June 25, 2006
"Finding Peace In A Troubled World—Part 2"
God's Not Finished With You Yet—Part 10
Philippians 4:6-9
How do I conquer worry and experience peace?
1. Peace involves right praying.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 4:6-7
Three aspects to right praying:
- Adoration: Psalm 46:10
- Supplication: Romans 15:30
- Appreciation: Colossians 3:15-17
The result: The peace of God stands guard over the heart (feelings) and the mind (thinking).
Read: John 14:27
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"The opposite of anxiety is peace."
2. Peace involves right thinking.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
—Philippians 4:8
"Sour dispositions create sick souls and sick bodies."
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
—Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
—2 Corinthians 10:5
When we believe a lie, Satan takes control!
Question: Do you want to experience peace of mind, or do you want to experience conflict?
"As Christians, what we think must always have the shape of the cross about it."
—Maxie Dunnam
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus... but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant... he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
—Philippians 2:5, 7-8
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
—Psalm 119:165
"The greatest peace-giver today is forgiveness—forgiveness from a God who gave His Son."
3. Peace involves right living.
"You can't separate outward actions from inward feelings."
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
—Philippians 4:9
"Get the truth out on the table."
Doing what is right will bring peace and rest. When my people do that, they will stay calm and trust in the Lord forever.
—Isaiah 32:17
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
—James 1:22
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
—James 1:25
Lifework
Worry is the greatest thief of joy. The peace of God is the greatest joy builder. The peace of God will guard you. The peace of God will guide you. With that kind of protection—why worry?
"God Is Not Finished With You Yet"
Personal and Small Group Study
Getting Started
- How prone to worry are you? What trips your trigger and starts you worrying most quickly? Finances? Marriage? Children? Job? Health? World events? Other?
- Is worry a sin or merely a shortcoming? Why?
Digging Deeper: Read Philippians 4:6-9
- What do you learn about prayer from this passage? Prayer is connected to a direct result. What is it?
- How does the peace of God guard your heart? How does the peace of God guard your mind? Why are both important?
- What is the command of verse 8? List the virtues of verse 8. How do each relate to the Christian life specifically? Give a practical example of each.
- How does the word "think" in verse 8 relate to the words: learned, received, heard and seen?
- How is the concluding statement of verse 9 different from the concluding statement of verse 7?
Applying It To My Life
- In what ways does effective prayer bring peace of mind? How does your thought life control your deeds?
- As you examine the three aspects of prayer mentioned in verse 6, which do you most often neglect? Which comes most readily to you?
- What do you need to commit to God that you have been fretting over? What concern do you have about God handling your problem?