Peace In Times of Trouble - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, February 4th. Do you want lasting peace? You'll hear how you can live without anxiety, even when things are spiraling out of control.

Here's part two of peace in times of trouble. Is it under somebody else's control? Is it trouble from somebody? Is it trouble because of a circumstance, maybe a job or finances? Is it trouble because of a relationship? Is it trouble because of something health-wise, sickness or disease? What is it that troubles? What is it that causes you to be uncertain and anxious and fearful about tomorrow or about today?

What is it there? Well, Jesus said, my peace I give unto you, not as though He says, don't look at the world because here's what you find. When they have exhausted their possibilities, they end up being empty. When they have exhausted their possibilities, they end up still clamoring and searching and seeking for something they can't put their finger on. They go about it in the wrong way and look for it in the wrong place because it is not to be found.

So how does a person experience genuine tranquility, calmness of spirit and quietness on the inside? When everything around them seems to be falling apart, their heart has been pained so deeply, they cannot explain. When their tears aren't sufficient, they're weeping, they can't weep loud enough. When their hurt is so deep that they can't even speak. When their losses are so horrendous, they can hardly bear to tell someone about it.

How do they experience peace? Well, I want you to jot these things down because this is not some little pie in the sky kind of solution. This I know works. This is the truth. Now I want you to listen carefully.

I'm going to give you a list of things. You say, well, Jesus didn't do that. You know why? Because He was talking to them personally. They heard His words. They saw His countenance.

They heard His voice. And what He said to them between verse one and verse twenty-seven was all, these were all words of encouragement that uplifted them and strengthened them and reminded them of His presence and His power and that He was going to see them through this no matter what. He intends for us to live with peace in our heart just as He intended them to live with peace in their heart in those difficult, trying, troublesome times. Now, so what is it? How is it that we can live with peace in the days in which you and I live?

Well, it begins in this manner. Coming to the realization that you have sinned against God and that you have been separated by your sins from God and that because God loves you, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world for the primary purpose of dying on the cross. When He died on that cross, God the Father placed all of your sin debt past, present, and future on Him. And then God crucified His own Son through those Roman soldiers.

He paid the sacrificial payment, the death penalty for sin. The first step to all genuine peace is the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into my life as my Savior, my Lord, and my Master. My friend, if you deny Jesus Christ, reject Him, you cannot, you will not. It is impossible for you to have peace in your life. Or you may have times of happiness.

You may have some brief moments of peace here and there, the cessation of anger or the cessation of troublesome times for a moment, a brief period of time, but no real genuine peace. Because you see, every one of us, the Bible says it is appointed unto man once to die. We're all going to face death. What about it?

What preparation? How do you know? The Bible says not only is it appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment. Every single one of us has an appointment with Jesus Christ at the judgment seat. Not only that, He says there is a heaven and there is a hell.

There's a heaven for those who place their trust in Him, a hell for those who deny, refuse, and rebel against Almighty God. And so therefore, what may be temporary moments of pleasure, temporary moments of reprieve from annoying conscience, temporary moments of fear and somehow you can repress it and suppress it. Listen, when you are suppressing and repressing something, you don't have any peace.

Because you've got to keep it down. And every once in a while it's going to crop up. Your conscience is going to crop up. There is a God. Who is this Jesus? What about this Bible? I don't believe in all that stuff.

You know what? Whether you believe it or not, it's not even the issue. You cannot have peace apart from a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the one who paid the death penalty. If you could have peace and bypass Jesus Christ, God the Father would have committed an awful sin against His only begotten Son by sending Him as a charade, by sending Him as a so-called Savior when really man didn't need Him after all. There is no way to have salvation. There is no way to have peace apart from God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

It's not being critical. It's simply saying, here's what the Bible teaches. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, by faith.

Now, now let's establish the fact that you've trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and everything breaks loose. Troubles, trials, difficulties. Do Christians have trouble? Absolutely. Do we have pain? Yes. Do we make mistakes? Yes. Do we sin? Yes. Are we tempted? Yes. Do we hurt? Yes.

Just like everybody else. No difference. The difference is our resource is different. The resource of those without Christ is themselves.

The resource of us who have Christ is Christ Himself. God Almighty on our side helping us through these times. And so, let's say that trouble sometimes hit you.

Here should be your first response. The first step following having trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior is to focus immediately upon God. Now, what we do is we focus upon the circumstance. Oh, what am I going to do? And we spend most of our early times in those troublesome times talking about how bad things are. The first response, the instantaneous response, Father. So, what are we doing?

We're setting our focus. I want you to turn, if you will, to some of these verses here. Twenty-six of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter twenty-six.

Now, listen to what he says. You should mark this down in your Bible. Mark it red. Put a circle around it. Underline it. Put a star about it. Whatever you do, don't forget this.

Listen to this. Chapter twenty-six, verse three. The steadfast of mind, the mind that's fixed, the mind that's established, thou will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in thee. That is, we can live in the most difficult trying times and difficulties in hardship with a sense of tranquility and calmness and quietness and confidence and assurance in our heart no matter what's going on around us and no matter who's treated us how. Thou will keep him in perfect peace.

God is our keeper. So, what is the first step? The first step is to focus on him. If I don't focus on him, I will focus on my circumstance or the cause of my difficulty and trouble.

When I do that, then I'm going to be overwhelmed by what I have my focus on. So, the first thing is I do is I focus on God. The first response when bad news and trouble comes, Father. Father. Why him? Because he is our refuge. He is our stronghold. He is our fortress. He is our helper. He is our God.

