Pray Instead Of Worrying | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day this entire week. As I was just even praying

about a word, this this scripture kept coming, right, and I believe

it's a word for many of you today or someone today. Right. God

wants us to, wants to remind us that instead of being anxious or worried,

we are called to pray. Yeah. And so we're going to study

God's word today by looking at the Book of Philippians chapter four, and to

just understand some truths, okay, and to relate it to the times that

we're living in as well. Okay. And how are we called to live

our lives? Yeah. So if you have your Bible, so you can

turn with us to Philippians chapter four. Okay, Philippians chapter four. How

many of you have read this book before? Philippians? Yeah, right,

It's from the New Testament, okay. And this is one of the books

that was written by Paul when he was in the prison. Okay. It

was not just sitting in a nice place and sipping on a cup of coffee

while he was writing this, but he was in the prison, okay.

And I think that carries so much more weight to what he's saying because he

truly encountered God. Yeah. So we have the scripture here as well,

so I think let's do this. Let's read this scripture together. Okay,

there's so much power, and we declare it loud loud. Yeah. So

in the count of Tree, we can all just refer to this version that

we have. Yeah, let's do that, Okay, one, two,

and three, do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the

peace of God, which transcends all understanding. Will God your hearts and minds

in Christ Jesus Amen. Right. And there's so much of truths in this

or pointers that we can take it out take out from here. But let's

look at another two versions that we have here. The next one is from

the message. Okay, what does the message version tell us? It says,

don't fret or worry. Okay, the message version. If you're not

familiar, it's a more modernized language. Okay, so you can relate to

it. Yeah, So don't fret or worry. It's a worrying pray,

Let petitions and praises, shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your

concerns. I love how it says your by shaping your worries. So if

you're having worries, you're having needs. You've got to allow that to shape

your worries into prayers before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness,

everything coming together for good will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what

happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Just take some

time to respond on that word right when it says a sense of God's wholeness

and settles you down. So you're anxious and you're worried, but if you

new pray, it settles you down. Yeah. The message says that,

let's look at a third version. Okay, this is from the amplified version

EMP stands or amplified and if you're doing your study, amplified health because it

just simply means it amplifies the meanings, so meaning if you're doing I mean,

this is suitable for Bible studies. Yeah, so if you're looking at

that, if you look at the words, there are words and brackets to

give you more contexts, more meaning. To what you're reading. Yeah,

so it might help you. So it says you do not be anxious or

worried about anything, but in everything. What it means everything here, meaning

every circumstances, every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving quantue to make

your request. It says specific requests. You can be very specific with your

prayer with God. Yeah. And it says, and the peace of God.

What do we mean by the peace of God? The peace which reassures

the heart, that piece which transcends all understanding, that peace which stands God

over your hearts and your minds. In Christ, Jesus is yours. That

peace is given to us. Amen. Right. And I hope this world

just just reading this scripture itself, it brings calmness into our hearts, you

know, or it just speaks to you because God wants us to experience this

peace. Okay, no matter what you'll be going through. And true enough,

we are living in uncertain times. You know you have been, if

you've been reading the news, if you're knowing what's going on, I mean,

you don't have to also go far about what's happening around in the world,

but sometimes in our own lives Yeah, life happens things that you cannot

control. And this is when you know, we've got to tune ourselves to

recognize how we're going to respond, you know, because sometimes you can get

very overwhelming, right when you hear all this kind of new around you.

But what do I do? But you know, the Word of God is

so simple but yet so powerful. It doesn't give us some complex steps to

take. You take step one, step two, step three, then you

get there. You know, it just says pray, right, pray And

that's the most simplest thing that we learn every at the moment we became a

believer, or even a child who's in ex kids, that is what they

learn, right to pray and read your Bible. And that's how simple it

is. But as humans, sometimes you like to complicate things, right,

But for today, let's just get back to what's the basics. What is

it that God is teaching us to do in times of uncertainty? And if

you're feeling anxious, Yeah, and as I mentioned, Paul wrote this book

when he was in the prison, he was in chains. You know,

he had all the reason to be frustrated. But here if we have this

book, because you went through that that you know, a part of his

life that he could actually come up with such a book, you know,

and we are able to find comfort in that. Yeah, and that speaks

a lot, because experiencing peace doesn't just happen when everything else is settled.

