Fruitful Living
The fruit of peace
“But the fruit of the Spirit is peace” – Galatians 5:22 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
“Peace” is defined as undisturbed state of mind, the absence of mental conflict, the acceptance of one’s state, or the absence of anxiety. Synonyms of peace include such words as harmony, concord, contentment, agreement, calm, tranquility, serenity and quiet.
To be at peace with someone – whether a neighbour, a family member or God is to be in a harmonious relationship with them. At the heart of peace is harmony. When we ask Christ to cleanse us of our sins and make us new creations, we are asking for peace, a harmonious relationship with our Creator. In Matthew 5:9Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God”. This is a great promise, and it raises the question of what Jesus means about working to bring peace. Jesus calls us to bear the Fruit of the Spirit, and one of its essential components is PEACE, without which we cannot enjoy anything at all.
1. PEACE A TRUCE WITH GOD TO END MY ALIENATION FROM HIM
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you – Romans 16:20.
God’s grace affords those who long to serve Him the power to triumph in the realm of spiritual struggle. Once Satan is defeated, our turmoil is gone, and we can fulfil God’s plans for our lives. Nothing is more beautiful than to exalt God and achieve in Christ an inner serenity free of all turbulence. The God of peace will crush Satan under His feet. Our old enemy is crushed and we are free to live and serve God in peace. What a great promise this!
When God acts to save us, His peace seeks us out in our world of stress and confusion. We realise that there is a better way to live, a way of life that spreads peace and resolves contentions. Our conversion brings us to a new level of peace, and we then share God’s peace with others through our changed lives.
2. PEACE AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” – Colossians 3:15
The glorious thing about peace is that it constitutes the soul of our relationship with Christ. We relate to Christ, we converse with Christ, we experience and grow in Christ only when His peace is the very atmosphere that shelters our ongoing relationship with Him. The word rule in Colossians 3:15 means to “umpire” or “arbitrate” the struggles and disquietudes of our lives.
3. PEACE, ACCEPTING A HIGHER WILL
No believer can ever find peace by posing as a follower of God while remaining dedicated to his or her own will. When the will of God is accepted, real peace becomes possible. Until then our attempts to serve God while having our own way result only in inner turmoil and peacelessness.
Desiring to do the will of God is the way to peace. We can recognise peace when we see it, but our real problem is that we don’t want to do God’s will. We are possessed of an odd notion that God’s will is no fun and that, if we are forced to do it, we shall be utterly miserable. But peace is not to be spoon-fed into our lives like cereal, nor is it instantly derived from our discipline. Peace is revealed. Peace is ours when we have accepted a higher will. When Paul accepted the call of God, he began to minister in ways he might never have imagined. He was freed to bring peace to others out of his own peace. When we focus on the will of God in our lives, we find peace, and we find that we can spread that peace to others.
4. PEACE AND THE PRINCE OF PEACE
“So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him” – 2 Peter 3:14
Peter encourages us to make every effort to be blameless and to live at peace with Christ. We are to live so much in the centre of Christ’s peace that we exude that same peace, and it becomes for those around us a haven from their own turbulence. We are to create peace for others by living in it ourselves. Those who try to preach peace while embroiled in their unresolved anxieties cannot make Christ appear much of a solution in a jittery world.
There is joy in the hearts of those who promote peace. Our personal quiet time in the presence of the Saviour ought to be approached, enjoyed and concluded on a note of quiet and untroubled love. Yet sometimes we hurry into His presence terribly troubled, spout off our intercessory lists and then hurry off still troubled. Worrying in the presence of God is not prayer. Certainly worrying in His presence cannot promote real peace in the Christian’s life.
Christians who live in inner conflict do not attract converts. Our own private battles often keep us from even seeing those around us who are in need. Indeed, we must call these inner wars to peace before we can see either Christ or our world.
5. PEACE AND MY SERVICE TO OTHERS
The truth is that people who are at peace make excellent ministers. Peacemakers have no personal agenda. They have no desire to use other people to further their own goals. Peacemakers create an attitude, a mood, an atmosphere that makes other people unafraid. If there is any ministry that must bring joy to God, it has to be that of giving the terrified a little security. We who love Christ are to reveal the peace He offers to a world of frightened children.
