THE CURE FOR LOST PEACE

January 31, 2024

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 4, 6-7 NLT
 

1. REJOICE IN THE LORD. Have you ever had your confidence shaken and lost your peace? There is a cure for it. Paul the Apostle said, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). This is not a superficial appeal to sing trite songs to yourself. It’s deep and practical. I rejoice by reminding myself of who God is – He is holy, an everlasting father, not emotionally distant, but He has proven His love by sending Jesus to rescue humanity. God is the one who put the earth on its axis and into orbit. All these processes that Galileo, da Vinci, and Tesla observed – all these amazing scientific things emanate from the heart of this beautiful, awesome Creator. Dwelling on who God is and rejoicing in Him instantly addresses that lost confidence, that insecurity.
 
2. PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING. When we are worrying, we aren’t placing our trust in God. Prayer redirects our focus and faith onto God instead of those circumstances around us. My wife and I help each other with this at different times. If we catch ourselves in a worry loop and are upset about something, one will tell the other, “Wait a minute, let’s pray about it.” And a little of that really goes a long way. We have learned to be thankful instead of annoyed when we get reminded to stop wasting any more time on worry. 

Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7 AMP

 3. SPEAK GOD’S WORD. God loves you. He cares for you; you can cast all your cares on Him. Take your concerns and find corresponding promises in the Bible. For example, if you are dealing with sickness in your body, find scriptures relating to that and start speaking them out about yourself: “By Jesus’ wounds, I am healed. You are the Lord who heals me. You sent Your Word and healed me and delivered me from my destructions. I stand on these promises. You said that I can lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover – I shall recover” (Isaiah 53:5; Exodus 15:26; Psalm 107:20; Mark 16:17-18). And God will pull you right through it.

Press on! 
Pastor Jeff Perry

DAILY CONFESSION:
I rejoice and am full of joy in the Lord! I don’t worry about anything; instead, I pray about everything. I tell God what I need and thank Him for all He has done. I experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything I can understand. His peace will guard my heart and mind as I live in Christ Jesus. I cast all my cares, all my anxieties, all my worries, and all my concerns, once and for all, on Him, for He cares about me with the deepest affection and watches over me very carefully. (Philippians 4:4, 6-7 NLT; 1 Peter 5:7 AMP)

peace,  noun
A mental or spiritual condition marked by freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions: calmness of mind and heart. Serenity of spirit. A tranquil state of freedom from outside disturbance and harassment. Harmony in human or personal relations. Absence of activity and noise: deep stillness. Quietness. 

^{Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org. “Peace, N. (1).” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, C. & G. Merriam CO., 1971, p. 1660}