“But when the Father sends the Spirit of Holiness, the One like me who sets you free, he will teach you all things in my name. And he will inspire you to remember every word that I’ve told you. “I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!” —John 14:26-27 TPT
I think at one point or another in the last several weeks all of us have had to fight for peace in our lives in some way. During the first week of COVID-19 social distancing in Nashville I read this scripture, and I immediately felt God speak to me so clearly. I felt Him giving me an invitation—an invitation to greater intimacy with Him and a renewed awareness that He has to be my source.
In this passage Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit being given to us as a gift, and how through that gift we receive perfect peace. I’ve realized that throughout my life when I have felt any form of insecurity or anxiety, it is always when I have forgotten what—or rather Who—the source of perfect security and peace in my life is: Jesus. Now that’s really easy for me to say as I’m writing this, but it’s not so simple to recognize in our day to day lives sometimes. We begin to rely on our jobs, our gifts, our relationships and our platforms to give us a sense of security or identity, but all of those things are fragile and unsustainable.
Let me encourage you today to evaluate all the different areas of your life and examine what your source is—I have to do this regularly. In some areas you might find you are relying on the Holy Spirit to be your source, but in other areas you might realize the reason you’ve been feeling fear or insecurity is because you forgot Who your source is. Our relationship with God was always meant to be a constant interaction, and I believe He’s inviting us to come close to Him in this season, to plug back into the source of perfect peace.
My prayer today is that you would once again receive that gift of perfect peace, that His presence would flood your mind and heart in a fresh way. Allow what Jesus said to be true for you and don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your heart, but instead be full of peace and walk courageously in the power of the Holy Spirit!
Andrew Holt serves as worship pastor at The Belonging Co in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2014 by husband/wife pastors and native Australians Henry and Alex Seeley, The Belonging Co began as a ministry dedicated to meeting the unique needs of Nashville. The church’s renowned worship team has released two full-length albums: 2017’s All The Earth (Live) and 2019’s Awe + Wonder (Live). Their music features worship leaders Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, Natalie Grant, Mia Fieldes, Meredith Andrews, Andrew Holt, Hope Darst, Daniella Mason, Maggie Reed, Sarah Reeves and Henry Seeley.