Learning to Follow Peace

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

The Greek word for peace here is eirene, which means quietness and assurance. The word translated as rule is brabeuo, which means to arbitrate, to govern. So what Paul was saying is this: let that quietness, that settled assurance, be the thing that governs you on the inside. When a decision must be made, let peace be the judge and have the final say. That would be significant enough on its own, but Paul added something that makes it even weightier. He says that all believers are called to operate together in this way, including the whole body of believers.

See, the Bible does not tell you which house to buy. It does not tell you which city to move to, which job offer to take, or which door to walk through when two are open at the same time. The specific details of daily life are not spelled out chapter and verse in the Bible. So how do you navigate those things? You follow peace.

Following peace is a skill, and like any skill, it must be developed. Think about a professional basketball player shooting free throws. The first time he picked up a ball, he did not automatically make it from the line. He shot bricks. He missed. The form was off. But over thousands of days of practice and repetition, something changed. He became sensitive to exactly how the ball needed to leave his hand. He could feel the difference between a shot that was right and one that was slightly off before it even left his fingers. That sensitivity did not come from talent alone. It came from time and repetition, building something that could not be faked or rushed.

The Holy Ghost is not outside giving you signals. He is inside. And He will give you that peace as direction if you have become sensitive enough to recognize it. Follow the peace.

Practical Application

As you pray consistently, spend time in the Spirit, and keep putting yourself in a position to hear and follow God, your sensitivity increases. Over time, you notice things: a check on the inside when you are about to go left or a pulling back when something looks good on the outside but something on the inside says no. You will start being settled when you are moving in the right direction, even if your head says, “No.”

John 14:17; Isaiah 26:3