There are five basic prayer types: Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession, Petition, and Intercession... 

I’m guessing that most of us know that worry is not good for our health, takes up time and energy that could be better used for something else, and is just in general the overall “bad guy” in our minds. So, how do we “stop it?” 

When was the last time, when you acknowledged the presence of God? When you read this verse, what do you feel? For some, it will be peace and joy. Others, it will be fear and shame for if we can “never escape from your Spirit,” that means that what I do when no one is looking is seen by God.

When was the last time you truly rested? I’m not necessarily talking about sleeping, or taking a nap, though physical rest is certainly part of what Jesus was talking about. What about spiritual rest? What does that even look like? What does it mean to take a “real rest?” What does He mean when by “unforced rhythms of grace?”

There are circumstances that will often come along that can steal our joy if we let them. When we allow the negative things to crush our spirit, it takes away our positive attitude. When our day doesn’t go as planned because of circumstances that happen we had not counted on, we can become disappointed or even frustrated. 

When I was in the army, part of my tour was spent in Germany. Often, my duties were to drive one of the commissioned officers. One day I was driving the jeep for Colonel Reed. As we were coming into town, we came to a cross walk and a German civilian had already started across, so I had to stop... 

Love, joy, and peace are the first three words the apostle Paul uses in his list of the fruit of the Spirit. Peace, just like love and joy, becomes a part of our lives when we receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. Peace with God, peace with others, and peace within.

The first on the list of the fruit of the Spirit is love and the second is JOY. Hearts of love, that is the love given to us by faith in Christ Jesus, will also be hearts of joy. On one occasion Jesus prayed for us that we may have “The full measure of His Joy.”

I read that in France in 1969, the President of France created a new cabinet position called “Secretary of State with Public Opinion.” It was the responsibility of this person to keep his ear attuned to the discontent of the people, and report what he heard to the president. He described his job by saying, “I am the minister of moans and groans.”