Sometimes our greatest enemy isn't the evil in this world or Satan, it's ourself. Daily we fight against our own carnal pleasures which are in conflict with our spiritual life. Peter helps us unleash the divine power that we have to control self.

While there are bright-shining examples of faithfulness in our world, the human being usually is interdum fidelis or "sometimes faithful." The great joy of the Spirit is to move people who are sometimes faithful to people who are always faithful. He does this through his own faithfulness to us in Jesus Christ.

We, like Abram, easily become impatient. God's promises inspire in us patience - promises which are greater than our wildest dreams.

Today the Fruit of the Spirit that we are discussing is Peace. It is something that everyone wants, but it is not often that we can say we have peace. Why not? What is keeping us from it? Can we have it? If so, what does it look like?

We all want more fruit of the Spirit and less acts of the sinful nature in our lives, but we wonder how to make it happen. These verses show the true source of spiritual fruit like love, joy, peace, and patience.

Today we consider the difference in trusting in what we see vs. trusting in God's promises. May God help us to constantly cling to his promises no matter the "storms" that life may bring us.

American culture on the one hand tries to distract itself from the reality of death. On the other hand, American counter-culture desperately tries to call it to mind. Neither discusses Christ, risen from the dead. The Apostle Paul, here, grounds himself in the realities of sin and death, but at the same time in the reality of Christ.

None of us have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit - it's a good thing too! Even so, we dare not resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives because grieving the Holy Spirit turns too easily into resisting the Holy Spirit and then finally quenching the Holy Spirit. Jesus' salvation is too great and too universal to begin to walk down this path.

With all the problems of life that are going to attack our faith how are we going to stand firm to the end? It's our God who is our strength.

By nature we have trust issues with our Heavenly Father. But the Holy Trinity works together to love us and remind us of his love for us so that we never have to fear anything again.