Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Another example of an activation clause that the Holy Spirit highlighted comes from…

Today’s scripture, Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT) says…
[4] Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! [5] Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. [6] Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Consider…
Typically verse 6 in this passage is the prescription for overcoming worry or anxiety. However, today the Holy Spirit showed me the true remedy for worry and anxiousness is God’s promised peace, in verse 7.

Having clarified the anxiety antibiotic is God’s promised peace, the Holy Spirit proceeded to show me the directions that we must follow before taking His peace.

First, must be full of God’s joy. I was referred to Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT), which says…And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our LORD. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!”

The music playing while I read that, is Maverick City Music singing…

I’m pulling on joy from Heaven’s reserve
He’s stored up enough for every winter I’m served
I’m seeing beyond my circumstance
This joy that I have is my Inheritance
Joy, this is the joy of the Lord

The joy, the joy
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy, oh, the joy
The joy of the Lord is my strength
Oh-oh-oh, He is my hope (yes, it is)
The joy, the joy
The joy of the Lord is my strength

There is a Savior in the valley place
He’s walking beside me and He knows my pain (yeah)
God, the beginning and the end
God, right there in the midst of it
Joy, this is the Joy of the Lord
Oh, joy, this is the joy of the Lord, whoa

The joy, the joy
The joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy, oh, the joy
The joy of the Lord is my strength
Oh-oh-oh, He is my hope
The joy, oh, the joy
The joy of the Lord is my strength

If you want to begin the activation process of God’s promised peace, playing this song is good idea.

Curious, I Googled Joy and found…
The biblical definition of joy says that joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us.

Thus, activating God’s promised peace begins with focusing on who Jesus is.

Once our FOCUS is right, God’s promised peace directions tells us to get our FIT right.

For the uninitiated, in Gen Z slang, the term “fit” is a short form of “outfit.”

The reference material provided for this direction can be found in Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT), which says…
[12] Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. [13] Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. [14] Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

The Holy Spirit told me not to let circumstances change our clothing choices. In other words, don’t dress how you feel, dress how God says you are, His chosen Holy people.

This makes me think of the adage, “Dressing for Success”, which is a concept that emphasizes clothing as a means of achieving one’s goals and ambitions.

The Holy Spirit used this saying to emphasize, if you want to experience God’s promised peace, you must dress (conduct yourself) like His chosen person.

Now we get to the familiar directions…

• Don’t worry about anything
• Pray about everything
• Tell God what you need
• Thank God for what He’s done

Notice the order of operations is…

• Stop
• Engage
• Ask
• Thank

The Holy Spirit is telling us, after we get our FOCUS and FIT right, to take a SEAT in God’s waiting room.

The reference scripture that He provided is Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)…but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We will dig deeper into this activation code tomorrow, but for today, just wait.

Interesting, the Holy Spirit just replayed the episode of ‘A Different World’, when Whitley, played by Jasmine Guy, received advice from her therapist, played by Debbie Allen, to deal with her stress by reminding herself to…

• Relate
• Relax
• Release

And as the Holy Spirit is want to do, He redeemed it to…

• Relate, by FOCUSing on Jesus
• Relax, by wearing God’s Holy “FIT”
• Release, by taking a SEAT in God’s waiting room.

When we do these things, God promises His unexplainable peace will guard our hearts and minds. But there’s a final activation clause that could easily be overlooked. Notice, today’s scripture ends with…as you live in Christ Jesus.

We must understand that while God’s peace is available to everyone, it’s not meant for everyone. God’s peace is only meant to protect those who live in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus must be Lord of your life to find relief from all misery and strife.

So today…

• Relate and FOCUS on Jesus
• Relax and walk in God’s Holy “FIT”
• Release and take a SEAT in God’s waiting room of peace

…and most importantly, live in Christ Jesus.

Today’s song is…
My Life Is In Your Hands

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)