You know, when I figured out everything in my life, you know,

my desires are met, I've achieved my dreams, I'm very successful, then

experience the piece. No, it doesn't work that way. But God's peace

works even in the midst of anxiousness, even in the midst of troubles,

even in the midst of uncertainty. You can feel that peace. Yeah,

you can feel that peace. And I think it's important for us to recognize

what these speeds means. Okay, and we're going to break this scripture down

and try to understand. And you know, the opposite of being anxious,

as the word earlier said, is to become okay, to have trusts.

It's not about just being all strong and you know, getting through it,

but it's how could you still become in the midst of the anxiousness, you

know, how could you still trust the process? You know, to trust

your master who has it all control. So you want to be able to

switch our minds from being anxious to being calm and stick yeah, to being

to have the trust, right, And how do we do this? You

know, when we talk about our journey in life, think about it.

We've got to take very practical or physical steps to experience something. Okay.

Well, for example, for you to come and experience God's presence here to

worship, the first thing you had to do is to put on your alarm

right and wake up. That's a physical step that you had to take.

Unless you're tune in you have that alarm and you don't, you don't need

alarm clock. Okay, that's good on you, okay, But I need

an alarm of course, right, we all need that, you know.

So the steps okay. Or you had to make the decision to sleep a

little bit earlier yesterday, okay, and so that I will not be feeling

too tired today, right. Or I had to take my breakfast so that

I'm feeling alot. Yeah, had to dress up you know for church.

These physical steps is what makes us seated here today, right. And the

same thing is with our journey of life as well. You know, sometimes

we look at the supernatural as something wow, very supernatural? How do I

get there? So far fetched? But no it's not. It actually takes

with the simple practical steps. You know that we can experience that. So

what the word of God tells us? Yes, we read just now,

those are very practical steps if you think about it. Firstly, it says

do not worry, right, do not worry and do not is an action

I can choose. I can have worry, I can have problems going on,

but I can choose with the thoughts that comes to my mind. Do

you know that you have a choice of your minds? Right, I can

choose to maybe talk to someone about it and say, hey, I'm going

through this, how can I in order to refocus? Yes, you can

speak to a good friend about it, you can speak to God about it.

You can focus on the positive instead of the negative situation. Those are

all actions, right. It takes that step. But if you just linger

on that worry, you're just going to drown. Right, Nothing is going

to happen from there, and you might miss out what God is showing you

as well. So we need to take those steps, right, So it's

physical, do not worry. And then the next thing it says is pray

pray. It's a physical step as well. You've got to open your mouth

and pray, or you've got to say something in your hearts. You've got

to open the word of God. Right, it's about doing something or being

intentional with the time you set. Whether I wake up early in the morning

to pray at night before I sleep, yeah, I want to make that

step, or if I'm eating my meal with my friends and I'm saying,

okay, I want to say grace. Those are all physical steps that we

need to take. Right. And then it says to thank God. Even

thanking God is a physical action where I choose to praise God. I choose

to say, thank you Lord for this day that You've given to me,

Thank you lot for the privilege to serve you today. You know, the

only thing that keeps us going is our breadth. The moment this bread stops,

we're not here anymore. And who do you think holds this breadth or

this heartbeat? It's God. He created us. He knows the time of

life and death, and sometimes we take those things for granted, you know.

