March 29, 2020

Peace Above All

Peace Above All

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Philippians 4:4-8 TPT 4 Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let joy overflow, for you are united with the Anointed One! 5 Let gentleness be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near.

6 Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, 7 THEN God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.

8 So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. 9 Follow the example of all that we have imparted to you and the God of peace will be with you in all things.

Philippians 4:4-8 NKJV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Begin with reading Governor Hutchinson proclamation for Special Day of Prayer and pray.

We are in uncharted territory. Leading though this time has been difficult to say the least. My concern from the beginning was not the virus itself, but the fear that is driving the narrative. I see very little difference between the response of the church and the response of the world.

Test or trials are great revealers of truth.

They reveal WHAT I really believe and WHO I really believe in.

The presence of a trial is not an indicator of the absence of God.

Faith is not the absence of trials, its the presence of peace in the storm.

Peace doesn’t come when the storm is over, peace is their/available when the storm is raging.

Peace is not just a state of being, peace is a fruit of the Spirit.

Peace is not just a fruit of the Spirit, peace is a person! Jesus!

Every test or trial we have gone through revealed to us exactly where we were spiritually. What or who we had put our trust in. We had to answer some hard questions very quickly and those answered would determine how this trial affected the rest of our life.

John 14:26-27 NKJV [26] But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. [27] Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Peace is available and peace is a choice.

Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV [3] You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. [4] Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

Philippians 4:4,6-9 NKJV [4] Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!... [6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. [9] The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

James 1:2-8 The Passion Translation (TPT) 2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! 3 For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. 4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. 5 And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. 6 Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. 7–8 When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?

The presence of a test or trial is not an indicator of the absence of God.

Its the exact opposite!

What influences you from the inside will determine your atmosphere on the outside.

Peace is not the absence of SOMETHING it is the presence of SOMEONE! JESUS!

Are you being influenced by the presence of fear of the presence of God.

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