How to have real Peace

[00:00:15] Well hello everyone and welcome to seeing God in the everyday and welcome to our new kitchen studio Yeah, it's nice to have you here in our home way that is to make here some dogs in the background

[00:00:27] But that's okay. Yeah, we'll do our best to mute them out But you know, it's kind of nice to be back and be doing what we're doing And we wanted to just kind of share with you guys some different things

[00:00:40] You know seeing God in the everyday is about exactly that seeing God in your everyday life you know a lot of people think that Basically Christianity is a Sunday and Whenever you know trouble happens or whenever somebody dies

[00:00:55] That's when you lean on God and lean on Christ and and stuff But that's not exactly what the scripture says the scripture says that we're supposed to see God every day He's part of every part of our life and so we're excited to bring that to you

[00:01:09] And that's kind of what we're gonna be talking about in our series here and in our podcast and video cast and whatever cast We're gonna be doing here, but We also wanted to just you know say welcome back and we're glad to have you with us

[00:01:24] So Becky yes, so we've been talking to some different folks We've been talking to different people about things Trying to find peace and what it is to find peace and you know It's it's easy again like we were saying when you're in church because you got the music

[00:01:41] You got the preaching you got people that you know the environments can do so. Yeah, it like makes it easy

[00:01:47] But you know the hard thing is is you know the next morning when you're getting up to go to school or you're getting up and get the kids ready

[00:01:53] You go to school you're trying to go to work and and everything's against you and there's like there's nothing that's helping you Let's put it this way To give you peace. There's there's nothing that helps you see peace or anything

[00:02:10] So what's right in front of you and the problems that need to be addressed, but not the bigger picture get mad angry Drive a thousand people start you can I hate my job because I have to drive here all right

[00:02:23] The car school line or whatever it is that you do you end up focusing on that instead of focusing on things that would actually give you peace So let can we talk about that? Let's talk about what is like real peace and

[00:02:37] What does that mean to have peace even though the world around you's one crazy? Well, I think what you're talking about is something that my mom and I used to have conversations about It we tend to Talk about turns of phrase and words that we use and

[00:02:53] In those circumstances you a lot of times you hear people talk about well under the current circumstances I'm dead of that or under the current circumstances. I'm this and and I do I think that we live Under our circumstances a lot of times and don't recognize that

[00:03:09] The peace of God that he describes the the peace that's Available in Christ Jesus is a piece that puts us above our circumstances It's a piece that passes all understanding and as believers in Christ

[00:03:23] We don't have to live under the circumstances doesn't means that the circumstances aren't there It doesn't negate the realities of life that there is sickness and there is frustration and there is you know There are things that happen right like you sleep in your Right, there's still stress

[00:03:39] I'm happy every day life right just because you're a you know Believe or Jesus and you want to have peace in your life does not mean that all of a sudden You know you wake up every day on time you never get sick

[00:03:49] You know you're gonna pay all your bills and it also doesn't mean that your Initial visceral response to those things is not frustration or anger or You know

[00:04:03] Trying to figure out what to do and or stress or we hear a lot these days about anxiety and depression and sadness you know Having peace that takes us out and on top of our circumstances doesn't mean that we don't have an emotional life

[00:04:23] We do feel emotions and I think we see that in scripture that Jesus felt emotions and But he was not ruled by them. Okay, his his life wasn't overtaken by his emotional response to things

[00:04:36] Right, and I think that there's a misconception out there of what pieces that peace is this quiet Serene, you know, I'm sitting you know by the babbling broke and you know with my thoughts and in nature and blah, blah, blah, blah

[00:04:52] But that's not what peace is because that's dependent on your circumstances too Correct, you're saying that I'm not at peace until all the circumstances line up to what my definition of The perfect space would be right for some people. It's you know

[00:05:09] Quiet room windows covered and you know cool air blowing and and wrapped up in a snugly blanket by a fireplace and some people It's the babbling Brooks But what you're looking for is a change in your circumstance as a change in your environment and that's

[00:05:27] Not real peace right you're again. You're just substituting one with the other You're taking out the high stress or thing for a low stress or thing and then what happens is you start Desiring the low stress or things instead of desiring actual peace

[00:05:43] Which leads to more anxiety because Life happens and on your way to that low stress thing. I'm my goodness I mean just just this weekend We had an example of that you took me out for my birthday

[00:05:55] We were going to this wonderful what I would describe as my kind of perfect peaceful Environment out on the water on a boat away from everything Beautiful sunset wind blowing in our face, you know, but

[00:06:11] There are some circumstances still going on in our life because as that was happening We were watching a hurricane a pro star state And we didn't know which way the winds were gonna blow on that and Sometimes even though it looks like you're attaining your ideal environment

