When Peace Gets Personal - Part B

I call it a piece without ripples. There's no undercurrent of anxiety its total well-being. Its internal tranquility sounds good to me. How do I get that, focusing your thoughts as you keep an increase piece perfectly. His mind is stayed on you stapes fixed God offers you his peace. But you must actively receive it today on connect with skip-Skip shares how God's peace conversion your life. Now we want to tell you about a resource that shines light on the rapidly shifting landscape of the Middle East and how it impacts you the beating heart of Bible prophecy is the land of Israel and the Middle East.

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Enemies and allies includes exclusive never before published quotes insight and analysis from the authors conversations with some of the world's most controversial leaders your hardcover copy enemies and allies is our thanks for your generous gift of $35 or more today to give call 892 to 1888 connect.com in Isaiah chapter 26 screw pipe to start the Jewish people have history rule by many different nation that many taskmasters over the have suffered slavery takeover by a number of different groups. I think of the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Medo Persians the Syrians the Romans right, there's a long list about all of that is over now it's just their Messiah and there is peace in the land.

And there's peace in their hearts.

So that's the future. Peace is found in God. It is forecast for the kingdom. Here's the third fundamental fact of personal peace.

It flourishes with virtue.

It flourishes with virtue. Look at verse two.

Open the gates that is open the gates of the city that doesn't say the nation will come and we had a nation is the righteous nation. Here's the description which keeps the truth may enter in what I want you to notice is the relationship here between peace and righteousness. The righteous nation. These are people who keep the truth that is there. They remain faithful.

Do you know that right living, obedient living righteousness will help you experience peace if you want to always lacking peace some sort of like the picture of the screen.

Could it be that in your world with sin. Sin is winning right… Rob you of peace quicker than anything else. There's always a relationship between righteousness and peace were also the fruit of the spirit.

The fruit of the spirit is what the Spirit produces his love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, etc. etc. it produces peace.

In contrast to that Isaiah 48 says there is no peace, says the Lord.

For the wicked. He says again. Isaiah 57.

There is no peace says my God for the wicked. So then personal peace is a byproduct of right living and and sin is the great disturber of the piece. What will disturb and disrupt your peace faster than anything else is sin. It hinders fellowship with God.

It causes anguish of heart is like an intruder, a house breaker, a thief that comes in to rob you of peace.

That is why confession is so important. Confession of sin you all what, why, why do we confess our sin twilight to tell God I'm a sinner you arty know what SCR knows it. Believe me, he knows it but he sure likes to hear you say you like to leave Muskoka. I admit I'm busted I'm sorry I've done that. The Bible talks a lot about confession because when you confess to God or send you are dealing with guilt and you are restoring personal peace restores peace.

David wrote about this he wrote about his own experience where he refused to confess his sin was the sin of Bathsheba when he committed adultery disorder held within didn't talk about it. He's a man so Psalm 32 he writes when I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Then I said I will confess my transgression to the Lord. I still remember July of a long time ago when I gave my life to Christ. I remember that summer I remember remember when I watched Billy Graham in television and I set my little prayer in my bedroom and I was tell people I never saw a bright light never heard a voice from heaven, but I sure felt something what I felt was a burden lift. I felt like it was like living under such guilt for so long and all that is lifted now and that's because I confess my sin and admitted my need and asked Jesus to fix it and I was unburdened and I gotta tell you I have experienced that feeling many times since many times and that a friend is a you know confession is like Skip like brushing your teeth.

What you say you're going. What you notice like this morning when you got up in the morning to brush her teeth so good right I do know about you but when I brush my teeth in the morning. You know what I say afterwards that minty fresh feeling. I called a bacterium gunk is been in my mouth all night long to and then she ha confession feels like that for the soul. It unburdened is the soul. It deals with the guilt. Psalm 119 says great piece have those who love your law. Here's a description of people in that kingdom. The kingdom age who will love the law of God is when you break God's law that robs you of peace so a few fundamentals of personal peace is found in God's forecast for the future kingdom. It flourishes with virtue of your four it is fostered by focus. What I mean by that is, it is related to your thought life will focus what you contemplate what you think about go back to verse three. Here's the essence of the promise you, God, you will keep him on the port or her note sort of a general term for God's people.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, first of all his talk about perfectly suited say you'll keep them in peace. You keep them in perfect peace. What is perfect peace.

What's the difference between like peace in perfect peace while it's an interesting idea here because in the original Hebrew the word for perfect is the same word for peace.

