Welcome to the In Touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, December 5th. No matter what life throws at you, if you are a Christian, you can face it with unshakable peace. Today's podcast helps you to see your circumstances in the light of God's unlimited power. When we think about peace, We used to think about feeling good. But in the scriptures there are two kinds of peace.
One of them is the peace that we call the peace with God. And peace with God means that You and I make a decision to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. And that brings to a halt. the opposition and the hostility and the enmity between God and ourselves. He forgives us of our sins.
And saves us and places us into His family, and we become the children of God. That's when you and I experience peace with God. The war is over, and we have become His children, no longer His enemies. But after you and I become a child of God, we have to live in this world full of anxieties and fears and frustrations and all kinds of troubles and trials and tribulations.
Now the Bible talks about the peace of God. And what Paul is talking about in this passage is just that. the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding. And he's writing to these Philippian Christians as a wonderful message of joy and peace. And he says in verse 5, Let your forbearing spirit, your yielded spirit, Be known to all men.
The Lord is near. And then he says, Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication, With thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. or surpasses all comprehension.
shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Now, when we talk about peace, let's think about that peace I've got for just a moment because we're talking about. That tranquility and quietness of the soul, that sense of confidence, that sense of assurance that we have. That stillness. That no matter what's going on around us, somehow on the inside, everything is quiet, still, and secure. Likewise, the peace that God gives, this peace of God, is a peace that is not determined by circumstances.
That is, circumstances do not have to be a certain way in order for us to experience the peace of God. The peace of God isn't something that you and I are brought into through some change of circumstance. The peace of God dwelling and ruling in your heart and mind in an unshakable fashion. is a choice that you and I make.
So as we think about unshakable, that means that it is steady. steadfast and strong. that it is unflinching. and unwavering. And therefore, no matter what happens, that peace remains, and we are confident, and secure, and steady.
And steadfast. and not thrown off balance no matter what we face in life.
Well, all that being said, the big question is, well, how do I experience this peace which we are describing as a peace that is unshakable?
Well, Paul answers that in this passage, I believe, and so I want us to go through this passage and look at how to experience this. There are four things I think that are absolutely essential. And number one is, if you'll jot these down, number one is to recognize our utter dependence upon God. You say, I don't see that in the passage.
Well, you wait. Recognize our utter dependence upon God.
Now Let me just put it this way. This is the absolute bottom line key. To experiencing the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding and buffets us against every enemy in life. If I'm living In an attitude of absolute and utter dependence upon God. Then in my everyday life, that's become a lifestyle.
So I'm not just utterly dependent upon him when calamity and destruction and storm strikes. I'm living in absolute utter dependence upon Him daily. That is the key.
Now, I want you to go to a couple of passages here, if you will. Turn, if you will, to Psalm 55, and you want to jot this one down and mark it in your Bible. Psalm 55. All right, look at the 22nd verse. He says Cast, listen, cast your burden.
upon the Lord. and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Look at that. Cast your burden upon the Lord, no matter what that burden is, no matter what causes you anxiety, and trial, and heartache.
He says, just cast it upon the Lord, and He will sustain you. He'll keep you steady. He'll keep you strong. He says he will never, listen to that, he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Well go over to Psalm 68, if you will. Verse 19. Psalm 68, verse 19 says, Blessed be the Lord who, look at this, I love this word, I'm glad he put it in there. Blessed be the Lord who what? Daily Bears Al Burton.
Daily bears our burden.
Now, what does that tell me? First of all, God is not going to eliminate all my burdens, number one. Secondly, it tells me that God delights in. Is prepared to and is sitting on ready to bear my burden each day. Is what he said.
He said. You and I have the privilege of doing what? He says, We have the privilege of rolling these burdens. off of us and rolling them on to God. Why?
He says he daily bears our burdens. He says, cast all your burdens upon him. He cares for you. He says, he will never suffer the righteous to be moved. God is the burden-bearer.
He does not intend for us to live with anxieties and fears and insecurities. He intends for us to live with joy and a peace. He says, a peace that rules our heart, a peace that reigns in us, not one that's causing us anxiety.
So what happens? I have to decide, am I going to bear it and leave him to bear it? And you see, the moment I say, God, I can't handle this, and He says to me, Cast your burden upon me, and I'll care for you. Ah. I'm free.
I am free. Listen, I am free when I loosen my grip on something that He never intended me to bear. And so, what can I say? I can say, well, that's the end of that because God now has taken care of it. And praise the Lord, hallelujah, I'm freed and released.