But if you can just wake up in the morning and say thank you

Lord for another day to be alive, another day to praise you. That

is why I was created. Yeah, And when you can see those things,

it just changes the way you look at life. You know where you

can count and see what many more to thank God for than all those struggles

and worries. And as we do this, we're not also trying to just

be ignorant. I'm not saying that, Okay, well, we just push

away problems and come out all strong. That is not the word of God

tells us as well, because it tells us to rely on the peace that

He gives us. As humans. We can't do it by our own flesh,

but with God living in us, and when we commit ourselves to him,

it's possible. Yeah. So, just wanted to remind you church that,

as we want to, if you're desiring to grow in your faith,

you've got to first take those physical steps. You know, you have to

take those actions. Then you will see the supernatural taking place. Right.

If you want to experience the worship, you've got to lift your hands,

you've got to clap your hands, You've got to praise God. Then you

experience him. Right, even in the of saying God, I just want

to encounter you that itself speaks so much. Right, So what could be

those physical steps that you need to take today to encounter God? Right?

To encounter God? As I said, Paul was in prison when he wrote

this book. I mean physically he was in behind the bus. You know,

he was not being able to move freely. Right, But then there

was something that happened within him that allowed him to still choose to praise God,

to still choose to focus on God. And that's because there was a

conviction that has happened to him. You know, he experienced God for his

own There was already a foundation, a strong foundation that even if you put

him out there in the park or you put him in the prison, nothing

changes because God is still his number one, you know, that's his focus.

Right, And the same thing with us, with our lives as well.

Sometimes we can be stuck different problems, different challenges. Right, there's

nothing I can do about it, But you still have a choice with your

heart. What do you choose to trust? Who do you choose to trust?

Who do I choose to focus on? Right? So, don't just

allow the physical or the what we can see in our human eyes to limit

what God can do, Because what God desires more is our hearts. When

now and there's a change of heart, then we experience God in a supernatural

way a man. Right. And that's because and that is why Paul could

make that choice. What was his choice to not worry but to pray?

Right, not worry but pray. And for some of you, maybe hearing

this, it may be saying, oh it sounds so simple, you know,

not worry, pray. But how if it's the worry is you know,

I'm the one who is making the decision in charge, right, And

that is when when we read this scripture, it goes on by saying the

peace of God, which transcends all understanding. Will God your hearts and minds

in Christ Jesus, Gods your hearts and mind It is the guarding that takes

place that allows you to not worry. So you're not doing it by your

own ability, but you're doing it with God guarding your hearts, with God

guarding your minds. Right, and so God does not want us to live

in anxiety. Okay, I believe. I mean he went to the cross.

I mean God sent his son all the way to the cross. I

don't think it is just for us to be sitting and worry and waiting for

life to just go by us. There must be so much more, don't

you think so? Right? That we are made for so much more?

You know we have purpose in our lives. You know, each one of

us have an identity, each one of us have dreams that God has placed

in your hearts. So to to get to all that is when you don't

just leave in, don't worry or try to struggle by yourselves, but to

rely on God's peace. Right, to rely on God's peace. So instead

of being anxious, let's do this. I'm gonna share with you tree pointers,

and I hope that it's practical enough for you. Right. God's word

is practical. I always believe in that because you know you can apply it

immediately after this and that should be our desire, as shouldn't of God?

Right. So the first one here is pray. Okay. The first point

here is about praying and what do we do when we pray? Okay,

I'm gonna share with you tree thoughts. First of all is our poisure,

okay, our poisture as we pray. Poisture here can mean many things.

How you move as your physical right, how you sit, and how you

kneel It could also be just our mindsets. How do we set certain things?

You know, sometimes when you get into a converse with someone, you

can have those pre assumptions about this person or this person is just going to

talk a lot, or this person you know it's going to be all negative.