[00:06:32] There's still things around your life right that can happen and I think again It goes back to where I think there's misconceptions with what people believe with Christianity is that If you

[00:06:45] Accept Jesus it makes everything right. It makes everything good. It changes all the things and it doesn't change all the things All the things are still there Right changes you yes, and that's the thing of what peace really is is it's something that changes you

[00:07:02] It's something that between you and the father Right not between you and your circumstances and it goes back to You know one of the things we're gonna look at is we want to look at Philippians four and it's a great passage here in Philippians four

[00:07:19] Where Paul's writing to the church in Philippine he is basically explaining to them What true peace is and it's not through your circumstances

[00:07:30] Through one this with Christ right you know me to read those yeah, I read a little bit of that if you would these are actually some of my absolute favorite verses in the scripture It's back when I was writing a regular blog online

[00:07:42] The title of it was practice makes peace and it was because of these verses if we practice these things We'll find peace so it's found in Philippians chapter four starting in verse four Let's see it says rejoice in the Lord always so there's a prescription

[00:07:59] Okay, that's that's one of the things that we can do that leads to peace. We can rejoice in the Lord I will say it again rejoice Let your graciousness be known to everyone the Lord is Near yeah, don't worry about anything

[00:08:15] But in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God and The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Finally brothers and sisters Whatever is true whatever is honorable What are there is just whatever is pure?

[00:08:40] Whatever is lovely whatever is commendable if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy dwell on these things Do what you have learned and received and heard from me and see in me and the God of peace will be with you

[00:09:02] a couple things I want to see in that or I want to kind of bring out with number one the rejoicing and That we're supposed to be rejoicing always it's not a thing of oh my gosh I found my lost key or I found my lost lucky it

[00:09:16] I'm gonna be Rejoicing or my team one or You know the kids are finally down No, it's to rejoice always and you know and that's hard That is a mindset that is a Between you and God, but it's also an acknowledging of who God is

[00:09:36] Well, and I think it's key to understand too that it says rejoice in the Lord Not rejoice in your circumstance This is not a command to say oh, thank you God that my tires flat in the middle of the highway and I'm late to work Hey, you know

[00:09:49] That's not that's he's not asking you to rejoice for the garbage that happens in your life right He's he's calling you to rejoice in who the Lord is? No matter what garbage is going on right and it's an acknowledgement again

[00:10:03] It's between you and God. It's a focusing on what God is in your life Not your circumstances and now what's going on around you? the other thing is is prayer and Thanksgiving and

[00:10:16] And you know a lot of times our prayers and I love how our pastor says it sometimes we complain more in our prayers But our prayers are not complaints to God You shouldn't be a lot of times that's what they turn into. They're they they turn into God

[00:10:35] I'm I'm upset about this so I'm gonna complain to you God about it and God's like do you not understand the whole thing in the universe? And you're like no, I don't

[00:10:43] But we should pray with him to him with Thanksgiving that we do bring him petitions right but we need to understand that We're bringing this and not a complaining way

[00:10:54] But thanking God Lord that he's number one there to hear us right that he is there to do something about it And that he is gonna carry us through it no matter what it is and

[00:11:07] That alone right there will change so much in your life. You know if you struggle a lot with anxiety and things like this praying and not complaining in your prayers, but being grateful for what you have being grateful for what God's doing

[00:11:24] Being grateful for who God is in your life starts changing how you pray and how you speak to him right and it will also open your eyes The things that he sees that we don't

[00:11:37] Right, and then and I think he puts it together beautifully in that verse because it's almost like he's presenting a scale You know on this side of the scale is worrying anxiety and on this side

[00:11:50] Is prayer and petition with Thanksgiving presenting our requests to Lord and he's saying don't do this Don't don't weigh down this side heavy. Don't get all anxious and the way you do that the way you bring that balance back into play

[00:12:06] Is by loading up the prayer and petition with Thanksgiving to the Lord, you know You're Don't you don't see this side of the scale Yeah, well, and then it continues where he keeps telling us what the things we should focus on right and

[00:12:23] And I will admit it is so hard not to focus on the things the world it is so difficult I mean Your phone is constantly yelling at you your kids your job Just the everyday things of life, you know from your house and your car

[00:12:39] I mean there's so many things I think I'm and just start pulling you. It's amazing when you stop When you sit down and you start thinking about what's actually pulling on your attention and what's pulling on you know

[00:12:54] Basically what what needs you it's a it's an incredible thing and so he's saying listen We need to focus on these things the things that are lovely Things that are pure those are things that we focus on if we're focusing on those things

[00:13:10] They change the world around us because now we start seeing beauty and things where we were seeing ashes not too long ago We were on a Trip and we got delayed and we were driving and then the next thing you know

[00:13:25] We were able to exit before the right before the traffic got too bad because we were seeing Before we would have been stuck we were able to exit but if we were A minute earlier two minute earlier