Why? Because he says, cast your burden upon me. He says in 1 Peter, cast all your anxieties upon me. He says, for God cares for us. What is he saying?
That he has already assumed responsibility for everything that I bear. Bear not a single care thyself. One is too much for thee. The work is mine and mine alone, thy work to trust in me. That's the way we ought to look at our burdens and our anxieties.
We shouldn't be bearing them. God says, I'll take them. And in these passages, this is exactly what He's saying. Let me handle what I never intended for you to handle.
Now listen to me. God knows that He's going to allow things in our life that are too big for us. He's going to allow things in our life we can't handle. He didn't say he wouldn't. I'm telling you, he knows what's coming into our life that you and I do not know how to deal with and can't change.
But he knows, you know what he says about it? He said, just let it go. Just let it go. Cast your burden upon me daily, and I'll care for you. You have no reason to be anxious.
These things that you can't handle, you're trying to carry in life, what are they doing? The longer you live with them, the more they bear you down. And listen. They eventually get to us physically as well as emotionally and spiritually. He says, let them go.
He says, I want to take them. I knew they were coming. I'm prepared to handle them. Don't handle them. Let me handle those things that cause you anxiety.
So first of all, First step. Is Our absolute recognition of our absolute utter dependence upon God. The second one. Listen to this now. This is why it's all here.
The second one is motivated by that one. And listen to what Paul said. He said now, Verse 6: Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, look, he says, in everything, not some things. Look at this. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.
You say, are you telling me that the solution to anxiety and this unshakable peace is prayer? That's part of it. But what do we say first? Recognition of our absolute utter dependence upon God. You see, if that's a lifestyle, then what's going to happen when something hits me on the blind side or head-on?
The first thing, if that's a lifestyle, first thing I'm going to do is talk to God.
So he says here, don't be anxious about these things. But he says, in everything by prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.
Now, he uses four different Greek words here for prayer. They all mean prayer, but what I want you to notice is the difference. When he says, but in everything, that is, every time you're confronted with something, go to prayer. That's his general word for prayer. That is, talk to God.
The second word he uses here is supplication, which is a strong word for dealing with those crucial, critical issues. When that thing hits you, he says prayer, supplication. Then if you notice, he says, Do it with thanksgiving. Why did he say thanksgiving? Here's the reason.
Because Paul knows that it is a vital part of my peace. that when I am hit with something, to immediately, listen, to immediately turn to God. And immediately Think back, refer to times in the past when I have gone through situations and circumstances that were beyond me, and God brought me through them, and how He brought me through them. Then, what do I have? I have an immediate rise in my faith.
And what is it keeps us stalwart and strong and steadfast? and immovable and unflinching.
Something happens on the inside. And so Paul said. You're not to go to prayer. And then he said, to make, looking back over those promises, then he says, making specific requests. Father, and bringing it to him.
It is absolutely impossible. to experience Unshakable peace apart from a prayer life that is strong. You can't listen. Look at the situations and circumstances people have to deal with every day in their life, and look how they respond. They don't only respond with anxiety.
That anxiety level has reached the height of anger to the degree that people will shoot and kill people in a split second and never give it a thought. We're a nation. that has become so full of anxiety. And fear and uncertainty and insecurity, our anger level is such we can hardly live with each other. Where is there peace and safety in this nation of ours?
And you would think after a while that somebody would be smart enough to realize: hey, there's something really wrong here. And we keep wanting to fix things by more money and fix things by higher taxes and fix things on more committees and fix things on more of this and fix them with that and fix them with the other. It's real simple. You could take all the paper in Washington, throw it in the trash, and pull out the Word of God and govern this nation. Govern this nation.
But as we said, the problem is pride.
So we said, first of all, an absolute utter dependence upon God. Secondly, a strong prayer life. Thirdly, a simple faith. You're not going to God in prayer unless you trust Him. That's why it's all in this verse.
Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, He says, Let your request be made known to God. Trust Him. Trust in this God who said, Cast your burdens upon me, and I'll care for you. He says, Trust this God who daily bears our burdens. Trust this God who says there is a peace that is beyond human comprehension.
Trust this God who says, in quietness and in peace is our confidence. Trust this God. who said, go to Isaiah chapter forty one. Trust this God who made this fantastic statement. In the 41st chapter of Isaiah.
Look, if you will, in verse 10, another one of those verses to jot down. He says in this verse, Do not fear. For I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you.
Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Put your faith in the God. Who is living on the inside of you in the person of Jesus Christ? Put your faith in the God who said, I want to bear your burdens.