You know. It's sometimes you have those thoughts already in your minds,

and that is when you can't get the most of the conversation because you've already

sat in your mind or you've assumed it like, okay, that's how it

is, right, this person is like that. And sometimes you can go

to God in that way, you know, where we say those prayers,

but they're still doubts, you know, like can this actually work? Or

maybe I should do something about it? Right, but the would have God

reminds us of our poisture. Okay, let's look at the scriptures here from

Matthew six, verse five to eight. Okay, it teaches us here about

the poisture that we need to come before as we pray. Okay, So

reading here, it says, and when you pray, you shall not be

like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on

the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men. Assuredly,

I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you

pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door,

pray to your father, who is in the secret place. And your father,

who sees in secret, will reward you openly. And when you pray,

do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that

they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like

them. For your father knows the things you have need of before you ask

him. Man, there are two things that we can hear from this,

you know, Jesus to give you context, Jesus was talking about the Pharisees

at that time, because you know, they were all with you know,

religion and rituals and showing off in front of everyone. You know, got

to clean their hands before we eat, and the way they dress, you

know. So it because all of that, but it was not much about

the heart. Yeah, so you're talking about this group of people. And

so the first thing that he says is when you pray, go into your

rooms. Right when you pray, go into your rooms. And what is

it reminding here is to have that personal time encounter with God. That's important,

okay, because sometimes you can get so caught up with Okay, I

attend prayer service, I attend church, I attend homes, or I pray

with other believers. Well that's great. But if you want to truly encounter

God, or if you want to you know, be able to seek his

face, is when you have that one to one with Him, you know,

the one to one encounter. How many of us have that? You

know, where maybe you set your time in the mornings or in the evenings

where I don't need to at least to tell the whole world that I'm doing

it, but it's just in my quiet time, in that space that I

have in my room or wherever it is, or sometimes it could be in

your car before work, and you're just setting that ten fifteen minutes and you're

saying, God, I am seeking your face, right, I'm seeking your

face because whatever you do in that quiet is what that will translate in the

outside. You know, That's how we talk about church as well. You

know, it's not about what we do on the Sunday, but it's what

you do from Monday to Fridays, your prayer life with God you know,

is so important. The relationships that you're building with people and sharing the gospel,

that is what's going to translate on a Sunday. Yeah, And how

many of us actually have that that one to one time with God where you

can have that deep conversations with him. You can share your heart out.

You can say God, this is what I'm going through or this is where

I want to encounter you. Yeah, and you know, it can work

in many ways. You can have your worship time with him, just singing

songs of worship. You know, can praise him. You can pray in

tongues if you could, Yeah, if that's a gift you have, or

just lift up praises to him, thank him and share your heart right and

share your heart, you know. And and when it and it says,

yeah, you know, do not use vain repetitions. And sometimes you know,

and you pray, you realize that it's also quiet. I just need

to keep saying something. How many of you have felt that? Yeah,

so I have to say God, okay, number one, this is my

list, number two, number three, number four. I keep saying that,

Well, that's fine, because he's there waiting to hear from you.

But could you make room to also listen to him, because remember, prayer

is a two way relationship. And in that quiet, even though it seems

quiet, and some of you may not like the quietness, you've got to

make room for that because God wants to speak to us. When you turn

the Bible, you know, don't just rush through and read the chapter.

But God, what is it that you're telling me today? How are you

communicating with him? Because you're always out there looking for answers, you know,

sometimes crolling through social media, asking advice from a friend. But what

about that true answer that we can find from God? Making that space?

Right? Making that space? We don't just tell him this is what I

want. But Lord, can you tell me what you want from me?

Right? Can you tell me what you want from me? Because the God,

because God's word tells us is to pray according to his will, According

to his will? Yeah, And so what is it that's in your heart

today? Could you choose to build that personal alter with him? Right?

