The Peace You Can’t Fake
Andrew Ripp on the kind of faith you can borrow
Andrew Ripp talks about peace in a way you can almost see. He said, “I mean, God has just placed pillars in my life,”—people whose steady faith gave him a picture of what life with Jesus could look like.
And when he looks back, he remembers noticing something in people long before he understood what it was.
“Ever since I was little, [I] didn’t even know what I was drawn to. I would see friends of my parents that had peace.” He remembers thinking, “What is what’s going on?” because, as Andrew puts it, “we didn’t have peace in my home.” Then he said, “So when I saw it on somebody else, I was really drawn to it. And that was the first time I encountered the Holy Spirit.”
People Who Lived for Jesus
One couple, in particular, became that kind of anchor for Andrew. “Without them, I don’t know where I’d be in my life,” he said.
Their everyday witness marked them and him. Andrew continues, “They never preached at me. They just lived. They lived for Jesus. And I felt it. And I wanted to be like that.”
A life anchored in Jesus can become a signpost for someone who’s searching. Peace shows up in your tone, your reactions, your presence. People feel it.
Andrew shared about “my breakdown that turned into my breakthrough.” He said it started with a realization: “I didn’t have the peace and the joy on my life.” He wanted something different. “I didn’t know how to find it, but I remember thinking of them.”
The Call That Became an Anchor
“So I called [them] in my weakest, darkest moment,” he said. “And they immediately were like, ‘You need to get in your car and drive over here right now.’” Andrew went, and he “just cried for hours,” and then, “They led me to Jesus in that moment.”
He called it “the main anchor in my life.” And he’s clear about how God used it: “It came by way of people just living for Jesus… like Jesus.”
Andrew also offers a next step you can take today—something simple that still carries real courage. He said, “God put an impression of a specific person on my heart during that dark moment.” Then he explained why that call mattered so much: “That was the first move to victory. That was my first move closer to Jesus in my life.” And he turns that same encouragement toward you: “I encourage you to call that person that trusted friend. And keep going.”
He names what’s happening internally when fear starts taking up space. Andrew said, “Your main job right now is to recognize that the faith that you still have is just misplaced.” Then he gets specific: “You put your faith in fear.” And he gives you a practical shift to make in real time: “You got to take that faith out of fear, shift it into hope… God never, ever lets you down.”
GO DEEPER
Jesus still meets people right where they are. If you’re ready to explore who Jesus is in a more personal way, walk with us through our 5-day YouVersion plan “The Hope We Carry.” You’ll experience the names of Jesus and what they mean for your life today. You’ll find short reflections, simple action steps, and prayers to help you grow one day at a time.
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