The Peace That Follows Belief

Do you get stressed easily? 2020 has likely caused most of us to get stressed more than normal. What causes stress in your life? As we continue studying the book of Philippians, JP teaches through Philippians 4:4-9, showing us a 2,000 year old answer to today’s problems and stress.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-Pay attention to what you pay attention to.

-This world is not our home and we are not home yet. Our citizenship is in heaven!

-The behavior (rejoicing and being gentle) that follows belief (the Lord is near).

-Joy is an emotion (noun), but rejoicing is a choice (verb). You can choose to rejoice at any point in time.

-We typically believe the answer to worry and anxiety is control. Gentleness admits that you aren’t in control and that God is in control.

-What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes back? Regardless of what you are actually doing when He does come, you want to be found believing and trusting that He is in fact coming back.

-The Bible—written 2,000 years ago—teaches what science is now discovering to be true about the human body and mind.

-Do not be anxious without prayer. In a matter of two verses, Paul instructs us to pray four times!

-The peace that follows prayer.

-It takes the same amount of energy to pray as it does to be worried.

-Christians have the supernatural ability to turn worry into prayer. Add “God, help us with ______” to the front of anything you are worried about.

-Prayer changes everything.

-Some of the most popular apps in 2020 (meditation apps) are simply encouraging us to do the very thing Paul instructs us to do 2,000 years ago while in a Roman jail cell.

-Fix your mind on who you are and on Whose you are.

-The peace that follows practice.

-The teaching from this passage is not a one and done application. It’s something you practice day in and day out.

-Practice is the ability to apply what you’ve learned. A doctor—medical practice—practices what they learn and gets better as they hone their craft.

-Anxiety is contagious. Be careful of whose practice you are following.

-People today are spending billions of dollars to create an angst in you to buy their product (which won’t actually solve that angst).

-Your mind is a storage container. Think of it like a filing cabinet. What kind of thoughts (files) are you filling your mind with?

-Who is your role model? One of the most impactful things in life is who you spend your time with.

-Our behavior follows our belief. Peace follows prayer. Peace follows practice.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture Study: Philippians 4:4-9; 2 Peter 3:8-9; Philippians 2:20; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:15; Galatians 3:26-28; 2 Corinthians 11:16-29

-Sermon: Peace From Heaven

-Sermon: Distractions on the Journey