We are coming towards the end of the year, it's alwa it's just a

good time to have a heart check to ask ourselves how far have we grown

in our faith? Right? How far have we've grown our faith. It's

not about having the one two hours and how long the prayer is, but

is that fifteen minutes or that thirty minutes that you have and how the most

you make of it with Him? Right with Him? And I can personally

testify of this the many encounters I've had. It's not just in big events

or in church, but it's in that quiet moments when it's just in my

room between me and God. And that is when He puts the word in

my heart, He speaks to me, he encourages me. And do you

want to have that encounter because all of us have that access to Him,

right, all of us have that access to Him. So my encouragement for

us today this morning is to have a check in, Okay, to have

a hard check about how is our posture as we look unto God? Okay?

And you know sometimes going down to our knees, it seeks about humbleness.

Right, And so when we go before God, are we telling God,

you are the bigger one here, You tell me what to do,

that your will to be done. Right, So let's build that church because

when you build that quiet time, that prayer with Him, you'll see things

happen. And I say things happen, not just the physical and your needs

met right away, but there's a change in our hearts. Yeah, that

is what matters. You feel the peace of God. You feel such calmness,

right, and that is what prayer does. Amen. Yeah, So

our poisure matters our hearts. Yeah. And that is why King David says

in the Bible as well, search my heart or lot, because sometimes there

are things in hidden in our hearts that we may not be sure of what's

going on. Why is it so hard for me to forgive someone? Why

is it so hard for me to move on? God, you show me,

and he shows you. He opens doors and speaks to you. Amen.

Right, So that's the first thing about your poisure. And then in

first John five fourteen, right in first John five fourteen, it tells us

this, yere, now, this is the confidence that we have in him

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And

if we know that he hears us whatever we ask, we know that we

have the petitions that we have asked of him a man. And it says

here the confidence, you know, we've got to build our confidence to be

able to ask from him, you know, And I would say this asking

comes with a deeper relationship. It's like going to a father. Right.

I'm sure most of you wouldn't assitate to ask your dad anything, depending what

may be. Okay, but if you look at a child, right,

we have lot of kids running around here. I'm sure if they want something

from their dad, Okay, Benny's smiling, I'm sure you know how it

feels. Okay, they won't hesitate to us, right, and they will.

They will wait until they get it, you know. And that's because

they know their father can do it for me. Right. That's that's who

my father is. You know. He is the hero in my life,

and you know he can do it. Yeah, And that's what we can

learn from little children. They don't hesitate to ask your father. And how

about us asking our heavenly father. Do we have such confidence? Do we

have such relationship with him that we can just go to him and say,

God, this is what I want, this is what I'm going through.

Could you come and meet me where I am? Could you bring this need?

Because God is waiting for us to ask of him. Yeah, of

course. The question goes like, well, if God knows everything, why

do I need to ask him, right, Why do I need to ask

him? Well, prayer itself shows who we trust on and the moment we

go to him, we're not trying to wrestle and get our way across,

but we're just coming to a place of recognizing who is sovereign. I'm turning

to God because he is able. I'm turning to God because I have a

really relationship with him and I know that he can do this for me right.

And it gives you a sense of assurance when you do that. You

know, just saying that prayer Itselfsa God, this is my need. I'm

putting my heart out to you. It brings so much of calmness, it

brings so much of courage within you. Then you know that, Okay,

I can move on. I can take the next step. And that is

the purpose of prayer. It's not about just pushing God heart. Yeah,

because he knows how to meet our needs. But it's most importantly the change

in ourselves. Right to ask our heavenly Father, right to ask our heavenly

Father. And this relationship with Father here is sometimes something we tend to miss

out. Yes, we see God as God right, but God is an

above father. Right, he is an above father. And you know,

I mean I lost my dad about seven years ago, twenty seventeen, right,

and usual daughters have a very close with fathers, Okay, somehow it's

that way. And being the eldest, Okay, I was very close with

my father. You know. We used to to to quarrel a lot,

okay, and we used to talk a lot. Many will say that I

speak like him, I walk like him when I was younger, right,

So we were very close. You know, we're very close. And then

he when he passed on, it took a lot of time for me to

to overcome that that space, that missing space, right, because he's been

there all the time. But you know what replaced that I mean, yes,

father, I mean he's always going to be there, his memories.

