How to Protect Our Peace - Part 1

Welcome to this weekends entrance podcast with Charles Stanley feeling a sense of uneasiness today to hear how to live in the peace of God, regardless of the chaos that rages around you. When is the last time that you could ever remember experiencing absolute peace in your heart how long did it last. Why did you lose it is that kind of peace, something that just comes once in a while in your life or is it something that is there.

Most of the time is it over there when you get some spiritual high or is it that you just don't believe that's the way life is. You probably concluded that somehow peace is just something that comes once in a while, and certain this perturbed world that we live in peace is a very rare commodity, and therefore don't expect that, lest you be totally disappointed in life 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 it and how you can limited daily. This is not written by somebody who's lying on the beach is very wealthy and very prominent.

This is written by man who's a prisoner is in a prison in Rome, chained to a Roman soldier 24 hours a day. There unjustly accused and there possibly at any moment could lose his life and yet in these four chapters. He writes the Philippian church. He keeps on talking about joy and rejoicing in the Lord and say yes and again I say rejoice and talking about peace.

He's a man who says I have learned that in whatever state I'm in a blur and he says to be content. How could anyone have peace, chained to a soldier 24 hours a day and how could anyone have peace. Just being in prison itself and how could he be talking about rejoicing. Or here's the answer looks like 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. What kind of peace. Is this is this a real or is this just some idea this is real. It is very of God would not put in his word, something that's not real and untrue. It is a matter of choice on our part as to whether we experience and live in peace all live in this with a disturbed mind and heart throughout our life. So let's look at the piece that is speaking up here the nature of it because the very word peace means to bind together something that has been disjointed to bring it together. It speaks in terms of being untroubled, unperturbed, unruffled. It speaks of serenity and tranquility and quietness and restless in a person's heart and emotion. It is real. It is genuine and it is absolutely the promise that every single believer that does not mean that there might be those difficult trying times in your life. It does not mean the absence of trial and difficult and hardship, but it means the sense of tranquility and peace and serenity ending unperturbed and un-anxious even in the midst of those trials that most people believe that they think that somehow in order for me to have peace my circumstances it got to be right but you see living in a prison change a Roman soldier are not circumstances that promote these, and so therefore it's not a matter of circumstances.

This is why Paul says he says not that I've learned to speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance are men he's learned to understand the real secret of true, genuine, peas, how to keep it. Once you have found that where does it come from.

You see when you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

The Bible says Jesus is our peace. He says my peace I give unto you that when we have him. We have peace is what happens when you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior. The Bible says that then it's like he's grafted us into the bond that is he's placed is in the Christ Jesus. That's what he says in the latter part of these verses in Christ we are in him and he is in a house that is we have been made one with him. So when you and I receive Jesus Christ as their personal savior. The gift of peace becomes hours on the inside so therefore once the Lord Jesus Christ is in your life.

You have all the peas that you will ever need that what you enjoy it or not is up to you but you have the gift of peace. It is a gift. It isn't something you work up isn't something. For example, that you manipulate is a gift from God.

So what we have to ask is how is it that you and I can experience that kind of peace and how long can we expect this is something that Sicily comes and goes.

Is this something that God gives once in a while or does he mean for this to be sustaining peace in our life. Listen what he says. He says this peas is beyond the comprehension is beyond comprehension.

It is the PC says that keeps missing this he says surpasses all comprehension which will guard our keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And I want to use that word guard because Philippi was a Roman colony and all the Roman colonies.

The Romans had their troops there are guards and they guarded that city from the enemy. And so when he said the peace of God, will Garrison your heart about, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

They understood that because they had a garrison of soldiers there that guarded them in his what he say that the piece the Lord Jesus Christ uses a piece that will protect you garrison your heart about that is, will guard your heart from thinking and feeling those things that you should not feel guard your mind and thinking those things that you should not think in order to preserve your peace. It's when our heart gets out of all that is, we begin to feel things we shouldn't feel we begin to think things we should not think something happens to our peace. Is this piece supposed to be here and there often on up and down in and out no, it is to be sustaining continuous peace. Does that mean that there never come a time when you won't have it no because there will be those difficult, as there will be those trials, there will be those heartaches voting simply saying is this, that standing at the door of our mind and heart is a peace that passes all human understanding that will keep and gardens that will be those moments when you and I get knocked up a balance for a moment, but what I want you to see in this passage that heal the sick, he only intends that promote intends for us to be able to respond quickly in a specific way which will talk about a moment that will help us be able to keep a sustaining peace and so when you think about the piece that you had in your life, and I look back to that same question again.

When is the last time you experienced this kind of peace, tranquility, serenity and restful listen. Your soul that you could turn 360° and you know what nothing troubled. You no matter where you look where the circumstances perfect. No things you'd like to change yes but in spite of all that you had a piece you couldn't understand. How long did you keep it. Why did you lose it. What happens listen to what Paul said because he answers this question for us back in the sixth verse he says now because there is a possibility of losing all of us have lost at a time somebody says be anxious for nothing, that sounds absolutely ridiculous.

How could he say don't be anxious about anything, him, after all the things you got to be anxious about salinity. Let me describe something this word here means to be perturbed in your heart and your spirit is a caring and a worried that becomes tall. Many, that is anxiety isn't just a little brief.

I don't feel good.

