel a lot like God’s peace.

Release from discomfort or responsibility. I remember when my kids were little (three and one), and I taught a weekly Bible study in my home and also ran our church nursery and preschool departments. It was a lot. Too much. For months, I prayed about quitting something (not the kids…I couldn’t quit the kids), and finally decided it would be the nursery/preschool position. While, I felt a little unsure, I felt better. But I wasn’t sure if the “better” was relief from the responsibility or if I felt the peace of God. (It ended up being the peace of God.  And also, relief.  It was both.)

When we leave an extremely uncomfortable or stressful situation, especially one that has been uncomfortable and stressful for a long time, we can easily think it is “peace” to escape it. And it very well may be more peaceful to walk away from a difficult circumstance than to stay in it. But we cannot confuse the release with God’s peace. This can be especially dangerous when we are considering a job change, a relocation or a divorce. Turns out, God often leads us to endure painful trials to perfect our faith. We can’t always assume that the path of least resistance is the path to God’s peace. God is able to sustain us through any situation, no matter how difficult.

A met need. Food, shelter, clothing, love, attention, affection. Just because someone or something is meeting our needs, it does not necessarily mean it is God leading us there. In fact, many times God leads us to a desolate place…a needy place…so that we will turn to Him and allow Him to be our sole Provider.

A met desire. Lust, wealth, power. Sometimes the lure of our flesh and the satisfaction of those desires feels so “right.” The flesh is one of the loudest, most persistent voices within us. It incessantly screams for attention. When we finally give in to what the flesh wants, it feels good. But that is definitely not God’s peace.

The peace of God is different. It is more than a feeling. It is one of the most powerful weapons in our spiritual arsenal, giving us the ability to over ride every natural impulse. It strengthens us when we feel like we cannot take one more step on our weary path. It removes anxiety during scary situations. It erects a hedge of protection around our hearts and minds that the Enemy cannot penetrate.

Peace allows us to transcend unthinkable circumstances.

If you aren’t sure if you are feeling peace or something else, I suggest you run it past a trusted minister or friend. Ask God to confirm His voice to you. He wants you to understand His language. He is not keeping you in the dark. He is wooing you, leading you, speaking to you.

Peace to you.