But that one person who has been able to feel that love, you know,

or to fill that gap has been my above father, right, my

above father. And for those of you may not have that father figure,

you know, that physical person, let me remind you that you have your

above father, Okay, a father who never forgets you, who can feel

that love that you need in your hearts, you know, who can just

assure you, right, he is there, right, he is there,

and so just recognize him as as as your God and as your father.

It makes a whole difference with the way you look to him as well.

That is no longer just very far away. But he's just there and I

can approach him, you know, I can approach him. Right. So

just want to encourage your church to ask as how you ask a debt.

Okay, have that relationship with him that you have that confidence. Man.

And then it goes on saying ephicients. Chapter six again about prayer, okay,

ephicians Chapter six, Yeah, talks about you know, the the armor

of God. Okay, we have to put on the whole armor of God.

And there's a portion of the scripture here that reminds us about prayer as

well. Okay, just gonna read from yeah, from this scripture here,

okay, verse fourteen onwards Ephesian six fourteen stand therefore, having grided your ways

with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having showed your

feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, above all, taking the

shield of faith, which you'll be able to quench all the fiery dods of

the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sort of the

spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and

in supplication, in the spirit, being watchful to this end, with all

perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Right, So it says, yeah,

praying always, praying always with all prayer and supplication, being watchful.

Yeah, being watchful. And I think in the context of the church,

you've heard this that we are living in times where it's not too good,

right, we are living in the last days, and being watchful in prayer

is so important. It's so important. It's like an armor, just like

how we talk about the shield, you know, protecting us. Just like

we talk about the helmet the word of God, the thought prayer is one

of our shields as well. And if you have believed God and you have

been walking with him, prayer should be your priority. It shouldn't be just

a second option. We've got to grow up, I know, we have

got to take that step and say no, prayer is my first option in

everything that I do, you know, And like it says, we have

got to be watchful and it protects us. Yeah, prayer protects us,

families, It's so important that you have those prayers in your homes because you

are declaring God's protection over your marriage, over your family, over your kids.

Yeah, those of ust of who are stepping out there, you know,

working with people, you've got to pray for God's protection because you know,

we're living in times where it's just so easy for the enemy to rob

our peace. He's just waiting to snatch that piece away from us. You

know, he's waiting to make you feel that you cannot do this, or

it's difficult, it's hard. Yeah, I'm sure some of you would have

encountered that. But what can be a solution. It's only prayer, only

prayer, And let's not just make prayer as an alternate when I only have

things to ask God. It should be there all the time, you know,

you should be just a constant desire, something that builds my spirit,

builds my inner man. You know we all have this inner man. You

know that that makes us strong, that keeps us going. That do you

may be weak physically, the inner man can be strong. And how do

we build that? It's true prayer, right, It's true prayer, And

that is why I believe Paul could be so strong in the prison and still

say his prayers because he knew that the prayer was his shield. Right,

the prayer was his shield. And in fact, we read the Book of

X when we had few of the apostles in the prison. Because the people

came together and prayed, they were set free from the prison. Right.

And at this point you're not just talking about prison in the context of behind

the bars, but prisons in our lives as well. Sometimes bondage, you

know, struggles in life, health issues. Sometimes it can be years after

years you're going through the same thing. You're not experiencing a breakthrough. But

prayer can set you free if only you can set aside that time and say

God, I want you to work and come true. Amen. Right,

And that is what prayer is. You know. It's not just the temporary

feel good that we get out of it, but it's the one that sustains

this, Yeah, sustains this and builds our inner men. Amen. All

right? So could I encourage you to to build your prayer life, right,

to build your prayer life, to desire that. And like I said,

it's about being intentional. If you can set aside that time in the

morning or at night, whichever time that suitable for you and say, God,

I just want to set this time for you. Amen, all right,

so pray. The second point that this scripture reminds us is about the

truth. Okay, the truth you know, as we read on the scripture

from Philippines four and when we read verse eight, okay, Philippians chapter four,

verse eight, Yeah, it says, finally, brothers and sisters,

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. 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. So it says, yeah, after telling about

you know, prayer, do not be anxious the peace of God. Now

how do we get there is when you hold on to the truth. So

I can I ask you this morning, what is the truth to you?

