How to Protect Our Peace - Part 2

Welcome this weekend – podcast with Charles Stanley when the world seems to be in chaos all the time. Philippians 4 teaches us how to meet any difficulty, quietness would you say that your life is characterized by one appeaser would use latex rubber bar disturbance, anxiety, fretting, caring, sometimes even the point of being angry over your circumstance. Whatever happened at peace that you experience and you thought this is absolutely wonderful.

Could you explain it. Could you determine why you are so peaceful at that moment was it something because of your outward circumstances that everything at that moment seemed to be in such perfect order in your life. But why did you lose it and could you have kept and canned peas really be an attitude and experiencing the joy in your life that's there. Most of the time and not just some time will I will tell you you don't have to look at life that way and I want you to turn if you will to Philippians chapter 4 and here is the answer to how to protect that piece is the answer to understanding what it is and how to protect and how you can live in it daily but slick if you will be getting in this fourth chapter Mr. Starley verse four and Paul says rejoice in the Lord always and again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near, and then he says be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Know the Bible says that you and I have peace with God when we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior for the forgiveness of our sins.

The moment we do that believing the testimony of his word, believing that our confession and repentance. He will respond about forgiving us of our sins not based on our conduct, behavior promises, but based on the death of Jesus at Calvary that makes the forgiveness possible. Then when you and I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

Something very wonderful happens in our heart and what Paul is speaking of here is a piece listen. That will be tried, often times in life because we live in a world that's very un-peaceful and warlike. It is not dependent upon any particular circumstance in a light because the peace that he gives is beyond and above our circumstances as he says it is the absence of worry and doubt and fear.

But it is a very stabilizing restful kind of peace.

Now somebody says what what you sent me out to be.

You got to be concerned about things and it is a difference being concerned and being anxious concern is a caring about things in which you also recognize God has a part in the anxiety is something totally different. So we going to be caring about things. Yes, we are you care about your family you care about how you look, you care about your work you care about doing a good job in your life so there are those legitimate concerns in life which all of us have insert now Lord would expect us to know what is here tells the act irresponsible, but we are to live in peace and we certainly will have cares and concerns in our life. And I know what people's eyes are well Melissa, you may need to know remember what we said we not talk about escaping reality, not Tolman escaping the struggles were not talking about denying the fact that there are difficulties with talking about being able to view them from the view of the Lord Jesus Christ and protecting our peace.

You don't have to lose it because the circumstances have gotten so bad, we lose it because we lay it down. We choose the layer that we choose to feel a certain way we choose to think a certain way we choose to think a certain weight, lose our peace. Choose to let certain emotions envelop us, overwhelm us, overshadow us, penetrate us pervade our heart we lose our peace is a decision that we make. It is the circumstance it forces itself upon as it cannot force itself upon a child of God, who said what Paul said in Corinthians, he said no temptation trial is taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tested tempted and tried more than you are able to bear as you trust in him, but will be able to make a way of escape, that you and I may be able to bear and so therefore he's in control, but we have to ask is how we can respond to it. Now what kind of effect does anxiety have on us, or first or divides her mom when a person is anxious about something there pulled into different directions when you pull into different directions. You not concentrate in the lots of people who can't focus on anything.

This is why people do such a poor job in their vocation there anxious about something in life anxious maybe about many things in life you know they can do a good job while because their minds about the trying to do this in word about that one. Do a good job of hip, deeply concerned and worried and agitated about this. You cannot live in anxiety and do a good job or whatever you doing in life nor will you be satisfied with your site you listen after while you only like yourself and what's happened is you have allowed anxiety. It is so overwhelming penetrate you.

It's affecting every aspect of your life. So let's think about some of the ways it affects recent first of all, it divides the mom that certain one-way secondment inmates is afraid to act, the blood paralyzed by anxiety. I don't know what to do.

I don't know what to do I get these choices here and some people say I should do this and some people said I should do that.

I read the Bible, not praying I do this not do that. I ask him and I asked her. I want this counsel unilaterally.

What is that the way God intends for us to live. Absolutely not. That would be a terrible testimony on the Christian life. If we had to live in that county situation sometime its effect on a person's life is they withdraw, they become just anxious with life and they don't know what to do and how to handle all the just withdraw. Sometimes they've they get into depression and that is when the primary reasons for depression is anxiety elicit you live in anxiety long enough and you know how to deal with and you know how to get out of it. Next thing you know you going to be in a state of depression you depression can make it that much more anxious the branches you get, the more depressed you become more depressed you become, the more anxious you get in.

It is a horrible spiraling down, to destroy your life. Everything from heart attacks to all kind of situations and circumstances to develop.

God never intended that one of the primary reasons we are so unhealthy is so unspiritual trying to live in a world that is so opposed to what we believe and violating the very principles that God is given to those in his word. How can we expect to be the persons that God wants us to be to live the life that God wants us to live when we are following listed when looking and acting like the world, he says, my peace I give it to you not as the world gives. He says the piece that I give you will sustain you and uphold you and guard you and keep guard your mind what you think. Guard your heart the way you feel in those two things about us must be guard and he says I'll give you a piece that will guard all of that. So the big question is this how do I protect this piece.

How my able to live in the midst of difficulty.

Trial heartache attacks in accusations in your job and all the things you have to deal with. Maybe sometimes it will help. How is it possible to protect our peace. Is it really and truly possible and I want to tell you yes it is this what Paul says be anxious for nothing.

