I read this quote in an old book published in 1895 that said "Where there are more wills than one, there can be no peace, no rest. There must necessarily be conflict and confusion. This is the secret to all disturbance in families, parties, and nations. This is the secret of rest for the heart now - one will."

This hit me like a ton of bricks. It explained the struggle I would have in my relationship with God when it came to living for Him. It was always a struggle, complete with confusion and conflict. And that was b/c I had not died yet. 

As believers, we are instructed to die to Christ and to accept His resurrection as our own, with it comes His will for our life and His motives and His being. But when you are taught to accept salvation and not die to Christ, it becomes impossible for you to experience the full blessings promised b/c there is still more than one will at play. 

When you don't die to Christ and fully accept His agenda for your life, you, by definition, cannot have peace and rest either. Instead a substitute is born - placidness. I'm not sure if you remember the 90's movie, Lake Placid, about a 'peaceful lake' that housed killer crocodiles, but that is a snapshot of what I'm talking about. Everything looks serene on the surface, but deep down, there are killers lurking around that are putting you in danger.

And we all know these people who claim to have peace, but actually don't. They jump on social media touting about cutting people off and blocking them who "disturb their peace". But in actuality, they don't have true peace, they are placid instead. True peace can never be disturbed by the outside b/c it is created out of oneness with God. That's why the Bible calls it the peace that surpasses all understanding, not the peace that can be disrupted on a whim. 

True peace requires not just salvation, but a personal death. Of everything you think that you are to become everything He knows that you already are. So, I submit to you - do you have true peace or have you settled for being placid? 
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​Forever in your corner,