Okay? What is the truth to you? What is the truth that you

believe about yourselves who you are? Because as we live in this world,

there's always another voice that gives us a different truth, right, a different

perspective. So what is the perspective that you're holding on to where do you

get those truths from? Right, Because it's the difference between truth and lie

that determines our actions if you think about it right. I mean, for

example, if you look at ourselves, sometimes you get you can may go

through with am I good enough? You know self esteem? Well, what

God says you are good enough because you're created in His image, whereas the

world may tell well, you still got to work out yourself you're not good

enough. But what do you choose to believe or to listen to? Because

the truth is what determines how we will trust in God? Yeah, the

image right, the world image versus the image God created you. Relationships,

how do you treat others well? The word of God reminds us to love

our enemies. Right, to love our enemies, meaning those who may may

not be too nice, we choose to still love them. We still choose

to forgive them. Well, what the world teaches us, You've got to

be all out you know, Well they do bad to you, you do

double a bit. But that's what the world teaches us. Right, But

as believers, what would you choose to believe in the truth that God's word

tells us or what the world tells us. And the thing is that it's

very easy for us to fall with the majority, right, because I mean

most of us. You may be working in the workplace, yeah, or

you're out there and people say that this is what you've got to do,

right, this is the way to success, this is the way to make

it in life. But are you sure enough about the truth of God that

you can stick a step and say, well, I don't think so,

because God's word tells me the otherwise. So this goes back to the question

is how much do we know God's word? Right? How much we know

God's Well, Like I said, our faith is the basics is pray and

read God's Word. We cannot go far away from it. But the question

is how much do we do that? How deep are we growing with the

word of God? Yeah? You know, do we have a way of

studying God's word? You know? Do we know? You know? Not

just in the sense of memorizing in that as I hate knowledge, but can

I meditate on the word of God that the next time I go through and

I find myself being anxious or find myself being worried, I can go back

to the word of God because I can say Hey, the would of God,

as she says that He has not given me a spirit of fear,

but of love and sound mind. And just imagine if in that moment of

anxiousness you can speak that word, what does it do to your spirit?

Right? Or if you find yourself being alone and you say, well,

the wood of God tells me that I'll never leave you, not forsake you,

and then you realize, oh, I am actually not alone. He

is with me. And this is when you've got to use God's word in

times like this. Right, they say, you know emergency moments, Can

I recall some scriptures and speak that declare that over my life? Because that

in that moment right of anxiousness or worry, you know what you have in

your heads and what you have in your hearts is what will determine how you

feel and respond. Right. So it's either I'm gonna be all down and

anxious because of what the world has been telling me, or I can switch.

I can be going through this frustration, but yet I can turn to

God's word and this is what God's word tells me, and it changes the

way I handle the whole situation. And that is when it's applicable and the

Word of God says, the peace of God, Gods your hearts. That

is what it means, Gods our hearts, Meaning I go to God's word

and that is why it Gods. My focus is in Him. I can

be going through that anxiousness, I can be going through that worry. But

the peace of God Gods my heart. Right, the peace of God Gods

my heart, you know. And it's good for us to also think about.

You know, when we talk about truth, our conduct, our speech,

our actions, does it speak of the truth as well? Right?

Does it speak the truth. It's easy to say those things in church because

we are you know, we are surrounded with fellow believers as well faith words.