In fact, in Hebrew, it says are you are you will keep them in peace. Peace. So he it's written in Hebrew will keep him in shalom shalom. It's the same word. It is just repeated, and it's called the idiom of reduplication. The ileum of reduplication that is whenever you take a word and you double it. You now intensify its meaning. So like in the New Testament, Jesus said, verily, verily, I thought just verily or truly, but it's truly, truly, verily, verily, so when it's peace. Peace is perfect peace. And so what when the Hebrew does that.

It just simply means complete, genuine, deep, satisfying peace, that kind of peace right. I settled heart. I call it a piece without ripples. There's no undercurrent of anxiety its total well-being. Its internal tranquility you go.

Sounds good to me how I get that, focusing your thoughts as you will keep him in peace, peace, perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you stayed means fixed glued focused concentrated on it refers to a steadfast mine, one that's been discipline to constantly focus on one thing one thing it's like Psalm 112 it says the righteous will not be afraid of evil tidings.

His heart is steadfast same idea stayed fixed, steadfast, trusting in the Lord his heart is established, he will not be afraid, so simply put is when we focus on his love, his power, his ability, his care, his plan, his intentions for me, which is always good, all things work together for good to those love God is when I when I focus on that. You notice that our peace can easily be disrupted by outside thoughts. My wife tells me I have ADD that sure but anyway she always as I get distracted with all sorts of thoughts and and I have discovered that thoughts other thoughts can easily disrupt us from the one thing we should be thinking about right. We hear a report. We hear a news report we get a doctor's diagnosis somebody tells us of something one of our children was involved in maybe a car accident in our eyepieces. Suddenly disrupted by the news that we hear a letter from a lawyer will often steal your peace neuroscientists tell us that the human mind in one day has about 70,000 thoughts just seems monumental to me.

70,000 but what we think about all day while 70,000 things, 70,000 thoughts.

That's 25.5 million a year.

Here's what we all need to do, never thought you have during the you need to learn to harness your thoughts.

You need to learn to tell your brain your mind, your heart however you want to call it what to think on you tell it that the Bible calls that bringing every thought into captivity. That's our second Corinthians chapter 10 we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This picture that for a second Hoosier thoughts is taking here thoughts are taken you one direction… Lassoed up chained up, bring it to Christ to hear Lord you take the me focus now on your loving your power, your care, your ability, bringing every thought captive. Philippians chapter 4 verse eight, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy. Meditate on these thing or think on these things.

We have to be very careful about what input we allow in our lives. What we allow ourselves to see what we allow ourselves to hear what we allow ourselves.

Therefore, to think about bring those thoughts into captivity, personal peace is fostered by focus. We give your final component. The final fundamental of personal peace, personal peace is formed by trust you will keep him in perfect peace. Verse three, whose mind is stayed on you focused on you concentrated on you because he trusts in you, the reason he focuses his thoughts because he trusts in his the thought and then in verse four is the command trust in the Lord forever. So let's follow the thoughts so far in this message. The PSO were talking about the personal peace comes directly from God is given to his righteous ones is obedient once who focus their thoughts on him and the reason they focus their thoughts on him is because they trust him. And the reason they trust him because he's trustworthy. You only trust somebody who's trustworthy because God is trustworthy his children focus their thoughts on them because they trust in him. They trust in him you realize God designed you to be dependent on him and I know I'm talking to Americans right we love our independence.

God designed you to be dependent on him. In fact I would say that the that the whole problem of sin is independence from God.

That's really the definition of sin. Sin started when man set out to be independent of what God wants. That was sin is where it all started. God designed us to be dependent on him.

Now here's one of the most famous verses on trusting God ever to be found. You know it you know by heart, a privity Proverbs 3, five and six trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.

See how well you know that verse versus what a great promise trust in the Lord with all your heart. When you trust a trustworthy God.

The experience you walk away with his perfect peace, perfect peace. Isaiah 30 reminds us in quietness and confidence shall be your strength and quiet and the confidence will be your strength.

Seems to me that we live in an era where we are given two choices. It's either going to be trust or soon-to-be torment.

Those are two choices.

Either we trust God, and we say God is sovereign. I don't get this whole virus and the hope for this is so weird in this weird year. This is you believe it unprecedented God. God is sovereign and I trust him or torment's is not as crazy.

Who knows what happened next. Anything can happen.

Everything is random. That's torment and and that's this I that's the screen torment. Not this theater trust or torment. Most people offer which one most people in the world for torment. They do.

Here's why.

Here's the proof of that one source that I read said 60% of illnesses are due to emotional stress, while 60% of illnesses are due to emotional stress. Things like fear or sorrow NV hatred, guilt, all help to produce physical disease. Another report I read just yesterday said 90% of illnesses and diseases are stress related to back to that thing up trust. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. Not only will he direct your path, but he's been to give you something skull peace because it says in Proverbs 3 verse eight that same Scripture says when you trust the Lord.