[00:13:40] We would have been stuck for hours in this that they shut down the highway and stuff for hours And we were able to exit just because we were two minutes later and we were we were frustrated because we were running behind

[00:13:52] And we were like you know, and then it's like okay, God understand you literally Help us you literally put things in our path and in our way So that we were a little bit slower so that we could be blessed to be able to get off the highway

[00:14:10] And it's little things like that where we go thinking God for that and it's little things like that We're if you start focusing on those things Those are the things that start giving you peace in the long run and that begins by focusing on who the Lord it

[00:14:25] If you start with that rejoice in the Lord peace your You're filtering everything, you know, we we talk a lot about Well, so and so has no filters or what do you filtering things through or Especially you know, I know we're three years out

[00:14:40] But coming out of the COVID shutdowns and all the trauma that you're hearing a lot I mean, I don't know how many ads are on YouTube for better help.com my goodness because people are talking about

[00:14:53] You know filtering their life through their trauma and filtering their life through the bad things that have happened and Working through those things so the filters that are in your mind matter and if you begin filtering Through who the Lord is

[00:15:12] Then it becomes easier, you know if you remember that the Lord is trustworthy that he is With you all ways that he is faithful that He is a protector and a provider that he is a comforter If you if you fill your mind with those things

[00:15:30] Then when that stuff happens that you're frustrated with or you don't want to happen The filters already in place of who the Lord is and so Your eyes are more readily turned to where he is in the situation because in Romans

[00:15:44] He tells us so he's put himself in every line of creation Which includes all of the circumstances that happen in our lives right? He created time all the circumstances that are in play but sometimes we walk around blind To the whatsoever is pure and lovely and commendable

[00:16:03] We think that there's nothing praise worthy in any of it because we're looking at the stuff instead of filtering it through The rejoicing in the Lord and and if If we'll begin with rejoicing in the Lord, right then we're more able

[00:16:20] To turn and look at okay well this circumstance stinks right now But I see this lovely thing that gets coming out of it or even if you're in a place where you don't see anything

[00:16:31] Lovely that's coming out of it. You can see the loveliness of God right where you are holding you right And I think that's where a lot of the people when they do get away and they can Close off the noise

[00:16:46] Go by the babbling brook like we said earlier, you know and go and get to a place where it is quieter It is easier You know, it's like when you are in church in the music and the preaching and you're with family

[00:17:00] It is easier to do but this is not just something for those moments This is something for every minute of your day every minute of your life Where God wants to give you peace and everything

[00:17:12] It's not just a thing that you have once a while peace is not an emotion It's not a feeling Okay, and it is something that will help carry you through

[00:17:24] So you're in these situations a full stress when people go up to you and are like well, how are you so calm? How are you so Straight forward? How can you think clearly in all of this and it's like because I have peace?

[00:17:37] I have peace in what God's doing in my life and I have peace in what God's doing here even though I don't understand everything I can focus on the things that are good that are righteous the things that are pure

[00:17:47] I can rejoice in him and who he is even in the midst of this and be able to do what I need to be doing, you know The last thing I want to kind of talk about with on this piece thing is that

[00:18:01] Is that it's so important that we carry this and that we bring peace with us where we go Yes, and I think I think going back to a Situation where you were in a job situation a couple years ago and it was a very dysfunctional

[00:18:20] Workplace. Let's put it right and the owners both the owners were If they weren't fighting each other, they were fighting everyone else. I remember them making a comment that it's so different when you're there Because when you walk in the door

[00:18:38] There was something different, you know, that was a rough time for you when you were going through that and That was one of the things that hanging on to these verses hanging on to rejoicing in the Lord even in a horrible situation

[00:18:52] Right, you were able to bring peace into an area that had no peace But the the reason that that was feasible is Because I wasn't in it alone and and that's where this peace comes from that

[00:19:09] You know, I can almost hear people on the other side of the camera going okay That's well and good and you know, okay rejoicing the Lord and okay when things are falling down around me

[00:19:17] You know, find the silver lining right. That's not walking out about finding a silver lining We're not talking about finding the silver lining. We're talking about Understanding and walking in the reality that Jesus wasn't kidding when he said that he would be with you always

[00:19:35] That and he wasn't kidding when he said that everything that he had access to the fullness of the father The fullness of the spirit that he had access to that held him through accusations and slander and beatings and you know all of that crucifixion death hell the grave

[00:19:58] Pretty rotten circumstances, yeah but What held him through all of that? Is accessible to us every single day Because we are in relationship with him and that's where this That's where this all hinges is that I didn't go into that rotten workplace alone

[00:20:20] Right ever right I went in with him and He's the one that was bringing peace to me and you know when Jesus is in the room He brings peace to pretty much everybody So The practical side of this is that yeah