But when we are out there and you may be the only believer,

would you still choose to say those faith words? Would you she still choose

to say those truth about who God is? Again? I think that's that's

a real test for all of us, you know, whether we can still

live without out there among those who have not experienced God yet. Yeah,

And I'm saying all this because it's just you know, a reminder for us,

you know, because when we speak about God, your peace, God,

I don't want to worry. The only way truth that is to know

what's the truth. To know what's the truth. Amen. So my encouragement

for all of us this morning is hold on to your truth. Yeah,

hold on to your truth. I mean, yes, we have our devices

these days. Bibles are our phones, right, I mean with the convenience.

Let's not make our faith too convenient as well, if you get what

I mean, yeah, meaning I only go when I need it. It

should be there all the time. It should be part of how I live

my lives a man, all right. So the truth, that is what

Paul reminds us here. And of course the last point that the Word of

God reminds us here is about peace. Right, about peace. And as

we know, you know, God himself is peace right, He himself is

peace. The moment you have received Him as your savior, as your living

and journeying with him, you have the access to that peace already. Yeah.

And that is why in John fourteen twenty seven it says I am leaving

you with a gift peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give

is the gift of the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

And the word of peace. You I mean the word peace. You

can interpret it in many ways, you know, peace of sound mind right

about in your heart. And sometimes we can get so confused with the peace

that the world gives. Like I said, you know, meaning I've got

it all sorted. That is when I experience peace. Yeah, But God

tells us here the piece I give is the one that the world cannot give.

Meaning, in the midst of tribulations, in the milds of struggles,

you can still feel this peace. You can still encounter him. And that

is what it means here. Don't be troubled or don't be afraid, right,

and it says a peace of mind and heart. I'm not sure how

many of you have experienced that, you know, when you go through tough

times, but deep within you there's is that peace, that calmness. You

know that you know God has it all control. Yeah, he will do

it. You know, Isai you're twenty sixth Street. It says you will

keep him in perfect peace. Whose mind is stayed on you because he trust

in you, you'll be kept in perfect peace. So how many of you

are desiring for that peace this morning or sometimes maybe praying for that peace in

your surrounding, your families. It's possible to experience that peace. Yeah,

and like it says, yah, what does this peace do? It guards

our hearts, it guards our minds, right, and I think more than

that. Okay, Sometimes we see the word piece as a very calming word,

right, very encouraging, a suering. Yes, it's all of that.

But you know what Romans sixteen twenty tells us. It says the peace

of God will crush the Satan's feet. And we're talking about that kind of

a peace church, not just the kind of peace that will calm our hearts

down, but the peace that is able to break the enemy's work as well.

Yeah, and remember we are living in a world that is not just

flesh and blood with principalities. That's what the Book of Romans tells us,

principalities, spirits. The enemy is always trying to work harder to rop our

peace, you know, to cause chaos. But when you experience God's peace,

it says he it's able to even crush the enemy's feet, you know,

it's able to break the chains that the enemy tries to change us around,

you know. Or it's say sometimes that it's a bondage that we're living

in. Yeah. But the peace of God is able to crush the satan

under your feet. Yeah. And that is the kind of piece that we're

talking and that is why God tells us here. This piece is, you

know, the one that the world cannot offer. The one the world offers

you is very temporary. It's only a feel good now, the rested feeling,

the feel nice. Yeah. But if you want to go through challenges,

you know, overcome those challenges, or you want to grow stronger,

it is the peace of God that will guard your hearts and minds. Amen.

Right, And I hope you desire for that peace Church. And as

you experienced that peace, people around you could actually feel it, and that

itself is a form of witnessing to others. You know, hey, you're

going you see so many things happening around you, but yet you're so peaceful.

What's happening in you? And that's an opportunity to share about who God

is. Right, you're saying, I don't have it all figured out,

but because God lives in me, I have that peace within me. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our

church, please visit as church org. We are also active on Facebook and

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I hit for you, God bless