13. Peace Not Fear

FEAR… an unpleasant (often strong) emotional caused by the belief, anticipation, or awareness (a thinking) that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

The Emotion of Fear can cause:

Anxiety / worry Philippians 4:6-7 best dealt with through prayer!

Philippians 4:6–7 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

A paralyzing effect on our body

An acute focus occurs where our minds cannot escape the fear (perceived or real)

It is a tool of Satan… Paralyzing the effectiveness and power of Christ’ Church!

Gripped in fear we fail to progress

Gripped in fear we continue to question

Gripped in fear we worry… driving us to a dark and negative place

“Worry is the darkroom in which negatives are developed”

Gripped in fear we seek comfort

Gripped in fear we don’t want to fail so we don’t do

Gripped in fear we do nothing

Gripped in fear we continue to ponder and dwell on the what ifs and fail to live

God’s response to fear is all over the pages of scripture (hundreds of references!!!)

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 27:3

Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.

These are just a few! IMAGINE… a church, families, marriages, children of God lived… absent of fear FULL of the peace of God. Luke 12:22-34 and our passage today in Philippians 4:7-9 are two of my life passages when it comes to living a worry free life filled with the peace of God.

Philippians 4:7–9 NASB95

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Peace

I love how our passage begins expressing the PEACE OF GOD protecting us and it wraps up with the GOD OF PEACE present with you and me!!!

We will look one final time at the result at the end

But we must understand that God’s PEACE PROTECTS!

Heart and Mind!

Mentally, emotionally…

and His peace comes from a right thinking on our part

What is on your HEART and what is thought about on your MIND will play out in your ACTIONS

Paul breaks down for us in a beautiful way how our thinking should be as followers of Christ… as children of God! Finally brothers and sisters “think this way”

The word “whatever” is an indicator that there are multiple things…

Whatever is TRUE

Satan is the father of lies! Jesus states this about him… John 8:44

John 8:44 NASB95

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Ask yourself… “is what you are pondering, thinking, and dwelling on TRUE???”

Is it factual or uncertain, unknown, or hearsay

Think about the TRUE things of God, His Word, His Promises!

Jesus said in John 14 “I am the way, truth and life”

A great deal of our fears and worries can be addressed with this first thought process but then consider is it honorable...

Whatever is HONORABLE

Appropriate or respectful behavior

Is the way we are responding or thinking fitting for the child of God?

Think about and consider this!

The next is simply looking at right and wrong...

Whatever is RIGHT

Is it conforming to God’s standards???

Not our standard or the world’s standard… both of which change and waver

Right… “fully justified and proper”

Paul argues this beautifully in Romans 6:20-23

Romans 6:20–23 NLT

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of Christ we can focus on and think PURE thoughts...

Whatever is PURE

That which is without moral defect

Perfect without blemish...

Ummm… think on Christ and His Word!

Whatever is LOVELY

Worry and Fear take us to a dark place…

Paul contrast this with “Lovely” that which promotes peace rather than conflict

The contrast is stark… and oh that the Christian could think and view circumstances in this light!

Whatever is of GOOD REPUTE

Another way to say it is admirable

Positive and constructive

Is it building up or tearing down?

NOT… gossip, slander, sarcasm

Six things Paul encourages us to consider in our thinking and to sum it up he says...

Excellence & Worthy of Praise

This line of thinking… “THESE THINGS” are excellent and worthy of praise

This is speaking to morals in our thinking and actions

This line of thinking and action is worthy of praise by man and God!

There is a charge concerning “these things”…

“These Things”

Paul had broke down six “these things” for his readers

Dwell on these things

Consider these things in his own life and example

learned, recieved, heard, and seen (IN PAUL’S LIFE EXAMPLE)

Practice these things

This was not just a list of good ides and a helpful antidote… Paul is calling them to action!

Take Action

Take action in your thinking

Dwell on

Ponder on

Our thinking needs to be harnessed, controlled, NOT a lazy process

Take Action in you living

Do something

Practice something

James 1:22 speaks boldly to this...

James 1:22 NASB95

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Don’t be lazy church… put your thinking into action… what is within you will come out in your actions! “These things” when put into practice bring about an amazing RESULT…

The Resulting Outcome

The PEACE OF GOD PROTECTS

The GOD OF PEACE IS PRESENT

PEACE:

A change in our patterns of thinking in these areas will result in greater peace with others and deeper peace in our own hearts.

Anger and anxiety steal our joy and rob us of peace. They force us to focus on the wrong things, drawing us away from a Christlike life that heavenly walk. When we turn our attention (ponder on and dwell on) the things that are excellent and worthy of praise we will truly know and experience what it means to encounter God’s peace.