Peace: Thru Release and Confidence

Announcements

NEXT STEPS - Welcome Home Party

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - I PRAY YOU FINISHED WELL! We’ve fasted corporately - meaning we did it together, and in togetherness bearing one another’s burdens. We prayed over this ministry, dedicated this year to the Lord, and have full expectation that He will show up in our lives and in the lives of those around us. I’ve been carrying a list of answered prayers during these last three weeks as well!

During this time of prayer and fasting, do keep a list of your prayers and when they are answered! Throughout this fast and the remainder of this year, I want to keep a running list of answered prayers - and what God has done for you and me personally. We’re going to come up with a long list of wins where Christ is glorified, and satan reminded he is defeated.

2025 Answered Prayers

1 decision for Jesus on the very first week we started - and that turned in to 16 decisions for Jesus for January!

Yuri’s keys were lost and found

Sis Susanna daughter pleasantly responded to her act of service

Angie’s same name affidavit came in

Brittany’s dad’s health recovered, from being unable to walk

Brittany’s grandmother hospital costs were covered by her insurance

Cristina’s need for a house 

Evidence in progress in Cristina’s ministry to her family 

Brother Steve renewed sense of purpose at work

Brittany’s dad healed and released to go home

New-found faith in the Lord; a new ability to trust Him

Family relationships rekindled, and fresh connection

Increase dependency on Christ, some found out they could fast having never done it before.

1 Family (Dieterle’s) noted that God moved in 19 individual prayer requests - just in the last three weeks!

So today is a celebration Sunday!

WE CELEBRATE WHAT GOD’S DOING!

We’re going to have a water baptism after service! We have four individuals who are ready to go ALL IN! And I suspect there will be a few more.

We get to Send two of our own to their next assignment today.

And we get to break the fast together with the Potluck immediately after service today!

AND this week we launch our winter semester of small groups - what we call Home Groups - and today is Open Enrollment!

(Ask Home Group Leaders to come up front)

Open enrollment will be in the ChurchCenter app next Sunday.

Hey God’s doing amazing things!

Home Groups:

Wednesday - Large Group Study on Acts continues

Thursdays:

Knowing Jesus 101 - Fresh start for new or returning-to-faith believers; location Sanctuary

Italian-speaking Bible study; location Upper Room

Women’s Kingdom Discipleship; location: Pordenone

Saturdays:

10am, Women’s Group for Defeating Anxiety; location: Sacile

4:30pm, Young Adults study in Romans; location: Aviano

Valentine's’ Day preparation - 2 weeks away! Parents, Refuge Aviano has your back! Parent’s Night Out

New Year, New Portion

The very first temptation you’ll face this year is to idolize the past - maybe even last year.

2025 is a new season. Its a new chapter in your life. Its a fresh path in your faith walk.

There may be some wonderful things you experienced in 2024, but we can’t revel in yesterday’s manna.

2025 has new blessings in store. 2025 is another season of purpose for you and me.

2025 has new intercessory requirements where your and my faith need to be employed.

GOD is showing up in 2025. And with Him we will see His glory, we will see His majesty, we will see the Splendor of His Great Name.

He’s not long on time either - He’s already answered prayer this week, and I’ve been given 10 testimonies

And God wants sing the banner of His Victorious Name over your life, as Jehovah-Nissi, THE LORD is my banner.

To put the label of His Name on every aspect of who you are - over your very soul -

in your faith walk with Him

in your prayer life

in all aspects of your confidence

in all areas of your relationships

in all areas of your finances

in all areas of your education

in all areas of your passions and desires

in all that you say, do, think, desire

God wants to the first in every aspect and show you His might, show you His power, show you His love, show you the great and mighty things that He wants you to be part of for His Name sake.

In 2025, God wants you and me to partner with Him in what He wants to do - and He wants to partner with you in what He’s asking you to do.

For some of us here, God has given us some big dreams for 2025. For some of us here, God has given us a dream of something to accomplish for His glory. When God gives us a dream to do something, its always too big for us to do alone, and the only way we can be successful is if we invite Him into the process.

For 2025, invite Him in your process while you also surrender to His.

The fact of the matter is, God wants to give you His Peace in 2025.

2025 Focus Verse:

Colossians 3:15–17 CSB

15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Last week we talked about Peace thru new Open Doors of opportunity, and new Innovations in doing ministry - serving peoples’ needs; peace thru maturing in Christ, and experiencing God’s peace thru Calamity.

Today we’re going to add on: Peace thru release in doing; peace thru life moving forward in confidence

Peace thru release in doing!

A lot of our conflict in life comes through a misalignment of priorities in life.

We see a lot of that here in Aviano where Airmen and families PCS here for their Air Force assignment, but immediately get swept away with the opportunities of travel and that becomes the focus. And the next 3 to 4 years, they find misery in NOT being able to do all the traveling and all the things they want to because you have to WORK.

That misery leads to anxiety and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and then they’re depressed because people are going out, traveling, while they are stuck at work and home, work and home, work and home…and no healthy community support.

We see people going into unrealistic amounts of debt because of the wanderlust and trying to consume all the travel they can, thinking that this is the ONLY opportunity they’ll ever have for travel or site-seeing.

And now, because of debt, they’re burdened and enslaved to debt. They “can’t afford” a generous lifestyle. They “can’t afford” basic needs, and take on more debt.

You see, most people don’t have peace - especially talking to followers of Christ this morning - people don’t have peace because their priorities are misaligned. They haven’t been good stewards of what God has put in their hands.

God has called every single one of us to be GOOD STEWARDS.

Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus speaking - remember this is also God speaking - relays the story of the Talents.

Where a man departing on a journey entrusts his possessions to his servants:

The first he gives 5 talents

The second he gives 2 talents

The third he gave 1 talent

When the man came back,

The first invested and returned a total of 10 talents

The second also invested and returned 4 talents

But the third buried his talent - out of fear, anxiety, and unbelief.

The master called the third servant evil, and lazy, and good-for-nothing - but it says “cast him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

For the third servant, the fear of missing out on some kind of return, the anxiety of not experiencing the pleasures of life, and the unbelief in the goodness of the master - all of this leads the servant to a place ultimately to distance from God.

The original greek for Talent here is “talanton” - and it refers to a sum of money equivalent to 20 years worth of labor wages. So 20 years worth of work and what that produces.

So the first had 100 years worth of wages entrusted, and doubled it

The second had 40 years worth of wages entrusted, and doubled it

The third was given his short life’s worth of wages, and did nothing with it. This is the one the master called good-for-nothing, and cast out of the master’s presence forever.

What you’ve been assigned to do by God is for you to do for God.

And what happens is we fight it! We resist it! God gives us the priorities of life and what’s necessary to live a holy, productive life for Him, and we have the audacity to tell Him, “No!”

And you wonder why you have no peace!

Balaam

It’s like the Prophet Balaam in Numbers 22,

Balaam was a bone-headed prophet, known as a wicked prophet.

Balak kept entertaining Israel’s enemy, the Moabite King Balak, who wanted Balaam to curse Israel. But God told Balaam, that He already blessed Israel so there’s no opportunity to curse Israel.

But Balaam entertained these worldly men anyways, and departing the next morning riding on a donkey, the Angel of the Lord stood in the donkey’s way, making it go off path.

This happened three times - and Balaam beat the donkey every time. The donkey went off path - ran into a wall, crushing Balaam’s foot, and even just quit by laying down. And Balaam beat the donkey each time.

At this point, the Scripture says the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth and it spoke asking Balaam why he would hit her.

At which point, Balaam had a conversation - with a DONKEY.

This was the only way God could get Balaam’s attention to be obedient to what God had called him to do.

God used the very vehicle Balaam used to get around to send a corrective course to where God wanted to send him.

PEACE is found when doing what God has called you to do!

Peace is found in the doing, where obedience produces faith in the making.

If your priorities are misaligned, and you’re not doing what God has called you to do, you will not find the peace of God active in your life.

Yes what God wants you to do will be uncomfortable. Yes, what God wants you to do will take you outside your comfort zone.

Yes, what God wants you to do will be challenging, and it will be beyond your limits and capacities.

But what I have seen is that in the doing:

God gives grace to the broken-hearted

God gives beauty for ashes

God lifts up the downcast and weary soul

God answers through a Word of Exhortation and Encouragement

God shows up in life! And amidst the challenge you find the Glory of God shining on you - and you find yourself at peace!

It’s that verse we all quoted last week:

Isaiah 26:3 CSB

3 You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.

James 3:18 CSB

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

There’s a labor, a work that when lived it produces peace - it multiplies peace.

Because whatever you give to God, He blesses, and whatever He blesses, He multiplies.

You give your life to God, He blesses it, and you find your life’s blessings are multiplied - to where you experience Life and Life Abundantly.

I have found and experienced personally over the years where I have sacrificed and placed Him first, that God has rewarded me - AND even provided what I wanted in the past.

There was an opportunity while on Active Duty I really wanted to experience: I filled out the application while Angie and I were engaged. I decided that this golden opportunity, which would require a lot of time away from my new wife with training and special mission deployments, was probably not conducive for a new marriage.

After all, Proverbs 18:22

Proverbs 18:22 CSB

22 A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

And obviously my wife proves to me I’m God’s favorite.

Two years into our marriage, we know it’s time to separate from the Air Force and pursue our calling in ministry. We had peace!

Two years after that, upon applying for a new Army Civilian position - when I walk through the doors of this huge concrete building, I see the insignia of this special unit I had an application for.

Without me even realizing it, God still granted me the desires of my heart. He knew what I walked away from in pursuit of Him, and He circled it back - without me even knowing or realizing.

Peace thru Life moving forward in confidence!

Here’s the thing - as you do what God has called you to do, not only do you find God’s peace carrying you, you also build up a confidence in the Lord.

What is confidence? It is the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

You gain confidence, life begins moving forward more deliberately. Life’s hurdles become more manageable. You find your peace carries you and you’re not knocked off course in your walk with the Lord.

You find the measure of faith God gave you is strengthened over time, and you have less doubt about the future.

You find you can have deliberate conversations about the Lord without any concern of reprisal.

You find you have faith that doesn’t make sense - but it makes faith.

You find a trust and love for the Lord you hadn’t even known possible before.

You find that Proverbs 3:26 makes a lot of sense:

Proverbs 3:26 CSB

26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare.

You find it easy to:

1 Peter 5:7 CSB

7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

And living according to Zechariah 4:6 is NORMAL.

Zechariah 4:6 CSB

6 .’..Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies.

God is ready to lead you on straight paths one step at a time. When you step into what God has called you to do, you fulfill your purpose in His kingdom!

You become a courier of the Gospel of Peace - taking on the mantra:

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" -unofficial USPS

CLOSING

Know Jesus - Know Peace

God has made a way for you to have Peace with God, and the Peace of God

In 2025, God wants you and me to experience His peace!

Peace thru Opened Doors for ministry, and to pastor this city

Peace thru Innovations in serving others,

Peace thru new-found maturity in your faith walk,

Peace that carries you through calamity and chaos,

Peace that sets you into position to do Kingdom service - and knowing that the peace comes from doing what God has called you to do,

and Peace with life moving forward in a way that you have faithful, unwavering confidence in the Lord being with you and helping you live life to the fullest!

Know His Word, Live by His Spirit

Know Jesus, Know Peace

(no Jesus, no Peace).