6. PEACE AND THE COMPANIONSHIP OF CHRIST
We are to walk with Christ just as we received Him: “in the faith”. We cannot be saved without exercising faith. But faith not only begins our walk with Him; it is also the purpose of God for all our lives. Peace is derived from our faith by continual companionship with Christ.
7. PEACE, THE REIGN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
“Power is on the way,” Jesus said. “This power will enable us to change the world. Get ready for the power. The Holy Spirit will settle on us like a sweet, warm rain, and our arid lives will be productive once again.”
Whenever we hear God glorified, Christ exalted the kingdom of God proclaimed, we may be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work. The Spirit is the seeker of unity. The only member of the Trinity to wear an adjective is the Spirit. The Spirit is interested in integrity truth and right doctrine. There is no point in trying to harmonise truth and error.
It is a good thing to desire to live up to the expectations of other believers. Others count on us. They believe in us. We see God’s expectations a little at a time, but we do not know what others expect of us. And in our good example to them, we will have gone a long way toward pleasing God. Place this longing to fulfill the positive expectations of others in the centre of our own life. The good things they expect of us can be accomplished. When we are living peacefully and as a good example before others, then we will find it easier to minister to others, for it is hard to serve when our own life is in turmoil. The way to a life of joyous service is to surrender the turmoil, embrace the peace of Christ and move confidently into the ministry to which God has called us.
Edward H. Bickersteth in his beautiful hymn, Peace, Perfect Peace, raises many of the perplexing questions that we grapple with in our troublesome world, and provides answers to them. They are worth thinking about.
- Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.
- Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.
- Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.
- Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus’ keeping we are safe, and they.
- Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.
- Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.
Culled from: Fruit of the Spirit Bible.
Stay blessed!
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The internationally accepted definition (from the UN Palermo Protocol, 2000) identifies three elements:
ACT (What is done), which includes:
• Recruitment, transportation, transfer harbouring, or receipt of persons. How it is Applied:
In Ghana, traffickers recruit children from rural areas under false promises of education or employment.
MEANS (How it is done), which includes:
• Threats
• Coercion
• Deception
• Abuse of vulnerability
How it is applied:
Parents may be deceived into releasing children, or victims may be threatened into silence.
PURPOSE (Why it is done), which includes:
• Sexual exploitation
• Forced labour
• Slavery
• Organ harvesting
Key Insight:
Even if a victim appears to “consent,” such consent is legally irrelevant if coercion or deception is involved.
Islamic legal principles align with this framework by prohibiting exploitation (ẓulm) and unjust enrichment, rendering trafficking morally and legally impermissible (Bawono & Huda, 2025).
Forms and impacts of human trafficking
Human trafficking manifests in several forms:
• Child trafficking → educational deprivation, psychological trauma
• Forced labour → economic exploitation, health risks
• Sexual exploitation → severe physical and emotional harm
• Organ trafficking → life-threatening and ethically egregious
Human trafficking manifests in diverse and interconnected forms. Child trafficking leads to loss of education, long-term psychological trauma, and entrenched poverty.
Forced labour subjects victims to severe economic exploitation and hazardous working conditions, often resulting in deteriorating health. Sexual exploitation inflicts profound physical abuse and emotional damage, alongside social stigma.
Organ trafficking poses life-threatening risks and represents a grave ethical violation. Collectively, these practices undermine human capital, weaken social structures, and hinder sustainable development. These forms collectively erode human capital and social stability.
Legal and Institutional Frameworks
International Legal Instruments
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948)
The UDHR provides the normative foundation for global human rights law:
• Article 1: Affirms equality and freedom of all humans
• Article 4: Explicitly prohibits slavery and servitude
• Article 5: Prohibits torture and degrading treatment
Analytical Insight:
Human trafficking violates all three provisions simultaneously. Victims are deprived of freedom (Article 1), subjected to forced labour (Article 4), and exposed to degrading conditions (Article 5).
These align closely with Islamic prohibitions against oppression and injustice.
Palermo Protocol (2000)
This is the primary international legal instrument addressing trafficking:
• Provides the AMP definition (Act–Means–Purpose)
• Emphasises the 3Ps framework: Prevention, protection, prosecution
• Recognises victim rights and state obligations
Analytical insight:
The Protocol’s emphasis on protection and dignity parallels Islamic legal objectives, particularly the preservation of life and honour. Comparative studies show strong convergence between Islamic law and international anti-trafficking norms (Jamal, 2025).
