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Finding Peace in the Storm

June 13, 2021

Finding Peace in the Storm

✝ Finding Peace in the Storm✝
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Speaker: Jaque
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

* The 9 Fruits of the Spirit
* Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such there is no law.
* Worry and Anxiety can drain us.
* Worry can drain us of our strength, joy and most of all peace.
* This opens a door for the enemy to attack our faith, our joy, our victory and bring in discouragement.
* This morning’s text gives an answer to all that worrying we do; and that is ‘PRAYER’
* Paul teaches that Philippians that “When we pray, God turns anxiety into peace.”
* It’s not always easy to totally give all our worries to the Lord, but it’s an amazing promise to know God is with us through every circumstance and He wants to give us peace where there is worry and anxiety.
* Remember…Paul wrote these words to the Galatians church from the prison cell.
* Paul had experienced suffering
*He experienced heartache
* He definately knew anxiety.
* BUT HE ALSO KNEW PRAYER
* Verse 6: “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING”…. Paul taught.
* To not be anxious about ANYTHING…seems like a difficult and even impossible order.
* It was a difficult order for Jesus too… The night he was betrayed, he said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me,” Matthew 26:38
*What the apostle Paul is doing here in Philippians 4 is drawing a contrast between ANXIETY and PRAYER
*INSTEAD OF WORRY AND ANXIETY…WE ARE TO PRAY
*What did Jesus do immediately after telling the disciples how anxious he was?
*HE PRAYED
*Instead of worrying…’ in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
* WE CAN PRAY ABOUT ANYTHING
*1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
* We serve a God who is big enough to help in those “BIG” areas of life…like the coup in Myanmar and a God who cares enough to help in those “LITTLE” areas of life like to raise my son’s pet dog Thunder from the dead.
*No matter the problem, no matter how big or small, no matter how I feel, I can go to the throne of God with all my worries.
* Do….”Do not be anxious about anything,”
*…..”in every situation”,
* And now….”by prayer and petition…”
*The Greek word for “prayer” refers to prayer generally, and “petition” means supplication, the asking for a specific need.
*Now….”With thanksgiving”….
*Too often we forget to go to the Lord with a thankful grateful humble heart.
*He is the “Great I am”
*Thanksgiving must be a real part of our prayer lives.
* 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances.
* Now….”Present your requests to God”….
*Take what you need before the throne of God.
*Matthew 6:8 says, he already knows what we need, but taking our requests to God shows humility and submits our will do his will.
* Philippians 4:7 “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,”
* While the Peace of God cannot be explained, this peace is real for those of us who know God.
* John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
*John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ”
*Paul tells us that if we want to have that peace, we must take our concerns to God in prayer.
* Paul said,…”That divine peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
*God’s peace stands guard around our hearts and minds that we might have peace from our anxieties. What an amazing God we serve!!!
Application:
* When we pray, God turns anxiety into peace.
*In Luke 18:1 (Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
* “Is any one you in trouble? He should pray.” James 5:13
* God cares about what’s taking place in our lives, and in the lives of our family.
* The night before He facesd the cross, Jesus fell on His face and prayed, “My Father, if it is pissible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
* Twice more Jesus went and prayed saying the same words (Matthew 26:42-44)…But we all know the story, that cup was not taken from Jesus.
* How could Jesus give His peace to the disciples, unless He had peace Himself?
*Even in the midst of his darkest moment, even when he is about to bear the sins of the world, Jesus had peace.
* We can have that same Peace