John 10:10 English Standard Version (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

We left off with the thoughts that some of us have lost our peace and the result can be a failure to be thankful. This opening verse is progressive in that “the thief” begins with stealing our peace. If we are in tune with our peace from God, then disturbing the peace is the first sign we are under some kind of spiritual attack.

What are the outward signs we show when someone is disturbing the peace? Complaining? Seems rather natural to complain when people are disturbing the peace. Does that mean we are under spiritual attack? It is possible that by the time we are exhibiting outwardly these signs that we have already been under attack spiritually. Spiritual peace allows us to deal with human disturbances.

If this is true, what are the signs of spiritual disturbing of our peace? Considering that this peace comes from God, then it can be assumed that something is happening with our spiritual time with God.

Have we been reading His Word regularly? Have we been in prayer regularly? Have we spent time meditating on His Word? Have we made time to fellowship?

Has our spiritual routine been disturbed?

Since our peace comes from God, then this is where we might look first for a sign of our cutting off the source of peace.

Philippians 4:6 English Standard Version (ESV) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Anxiety is the nemesis of peace. Anxiety is the leading edge in loss of trust. Lose trust, lose peace.

If we have lost it, we are told to go to God for it.

Colossians 3:15 English Standard Version (ESV) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

As we approach this thanksgiving season there are many who intend to celebrate together with family. We are born into this world with one family and when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts we are born again into a new family.

Natural birth is a learning experience, we know nothing and then learn by experience, little by little, year after year. Family dynamics are so complicated that we can only think of our own and cannot imagine what it must be like for others.

Being in Christ is different in that our first born is Jesus Christ. He is the first born of which we all model our lives together. He shows us where we belong in this new family. We discover who we are in Christ which is different from who we were in the world. Discovering who we are in Christ can be challenging because we have to leave that old life behind.

Are we thankful for this new life in Christ? We can get so busy with all that it entails that we might forget to be thankful for being called out of our old lives. We are encouraged to look forward and not look back. For some of us it is easy to turn our backs on a painful past. For some of us the past was full of pleasures which were self-indulgent and addictive. It might be a past that still has fond memories of the pleasures which mask the very reasons we sought to accept Christ.

We should celebrate this season with our families, old and new. We should be thankful for being called into this new life. Should doesn’t always mean that everyone does. Their peace may be disturbed.