Anxiety is a tormenting kind of caring worrying Sony says here, don't be anxious about anything when talking about an apprehension about future things we talked about the fact that you are fearful of losing control of your circumstances but talk about doubts and fears that arise because your circumstances that are such that they throw you off balance. Anxiety is not only something to steal your peace. It'll kill you ultimately physically anxiety affects the whole body, mind, spirit, anxiety affects your physical being, your emotions, anxiety is a killer. He says do not be anxious about anything, he doesn't say some things he says about anything and so what happens is aware (LI and what happens is we certainly lose our peace. Now somebody says what what you certain your debate. You gotta be concerned about things that is a difference being concerned and be anxious concern is a caring about things in which you also recognize God has a part in the anxiety is something totally different, so are we going to be caring about things. Yes, we are 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. When Eric caring in our carefulness becomes freighting. We have moved over into the anxiety category that is and what God wants for us in our life and so busy they were to be in different about the circumstances of life and to be concerned in a godly fashion. Remembering that our heavenly father is in control of every single thing of life and so therefore we do not have to just throw up her hands and just have a fit. So what happens is when there are concerns that come in on the lighter we take our eyes off God then what happens then.

Eric genuine caring becomes anxiety becomes anxious is now we can legitimize our anxiety, but we can't legitimize it scripturally. We cannot do it for the simple reason if you think about is whatever you and I are facing in life no matter what it is.

We know that God is absolutely sovereign. He is in control. We know that he is omniscient, he knows all about every detail of we know that he is a genuinely loving caring father so he is going to do the right thing in every circumstance.

So with that in mind if I understand that why should I become anxious and perturbed and lose my peace when I know that no matter what my circumstances, my heavenly father knows all about it. He has power to change it anyway. He wants to change it and he is a loving father who desires not that we lose our peace but that we learn. Listen to live in sustained peace in the most difficult trying time, so circumstances will never be perfect. You not going to ever reach a stage in your life a position in life, a place in life where everything is finally going to get. Just like you want a lot of people think that when I retire, the ongoing relaxin man.

I'm going to have peace and everything's going to be fine. Most people I know who retire they got more than they did when they work. That's what they tell me I'm busier than I've ever been in my life all you know what happens. They decide they can return surrender nothing and before long they get sick they tell their body to shut down not going to do anything or they become restless while don't have the goals I use that I don't have this to do. I don't have anything to do. God never intended any circumstance to steal our joy and our peace knockers obeys from moment can help that when something hits is my surprise that when it does, there is the right response in order not to lose our peace.

Now somebody says will you talk about concerning your talk about anxiety, how my going to know that my caring has really become anxiety will only give you three little ideas you might want to just jot down because you can test them on your cell because we all hit those moments in life. We think okay Lord I we going to do this. The three things on sale that is number one and that is you will know that you genuine legitimate concern. Caring is slipped over in the anxiety when first of all you more more concerned about what you desire the will of God. When you more concerned about what you want in the will of God and what happens is you know to become anxious because if you not concern first of all, but the will of God you concerned about your desires. What you gotta do is you go to start thinking about how to manipulate your circumstance. What can you change what can you do what you cannot do what the people going to thing has is going to work. Suppose that happens, goes. This doesn't happen and before long you have become very anxious about the circumstance of number one when your concern becomes more about what you want what you desire than the will of God.

The second thing is this. When you find yourself being horrid into making unwise RLR ill decisions. That is when you find yourself being show push parade into making a decision you have lost your sense of concerning caring you mold it will go into the anxiety field and that is God is not one is making unwise decisions. He does not. One is making decisions rushed into and shall been pushed in and somebody says you must do this you all to do that you should do the other. What does God want you to do what's the will of God. What is the purpose and plan of God at this moment your life, what about the circumstance from God's viewpoint. Listen, you see the reason Jesus had such perfect peace all the time. Insert had nothing to do with the circumstances, they won't his case all the time.

The reason was that Jesus was always seeing things from his father's perspective. He saw them he looked at them, the way his father saw when you and I learned to live in peace. Is will happen. We will find ourselves seeing observing and evaluating our circumstances on the basis of how does the policy nap. I know that he is omnipotent, has all power. I'm going to see this as listen very much in his control. If I know that he is omniscient under the see this that he knows every single detail of it.

So he asked I may have forgotten some things I don't know all the truth I don't know the details, but certainly he and if I see him as a loving father.

I know that in this circumstance. He's only going to do what is best for me is only going to do what's right and good. Best what pleases him honors him and will bless me and so once you begin to understand that you begin to understand what it moves from concern over the anxiety and then I think there's 1/3 reason that is when we find ourselves being constantly agitated and constantly perturbed about something you have moved from a genuine concern into anxiety. What is he say don't be anxious about anything so far more concerned about what I want to the will of God, I'm headed for trouble. While found myself being pushed in the making decision.

I'm not certain about. Not sure about a disturbed about I'm in the anxiety around 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 deal.

The Lord Jesus Christ and protecting our peace. You don't have to lose it because the circumstances have gotten so bad you don't have to lose. Listen 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 way, lose our peace. Choose to let certain emotions in developers overwhelm us overshadow us penetrators pervade our heart is happy, is a decision that we make. It is the circumstance and forces itself upon is. It cannot force itself upon a child of God, who said what Paul said in Corinthians, he said no temptation of 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 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. You will not lose your peace. Thank you for listening to how to protect our peace.

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