Remember that this menu escape reality doesn't mean that you retreat from responsibility doesn't mean you're going to have an ox and bruises busily and I can have intensive trial. He says, but don't be anxious about. Listen.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, not some things that most things everything no matter how little you see anxiety all construction something a little and then he grows. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Know what is he say that once this unit is run all across this and miss it because you rose will they can't be that simple. I didn't say it was simple under say what the apostle Paul said works, it's practical, or he would never have said later on. The chapter I learned in every circumstance to be content which means I have been able to experience peace no matter what I faced in life. Now remember, this there is no promise of peace to people who are living outside the will of God is no promise of peace to anybody who's deliberately, willfully and knowingly disobeying God's… Put this down to begin with. Here's the answer but the answer must be prefaced by this you outside the will of God for your life.

You know you happy you living disobeying it before God.

No please you deliver listening against God Lopez you plan the sin against God, no peace you living with past guilt and you won't deal with it. No peace, your anger toward someone bitter toward someone hostile toward someone blaming God for something your life, no peace is not going to be in a piece until you deal with the issue of obedience in your life. So what happens when you get hit with something bad news incident, whatever it might be. Listen to what he says now watch this. He says be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer, supplication, Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God that what is he saying a watch this carefully. He's saying when you are tempted, or suddenly you hit with something and you get that overwhelming sense of oh dear God, the first thing you do is you lift your heart to the father and you pray watch what happened. What happens is it instantly immediately. Your mind gets off of what has caused you the trouble and gets it on God. This is the God who is sovereign and control everything. This is the God is omniscient, knows all about all the details. This is a God who loves you unconditionally is going to. The best thing.

So what you do. He says don't be anxious about everything but everything by prayer and supplication. What he uses four different words, all of which refer to prayer, but they have a different a little different emphasis. First of all, he says the word prayer here and the notice he says some prayer and supplication solicited bottom up. First of all prayer that word is general prayer that is that you praying each day in reading your scriptures. For example, filling that meditating upon the word of God support what he saying is this and this is why I oftentimes bring it to you one the best preservers of your peace. A guard for your peace is your own personal private meditation every day and that is talking to the father about your life about your schedule for that day. You see this wire in the morning before you get out of bed are thereafter pretty soon you're talking about what's going to happen the day that is what you know is going and what you do is reminding him that he's in control of your schedule today is in control of your life and you can thank him for what is going to do and you're trusting him that your prayer then the second word is supplication.

Now me coming down the things that are very intense those things that would cause you to feel desperate.

Those things it would cause you to cry out to God about those things. For example, that that would cause you to feel an intense desire to pour out your heart and listen, you can cry out to God without losing your peace without being thrown into the category of anxiety because we don't want our way more than we want God's way not pushed into some ill will, decision, none of those kind of things we just crying at him. There is an intensity there's an intensity of our plea to the father. So that's what he told him and supplication. Then if you notice he says with thanksgiving. While we had that in their because Thanksgiving again gets my mind off of what is trying me at that moment on to God and reminding me of what reminding me of how he's blessed in the past, reminding me of the promises of present, reminding me that he's a God who can and will take care of the situation. This circumstance, and so it's reminding us and what is he doing you can't be in the dumps, praising God same time. If you are praising the father and you're giving him glory and honor and those moments what's happening. You have a sense of peace in your heart because this is your mind and heart is God centered.

It's in God centered.

It's not situation, circumstance, and it is God centered when you and I are God centered we going to have peace. So he says, with thanksgiving, then he says let your requests be made known to God and this word simply speaks in terms of specific missing, boldly coming to him asking for example, he says this is the confidence that you and I have been that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears if we know that he hears us.

We know that we have the petition we desire and therefore we can come boldly, confidently, specifically asking him for particular request. Listen with great Thanksgiving in our heart for what he has done what is going to do crying out to him, telling him the intensity of the concern about heart the deep burden we have in our heart for this person of the situation, the circumstance and lifting them up to him with absolute confidence.

Listen is is you want to protect your peace when you get hit with something. The first thing you do. He says don't be anxious about it. He says bring it to God bring it to the father immediately and you will not lose your peace. You focused on him you going to have these no matter what.

Let me ask you one question listen Naming me one circumstance difficult, trying hard, strenuous, sorrowful, perturbing in penetrating and painful circumstance in life is one that God can handle a single solitary one he can handle it. And Jesus said my peace I give, not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, and Paul put it this way. Don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God will so Garrison your heart around so cover you and so surround you. This so surround you with the peace that is passed all human understanding. It will guard protect your mind from being allowed to be cared often anxiety your heart from becoming anxious and unruly in Christ Jesus, that his whole kids that last word in Christ you know that means it means this is for believers only. You never trusted Jesus as your Savior.

That's not going to work.

There is only one piece giver and exegesis, and the only way you receive his peace is by receiving himself by faith in the confession of your sins and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Then you have the gift of peace and the question is this the you want to sustain it. I watch this carefully listen to me carefully. I like the hold the top your head pull the students sealant down real tight so they can ever get away from, but I can't do that. Listen carefully. He's is a gift that you can enjoy a no mother what the circumstance. Maybe this is why I can stammer the hospital bed with someone who knows they don't have but a few weeks or maybe a few days to live, and this awesome sense of tranquility. This awesome sense of peace and rest on their face, not anxiety, but perfect peace because they did not allow the circumstance to penetrate their mind and heart and steal from them what God is giving you want is peace and joy is for the asking. Listen, is the key. When anxiety hits you.

The first response. Father and if you make that your first response. It will be like a blip on your emotional heart that you move all of perfect peace and you will not be thrown off base you not lose your peace and you will learn just how loving God is. Thank you for listening to how to protect our peace.

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