It will be health to your flesh, it will be health to your flesh the work flesh in the text literally as naval and everybody want to help enable right there that that's an old Hebrew way of talking about your nervous system. It will be you want a healthy nervous system trust the Lord trust the Lord. It will be the best thing for your nerves us the idea that tax trust the Lord with all your heart. We live in a great modern era of technology and innovation, and medical advancement. But you know what medical science can add years to your life, but trusting God will add life to your years, you want real life you want real peace. You want something deeper than just existence. Trust in the Lord.

That's why that's why the words of truth are so important. That's why Bible study is so important. That's what coming to church, singing the songs together reading the word together is so important. It brings it helps restore peace.

Jesus said these things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. I'm telling you this so that you be peaceful so be fixed on God be stayed on him. Be fixated on his truth meditate on his truth, especially with all the bad news going on out there, especially get up in the morning and read Twitter or Instagram is the first thing will all worn all day long. Get yourself some good news first. Get yourself fixed on truth and God in his love and his care is a great story about about a couple of actually done. Start out great but sort and kind of funny. This couple been married 40 years and after 40 years of marriage, the husband died.

Sadly, and so his wife is left alone and as the months went by and about a year past. She was having conversation with one of her friends who happen to own a pet store and her friend said you know I would just never thought about getting a pet. I know that I won't won't replace a life partner, but I would sure help so she goes he thought about idea she was down to her friends, pet store and she looks all the paths in crisis I which one should I get in on my can get the iguana debts are really helpful are the grasshoppers not a good thing, but maybe a dog so she pets the dogs. Now you know and she chats nowhere in your cat. Cats don't care about me. So she is she's thinking what to get and she goes you know, I'd really love an animal like a talkback to me and the pet store owner said all you want, parent, I happen to have affairs. Quite expensive but it can be trained to talk in fact, this parent will be a chatterbox so she was okay if she bought the parent cost a lot of money. She bought a ticket home. Came back a week later and the pet store owner said that birds pocketed up right and she said nope.

Hadn't said a word yet.

She's a little frustrated that stronger said while you have you bought a mirror for the cage know was why discover that you know when the bird sees its reflection in a mere sort of feel like it's not alone like there's another bird there start talking so she buys a mere pursuit in the cage comebacks comes back a week later, pet store owner said that a work on her seductive work birds, not saying a word yet that stronger said what did you buy a ladder for the cage. I discover that the bird sees itself in the mirror goes up and down the ladder. You know the solar energy going to source talk so she buys a ladder takes it home puts it in the cage comes back a week later, nothing. She's really frustrated at this point that stronger said well do you have a swing in the cage because you not discover sometimes when the bird sees itself in the mirror goes up and down the ladder from the just move a little bit more on the swing.

It'll talk so she buys a swing takes it home puts in the cage comes back a week later, fuming mad pets. Owner said his upper talking yet. The lady said my bird is dead. This expensive parent that I lay down hard cold cash for his dad at the bottom of the cage that stronger said, I'm shocked, really. I'm shocked that bird say anything at all. And the lady said well yes, as a matter of fact it did.

As he lay there, taking its last few breaths is said don't they have any food down there at that store all of the world's gymnastics that they are telling you to do to get peace. What you really need is to eat, you need food you need nourishment, you need God's promises. You need God's truth and when you get God's truth and you state fixed on that next on him and you trust him as his trial walked away with this rapturous gift message from the series give you a Bible study trip to Israel is a life changer.

Bible study will never be the same Skip has lived in Israel, and lead tours.

Many many times. As to invite you. One is next to her. You know there's always something new to see and experience in Israel and I'm so excited to let you know that I'm taking another tour group to Israel next spring. In 2022 urine for an incredible time as we travel throughout Israel and experience the culture that's so unique to that country will start on the Mediterranean Sea and head north. Seeing places like Caesarea and Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River will spend several days in and around Jerusalem and see the temple mount Calvary, the garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of olives and much more. This remarkable itinerary is made richer with times of worship, Bible study, and lots of fellowship. Now I've been to Israel a number of times over the years and I can honestly say that visiting the places where the events of the Scriptures unfolded where Jesus lived taught and healed.

It just never gets old. I can't wait to see you in Israel start planning and saving now to tour Israel with Skip Heitzig information and inspiration. Cruises.com/see ABQ. That's inspiration cruises.com/see a tune again tomorrow as Skip Heitzigs of fear neutralize anxiety when Castle Skip presentation of connection communication through ever-changing time