Peace in the middle of conflict and challenge is the watershed of Faith. We know the fallacy of human imposed calm that has been infrequent and short lived in the history of mankind. The only rest in the midst of storm or chaos must come externally. It must come from God.

These days are those prophesied to be rife with trial and trouble. Everyone appears instant to enter armed conflict and reticent to hear thoughts and conviction or cooperation with dedication to resolution. We all want what we want when we want it and quickly close our ears and hearts to the impassioned pleas of fellow humans.

We fear the overwhelming impacts and emotional chaos that accompanies difficulty. But these influences are not our master, but the knowledge that we walk with Christ through each fire no matter the severity or extension. Peace is most useful in dark times as a shield of faith against impact and desperate thinking.

That is why God’s Gospel teaches believers to wield this Holy, Supernatural weaponry. For in the observance of trial we meet and invite the Holy Spirit’s Power into the furnace of our remorse. Through the deployment of seemingly evasive Joy we find the fruits and the presence of God within. In attendance to the shaping hand of trial we embrace the growth, power and adequacy of hope that we have never been and will never be alone in trouble.

What then is the duty of each Christian to the Body as the World finds it has an affinity to calamity? Ephesians is especially useful in establishing a foundation through which to effectively face the prophesied trials of these perilous times. In this book we find the Holy Spirit’s guidance to: identity, family, reliance upon Spirit, a roster of weaponry and the courage found in faithful reliance upon the armor of God.

These storms and battles are for our shaping and to turn our hearts to God as we are challenged beyond human ability to cope. Therefore they are the catalyst of our faithful experiential resolve to endure. Everyone I know wants to be stronger in the face of adversity. That is why Christ calls us to abide/endure in Him. We now stand with Him in Spirit and delight in the days to come when we are physically with God forever.