Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I give thanks for a lot of things when I meet with the Living God because my Heart overflows with Gratitude for who He is and what He does for me. But one of the most Prevailing requests I put before His Throne, and one that I Proclaim over my life is Peace. When I have peace in my Life everything easily flows, and when I have Peace I can handle it all. Having Peace doesn’t mean that everything is smooth sailing around me, and my peace doesn’t come without effort on MY part. I WORK for my Peace…I guard my Peace…I Proclaim my Peace…day after day and year after year. It’s pretty simple. If I can be a Reflection of Peace in the midst of a world in turmoil then I can be a living, breathing example of my Faith for the world to see. Without it, I’m a poor Witness for the Source of Peace – the kind of “Peace that surpasses all understanding.” Isn’t that the way you see your Journey of Faith too?

We live in a world that refuses to live in peace and we’re surrounded by people that do their very best to be sure that we never have it. Some people hunger for conflict and they make it their mission to instill anger and fear because they have no interest in peace at all. They’re entertained by conflict and they get perverse pleasure out of instilling pain on other people. They’re like snapping turtles…they latch onto something that they’re sure will cause division and they refuse to let it go. They spit out venomous words and they stand by to see how much damage they’ve done as they celebrate their wicked accomplishments. From political preferences…to the color of skin…if they only Knew that God Almighty Ordains (or allows) it all, they might stop willingly surrendering their Peace instead of adding fleshly fuel to a Spiritual fire.

There are plenty of people hell-bent on division in our Country, within the Church, and sometimes within our homes. As long as we don’t make Peace a priority…as long as we don’t determine to have it and proclaim it day after day no matter what… the squeaky wheel will rob us as surely as we breathe. That’s the way our adversary works! Conflict is toxic, and it’s contagious, AND it comes from the pit of Hell. It can spread like wildfire, destroying anything and everything in its path IF we don’t diligently guard our peace and IF we don’t mirror the Prince of Peace through it all. How many times must we be reminded that the struggles in this Life ARE NOT AGAINST flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil? With that in mind, nobody ever really “takes” our peace – we willingly surrender it instead.

I am blessed beyond measure to live on a beautiful piece of land in Virginia that has been graced with an old farmhouse, a front porch that I dearly love, and now a chapel in a barn. I open my Heart to the masses and I hear all kinds of comments when people make their way here – things like “It’s so beautiful,” “It has character,” “It’s charming,” “The view is amazing,” “It feels like grandma’s house,” “I never want to leave,” and “When can I come back?” There is no end to the list of compliments I hear when people visit, BUT the prevailing comment that crosses the lips of EVERY single visitor is that they can FEEL the Peace…the kind that surpasses all understanding – and more than anything else, THAT’S why they keep coming back. Peace can be felt by everyone because I Guard my Peace…I Pray for my Peace…I Proclaim my peace to the Prince of Peace every single day, and Supernatural Peace is felt by visitors because of it. I prayed over every inch of the farmhouse and every foot of the boundaries of the land BEFORE I moved my family here, and I’ve continued to pray over it every day for all these years. As a result, this place has been a refuge to countless friends and family over the years. They sought Peace and they knew where to find it. But it hasn’t been a wide open door that welcomes just anybody in, that’s for sure. If there is ever one that I am confident would be chipping away at my peace, I close the door and lock it. Without my Peace, I can’t be a Witness for the Prince of Peace at all so I guard it with my Life.

I have had LOTS of adversity come my way and I’ve been known to cry every now and then…BUT MY PEACE never falters because I REFUSE to let it go. When you boil it all down, there is only ONE who would like for me to surrender my peace and I know how to fight him and win. I Serve the Prince of Peace and it shows. Peace is the Source of the Brightest Light of my Faith and the fact that I Reflect it in a dark work is the greatest Witness to the One I serve. In a land that is in turmoil and a future unknown, I guard my peace like the Warrior I am and my Peace can be seen AND felt all around me because of it.

How about you? Are you guarding or surrendering?