So, if I am willing and ready to live in absolute utter dependence upon Him, because I am anyway. and have a strong prayer life and willing to bring things to Him and trust Him. I am going to have a piece that passes all human understanding, but that's only three of them, and there's one more. And this is a very, very key one I want you to jot down. And that is.
To focus our attention upon God and not the cause of the anxiety.
Now I want you to watch this one. Focus your attention upon God and not the cause of the anxiety. All four of these are absolutely essential.
Now what happens when you begin to pray? What happens when you begin to pray? Your focus turns to God. Does that mean that I will never, never fail? Fear?
Does it mean that I will never have an anxious moment? No. But here's what happens.
Now, watch this. Let's say that something hits you head-on. Whether it's bad news or failure in some area, whatever it might be. At that moment, because of who you and I are, we have a choice at that moment to do one of two things.
Now, the unbeliever doesn't have this choice, but we do, all of us who are believers. We have this choice. When he hits me head-on, I can do one of two things. I can focus on the cause of that anxiety. Because it hit me head on or if it hits me on the blind side.
I suddenly focus on that. My attention and my emotions attain to that. If it is something that causes fear, If it's something that causes me a brief moment of real anxiety or distress or whatever, if I focus on that, what happens? The longer I focus on it, the larger it becomes. And here's what happens: it's like a magnet.
It begins to draw me into itself. And before long, what happened is I'm in the midst of this, and now I'm feeling it, I'm covered up, and I'm overwhelmed by it, and I'm absolutely saturated. I don't know what, I'm really off balance. That's one choice. Here's the other choice.
When it hits me head-on or hits me on the blind side. Here's my choice. As soon as it hits me, God. Because you see, that's where my focus is. God What does that mean?
That means instantly. Instantly because I'm living. In the awareness continually that I am absolutely and utterly dependent upon God. As soon as it hits me, what? God.
We come to Him in prayer. Where is my focus? My focus is on Him. And my friend, when you and I focus on Him and we cry to Him, God, my trust is in you. I guarantee you, there is no panic when your faith is in God.
Nothing can shake, listen, nothing can shake that peace when you and I are living in absolute utter dependence upon Him. And secondly, when it hits us and it will hit us, blind side or front side, God. There's our focus. Then what happens? Instantly, immediately, here's what happens.
We turn to look at that cause of anxiety through Through The presence Of an all-loving, omnipotent God who said, He will bear our burdens. And you know what happens? That peace that you and I enjoy When the anxiety is not attacking us, you know what happens? You're gonna feel the buffer. But you won't lose your peace.
You don't have to lose it. If you had to lose it, you've got to cut some verses out of this Bible. He says, don't be anxious about anything. Hit us yes. Hit his blonde side, yes.
Caused me a moment of being stunned. But you see, if it is my lifestyle. If Christ is my life and that's the way I'm living. It is the natural, normal response. to look to him first.
Before I consider the cause of that anxiety. And then look at it. through the eyes of a loving, caring, omnipotent Father, who said, I'll bear your burdens daily. You know what that means? That means I don't have to bear it.
Does it mean that I won't feel it? No. Does it mean that I may not weep? No, it doesn't mean that. Listen, you can weep.
With the most perfect peace in your heart. You can face the most difficult and trying circumstance that is absolutely beyond comprehension.
Well the peace that is beyond ourselves. The moment we change our focus, And we turn it back on the circumstance, what happens? You can get thrown off balance.
So, what is he saying? He says, Don't be anxious about anything, but he says, in everything. Prayer, supplication, with thanksgiving. Live without a dependence upon him. Talking to him as a way of life, trusting him.
and keeping your focus on Him, that anything that comes your way has to come through. The buffer of Almighty God.
Now, my friend, there is no way in all the world. Either this passage is true or it is absolutely not true. And when he says in quietness and in confidence, is my piece. Listen, he says, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. whose mind is fixed on him.
If I could say there's one key. It's focus. Focus upon God. If my focus is on Him, everything else. has to get viewed through that.
And my friend? You can pile up all the galaxies, all the constellations, stars, suns, moons, whatever he's got out there. And put them up on this side, and just let God stand singularly over here. and there is no comparison. And that's the God.
Who lives on the inside of you and me? And my friend, if he can handle all that, My burden And my trials and my heartaches are a cinch It doesn't even ruffle anything about him. And that's why he said, You don't have to live in anxiety. You can have peace. But all hell breaks loose around you.
and everything around you comes tumbling in. There is a peace that passes all human understanding. And it is yours for the choosing. in Christ. Uh Thank you for listening to part two of Unshakable Peace.
If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
