Many people think they have peace, but what they actually have is boredom.

They are content to live a safe and predictable life, without ever really living. They mistake living in peace with living in a rut. But there is a difference—and an important one, especially for believers. I believe that God has called the body of Christ, as living witnesses of Him, to live lives filled with both true peace and real power.

The easiest way to identify if you are leaving in peace or boredom is by considering your ability to handle change and be flexible to the leading of His Spirit. Peace that has no power to deal with change cannot be a witness of God's extravagant power. The Word of God proclaims in Isaiah 26:3-4: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord we have an everlasting rock."

Notice the connection in this passage between peace and power. When we rest in God, trusting in His provision and making Him the center of our thought life, we not only gain "perfect peace" but also "everlasting strength." We are able to access the very power of the Father, the Lord Jehovah.

What must we as believers do to receive these resources and blessings from God? Simply ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened to you (see Matt. 7:7–8). Of course, this means you must be ready to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit when you ask, seek and knock for all that God has for you, since it is the Holy Spirit who releases all of God's resources in our lives for inward peace and outward power. Many well-meaning believers suggest that it is Christ's Resurrection alone that empowers us to go from average people living in ruts into victorious people living in peace and power, but if we look into the Scriptures to observe the followers of Christ after His Resurrection, we find them huddled in a room filled with fear, condemnation and weakness. It isn't until the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the upper room that we can see the difference. It is clear the peace and power they received was from the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The greatest example we see of this relationship between peace and power in the Word of God is Jesus Himself. Nothing about the life Jesus lived endorsed a practice of staying within the safe rails of society's definition of peace, and as a result, every part of His life and ministry were challenged. Over and over again, He faced interruptions from religious leaders, broken people desperate for a Savior and even His own disciples. And yet in each instance, He made appropriate course corrections that honored the Father's plan for His life and others' and demonstrated the mighty power of God. His complete surrender to Spirit within Him—the same Spirit we receive by faith—revealed both peace and strength, even in the most turbulent times of His ministry, all the way to the cross. Christ's ability to adjust and trust brought Him victory. If we follow His example, it will do the same for us.

No matter what we are facing—victory, defeat or complacency—the leading of the Holy Spirit, coupled with the Word of God, allows us to live a life that is victorious and empowered by the peace of the very heart of God. His peace, "which surpasses all understanding" and guards our hearts and minds, is not only inward peace but far more (Phil. 4:7). Peace is the inward stability He grants us, yes, but the power He gives us through His Spirit is the outward witness to everyone around us that the Spirit of God lives in us. Because of this, we have hope for the future as well as His victory every day of our lives. Put another way, the Holy Spirit puts a desire in us to see the promises and truth of God's Word come to pass wherever we go, and He gives us the peaceful clarity of mind and the power to effect that change in the world.

You are a powerhouse and a witness to the world of God's blessing. Are you walking in the fullness of that calling today? The Holy Spirit is available to you; are you available to Him?

You are beautiful. I see Jesus in you! Have an awesome week.

Mikel French has challenged spiritual awakening all across America, where many celebrations extended into multiple weeks, and has conducted celebrations in France, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, South Africa, Malawi, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Haiti, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand. He conducted an outreach celebration in Manila, Philippines, reaching 200,000 teenagers with the Book of Hope. Through the generous support of partners, he has presented the message of Jesus Christ to millions of people in the nation of Russia through televised citywide soul-winning celebrations. Mikel considers it an honor to assist in conducting the annual pastor's conference, where thousands of pastors from Russia's 11 time zones come for training, teaching and equipping. Mikel and his wife, Marsha, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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