[00:20:36] This is a discipline that you build up And it is a thing of Having to over and over and over again take your mind and your emotions and Submit them to who he is and go, you know what if it was just me

[00:20:53] I would really love to tell that person off and I would really love to go in and fix this or you know Doing things like that a lot and Recognizing that you don't have to fix it

[00:21:08] You do have to walk through it and you do have to make decisions and you do have to feel the emotions I mean We tell our kids all time go ahead and feel the feels but then do what's right

[00:21:18] You still do what's right and you're capable of that because you're not alone Because your ability to See what's true and see what's right rests on the reality That Christ is who he is and he is with you. We're literally scratching the surface on this

[00:21:39] There is so much more To peace and having peace in your life and I look the thing that you said is that, you know There is there is a Working this out there is a and I think that's why he starts and saying hey rejoice

[00:21:55] And it's an action you need to make sure you're focusing on the right things and you need to Build that that strength and your peace and I know it almost sounds muscle that you work

[00:22:07] Yeah, it almost sounds weird to say but I mean it is something that you're going to have to You know strengthen you're gonna have to think of the things you're gonna have to rejoice those times and you know what like

[00:22:20] Like Becky said at the beginning. It's like sometimes when you're in the middle of it It's hard It's hard and it's hard that your first response might not be the right one

[00:22:29] But if you take the time and you work it out like anything else and you focus on what Christ has for you You focus on what God has for you. It's going to start The peace will start coming. It starts giving you a piece that people can't understand

[00:22:44] People around you will just be Surprised and go how in the world are you doing this? How can you make it through this or how Do you speak like that and you're like because I understand

[00:22:57] I understand my peace. I understand what God has and what's happening in my life so I Would encourage you as you read over the passage Ask the Lord for creativity

[00:23:09] You know what are the ways that I can best rejoice in you? What are the things you want to show me about who you are that I really need to hear right now Because you know God is multifaceted and he is beautiful eternally

[00:23:24] So there are things about his character that will speak to exactly where you are and so as you begin that rejoicing in the Lord Ask him you know What is it you want to show me of yourself for me? What's what's going to fill my anxiety right now?

[00:23:40] What's gonna answer where I am and then as you As you begin to focus on those things that are pure and lovely and true and just and right Ask him how to plant those in your brain for me. I'm

[00:23:59] If I don't write it down, I forget it that's just kind of who I am and so I have lists everywhere Sticky notes are my friend

[00:24:09] So I'll write down things that he shows me that are beautiful and I'll stick him up on sticky notes until I can really Where those things down into my heart And they become realities that I walk in

[00:24:24] There's a verse that sits just up there over our sliding glass door That is there from a time that we were really having a struggle with a neighbor that lives just outside of that glass door and And They were contentious and they wanted to argue and they

[00:24:44] And it was stealing my piece. I was feeling like I could not go out in our backyard and enjoy And I couldn't let our kids out in our backyard and let them be kids and

[00:24:53] The Lord took me to Exodus 14 14 and it says the Lord will fight for you You have only to be silent So he was like he was like just don't get involved in it child

[00:25:02] And so I wrote that verse down painted it on it on a plaque and stuck it up over my back door so that it would remind me To walk in who he was and

[00:25:14] Let him be the one that fought for me with that neighbor. I didn't need to fight with that neighbor I actually have the love of the Lord for that neighbor and you know

[00:25:21] So ask him for those things as you're looking to walk this out what do I need to do to see more of you In my circumstances because you know There are times when when the Lord Stills the waters and comes the storm

[00:25:38] You know, but there's a whole lot of times Throughout scripture where he just says I'm with you. Yeah, I'm with you I'm not changing and I'm walking you through it. Right? So Well if you're enjoying these podcast video casts if you're enjoying these

[00:25:57] We want to encourage you like subscribe to our videos and to our podcast and let other people know about what we're teaching we're very We very much want to share What we've learned of 33 years of marriage and also just walking the Christian life day by day

[00:26:21] To help and to instruct and to encourage So if you're enjoying this let people know and like and subscribe Well, thank you so much for being with us today and if you like what you hear and see

[00:26:35] We asked that you like and subscribe this video and let other people know about what we're doing here You know Becky and I we've been in ministry for years. We've been married for over 33 years and we have four children

[00:26:48] We've got so many things that we've gone through the hard way and we've also learned a lot from the word of God and It's really practical It's very practical Believe or not, it's really practical and We want to share that with you and encourage you

[00:27:05] So if you're enjoying this and you like it please hit that button like subscribe hit the notification bell So you know when we post videos and Let other people know because this is kind of a passion of our heart

[00:27:18] What God has laid on our heart to let people know about the goodness of Walking with him daily and thank you again for being with us Remember keep your eyes peeled to see God in your everyday