Possessing peace in our lives is quite possibly one of the greatest gifts a follower of Christ can possess. The peace God offers is not determined by the absence or presence of external influences. Peace is a gift from God that can be deposited into any life at any time, no matter what is taking place.

When Paul wrote the last chapter of his letter to the Church in Philippi, he said the following:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).

When Paul said, “Then the peace of God will be with you” he was inferring it is possible to be indwelled by God’s Spirit and not be at peace. He was talking to believers in his epistle. That is why he used the word “Then” and placed it at the head of the sentence that finished his thought. Without the application of what preceded that sentence, peace would not be possible.

I went back and read the verses again. I found several things that bring peace into our lives like fixing our thoughts on what honors God, putting into practice our faith, and allowing our lives to be influenced by righteous influencers. When those three things are at work in our lives, the peace of God will come and walk with us.