Regional framework
African charter on human and peoples’ rights
• Article 5: Protects human dignity and prohibits exploitation
• Article 15: Guarantees equitable working conditions
Analytical insight:
The Charter contextualises human rights within African socio-cultural realities, reinforcing communal responsibility an idea that resonates with Islamic communal ethics (ummah).
National framework: Ghana 1992 Constitution of Ghana
• Article 15: Guarantees the dignity of all persons and prohibits torture or degrading treatment
• Article 16: Explicitly prohibits slavery, servitude, and forced labour
• Article 21: Guarantees fundamental human rights and freedoms, including personal liberty, freedom of movement, and constitutional safeguard against human trafficking. In particular, Article 21 affirms the right of individuals to move freely, make autonomous decisions, and live without coercion.
Human trafficking directly contravenes these rights by restricting victims’ movement, subjecting them to confinement, and denying their personal liberty through deception and force. Victims are often transported against their will and held in exploitative conditions, thereby violating their constitutional freedoms.
Consequently, trafficking not only breaches specific prohibitions under Articles 15 and 16 but also fundamentally undermines the broader human rights guarantees freedom from arbitrary restraint.
Human Trafficking Act (Act 694, as amended)
• Criminalises all forms of human trafficking, including recruitment, transportation, harbouring, and exploitation
• Provides for victim protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration through state-supported mechanisms
• Establishes institutional frameworks for investigation, prosecution, and inter-agency collaboration
Critical and normative insight:
The Act reflects Ghana’s commitment to safeguarding human dignity and aligns with international standards. However, enforcement challenges persist due to limited funding, weak institutional coordination, and low public awareness, which hinder effective implementation.
From an Islamic perspective, the provisions of Act 694 resonate strongly with core Sharīʿah principles. Islam unequivocally prohibits all forms of exploitation (ẓulm), coercion, and the commodification of human beings. Human trafficking violates the divinely ordained dignity (karāmah) of individuals, undermines justice (‘adl), and disrupts social balance. By criminalising trafficking and promoting victim protection, the Act indirectly advances the higher objectives of
Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah), particularly the preservation of life, dignity, and wealth. Thus, both Islamic teachings and Ghanaian law converge in condemning trafficking as a grave moral and legal injustice.
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Children’s Act (Act 560)
• Protects children from exploitative labour and harmful practices
• Promotes access to education, welfare, and holistic development
Domestic Violence Act (Act 732)
• Addresses physical, emotional, and psychological abuse often associated with trafficking
• Provides legal remedies, protection orders, and support systems for victims
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai, Kpone
Katamanso Municipal Chief Imam, Certified
Counsellor and Governance Expert
Jesus teaches, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Light is not meant to be hidden. In Ephesians 5:8, the Bible says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
This means our faith should be visible in the way we live. Not in a loud or forceful way, but in a consistent and genuine way.
When we choose honesty, kindness, patience, and love, we are shining our light. People may not always listen to what we say, but they will see how we live.
Your Life Should Point Others to God
Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This is the purpose of being salt and light. It is not about drawing attention to ourselves, but about pointing people to God.
In 1 Peter 2:12, we are encouraged to live such good lives that others may see our actions and glorify God.
Our lives become a testimony. The way we treat people, the way we handle challenges, and the way we walk in love all speak loudly.Through us, others can begin to see the goodness and grace of God.
6. Being Salt and Light Requires a Living Relationship with God
We cannot live this life in our own strength.
In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing.” This reminds us that our ability to influence the world comes from our connection with Him.
As we spend time in prayer, study His Word, and walk in obedience, our lives are transformed. From that place, we begin to reflect Him naturally.
It is not about striving. It is about abiding in Him.
A Simple Reflection
To be salt and light means:
² To influence the world with Godly character
² To live differently according to God’s Word
² To shine through your daily actions
² To point others to Christ
² To remain connected to Him at all times
Conclusion
Jesus has already declared who you are. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. The question is whether you are living out that identity.
The world needs your influence. The world needs your light. In your home, your workplace, your church, and your community, God has placed you there for a reason.
As you walk with Him, your life will naturally make an impact. Shine your light,
stay true to His Word and let your life bring glory to God.
By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee
