Peace Through Mind Control
Notes
Transcript
Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:
· The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
· Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
· Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.
· Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
· Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
· Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion and loyalty
· Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
· Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.
(http://www.bible.org.)
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I love it when secular psychological studies like the one conducted by Duke discovers truth that was already in the Bible.
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
We are literally living in troubling times. Crisis calls to mental health hotlines have increased 5000 % since COVID started. Living in this sin cursed world is hard enough, but 2020 has raised the challenge and difficulty level. Today we are going to discover some principles that will help reduce our anxiety and increase our inner tranquility. This morning we will talk about peace of mind and tonight we will learn how to put our brains on a diet.
Perfect peace is possible.
Perfect peace is possible.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
A. Perfect = Hebrew construction shows this to be an emphatic phrase: you can have peace, peace.
B. Peace = a sense of completeness, free from harm, absent from war in one's inner being.
C. This peace does not need to be temporary.
1. Peace comes when we are reconciled with God through saving faith.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
- This peace brings healing.
I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; And I will heal him.
- This peace transcends worldly, temporal peace.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Perfect peace depends upon one's state of mind.
Perfect peace depends upon one's state of mind.
Stayed = take hold of
A. Peace comes through God's Word.
Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
B. Peace comes through the renewal on one's mind.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Perfect peace depends upon the object of your trust.
Perfect peace depends upon the object of your trust.
A. No Jesus, no peace – Know Jesus, know peace.
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; And stay on horses, And trust in chariots, because they are many; And in horsemen, because they are very strong; But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, Neither seek the Lord!
B. Peace comes when you trust God.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.
C. Trust is demonstrated through prayer.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jaden our son woke up one morning at 3 am. Screaming. It wasn't a scream of "my diaper is wet" or "I am hungry." It was a scream of despair and panic. That night he slept with us.
The next night as I was getting ready to lay him down in the crib, he latched on to me and I couldn't get him off. I finally gave up and brought him to bed again. After about an hour I was able to put him in his crib.
The 3rd night started the same. Instead of fighting, we brought our 2 year to the living and prayed that God would give him peace of mind, comfort, God would touch Him, and that God had given us Jaden...Jaden is His child. Five minutes later, Jaden was asleep. God had given Jaden, a peace...only true peace comes from God.