He is our provider. He is our protector. He is our savior. He is our Lord. He is our master. Listen, he is our shepherd.

He is our father and he is absolutely omnipotent. If he has all power and all things are under his control, then my first response is Father. Turn to the one who can help me through this instantaneously before I think about anything else.

Father. Step number one. Now watch this. You do anything else and depending upon the intensity of the trouble, you're going to be overwhelmed by it. The sooner you turn to him, if you turn to him instantaneously, he's going to do something in your life. So, the first step is your focus. Establishing your focus upon him.

Father. Second step. And that is to trust him. Now watch this. It isn't enough just to fix my focus on him, but listen.

Now watch this. This all just flows together in a few moments. We're going to give it to you separately, but it's going to all flow together. I'm going to set my focus on him because I know he is my God, my savior, my Lord, my master, my refuge, my fortress, because he is my stronghold, my provider, my protector, and all the rest. I can trust him. So I'm going to set my focus on him and set my trust in him. God, I'm trusting you to see me through this. I'm trusting you to enable me to walk through this with quietness in my spirit because I'm established in that which is eternal.

I want to thank you that you said you'd never leave me nor forsake you. I want to thank you that you said the Holy Spirit would enable me, so I'm trusting you to see me through this. Step number one, set my focus. Step number two, exercise my faith in him.

And step number three, turn to the Word of God. Now I want you to turn, if you will, to Psalm 119. Psalm 119 and the hundred and sixty-fifth verse. Psalm 119, verse 165.

Listen to what he says. Those who love thy law have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble. Look at that. He says those who love his law, love his Word, have great peace, adequate peace, sufficient peace, conquering peace. And he says nothing shall cause them to stumble. That is, they have the kind of peace that they don't give up, they don't quit, they don't become cowardly, they don't become fearful.

That is, if they're moments of fear, they move out of it. Now watch how all this goes together. I set my focus, I place my trust in him. It's very important that I turn to the Word of God because this is the anchor.

Because you see, here's what happens. You can say, oh God, put my trust in you. Satan will work you over coming and going. Listen, he'll throw all kinds of reasons that you ought to be fearful, you ought to be uncertain, you ought to be insecure and all the rest. And you know what the Word of God does? It brings me right back to his promises. Here's my God in whom I have placed my trust and here's what you said. And he says those who love his Word, listen, if I love his Word, I'm going to be feasting on it. If I love his Word, I'm going to be turning to it. If I love his Word, I'm going to be searching. If I love his Word, I'm going to be applying it to my heart. If I love his Word, it's going to be a part of my daily diet. And so therefore, when troubles and difficulties and hardship come, we focus upon our Lord God. We place our trust in him. We get into the Word to be reminded of the things that he's told us that he will do for us, in us, through us, no matter what happens in life.

And so it's very important. We turn to the Word of God. And so when Jesus said, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives give unto you, let not your heart be troubled, don't let it be afraid. He was speaking to them. He said, now, I'm going away. I'm coming again to receive you.

You're not going to be by yourself. I'm going to say, well, just like me, the Holy Spirit, he's going to be with you. He's going to be in you, with you and upon you. So we don't have him here talking to us. We have the living revelation of God.

And so we can turn to those pages we need to read. We can turn to those promises and say, Lord, here's what you said and here's what you promised. Now, fourth step.

Watch this. Set my focus upon him. Place my trust in him.

Look to his word. Here's your promise. And then number four, without this, you will not have peace no matter what. And the fourth one is I submit myself to obey him, whatever he says. Listen, you cannot live in disobedience to the living God and have peace in your heart. It cannot, it will not, because God didn't create humanity that way. When you and I set our focus upon him, trust him, look in his word and claim his promises and say, yes, Lord.

Listen to this. Sometime the trouble that God allows in our life is trouble God intends to use to get us in the center of his will or to change our sense of direction over here. Or to grow us up in an area of our life where he sees we need some spiritual growth. And so sometimes that trouble can be directly from God or something that God has allowed somebody else to bring into our life or Satan or whatever it might be. Therefore, submission to his will is absolutely essential.

Because you see, now watch this. Whatever the source of the trouble, I know that my God has a purpose for allowing it to happen. And if I'm going to profit from that purpose and have peace in it, I'm going to submit to him. Listen, not submit to the trouble, not submit to the pain. I'm going to submit to him so that whatever he chooses to accomplish and whatever his purpose is, he'll be able to fulfill that purpose in this circumstance in my life.

So obedience to him is very essential. So now what's happening? Trouble comes, set my focus upon our Lord, place my trust in him, look into his Word. Here's what he says, submit myself to him. Yes, Lord. And then what's the next thing I'm going to do?

Well, just like all of these, they're very simple. The next thing I'm going to do is I'm going to pray. Now, of course, all of this sort of runs together. I'm praying, I'm talking to him. Look, if you will, in Philippians chapter four for a moment. Philippians chapter four, he said, verse six, be anxious for nothing or don't be anxious about anything. Now, does that mean don't ever let it hit you? No, but don't let it overcome you.

Don't remain in that. He says, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension. He says, you know, what God can do in the human heart, man can't understand. Shall guard your hearts, keep your hearts. Listen, he's going to protect me. Going to guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Guard me against what? Guard me against anxiety. Guard me against fear. Guard me against anger. Guard me against the desire to retaliate. That is, his peace is going to guard us.

And so what's going on now? Trouble comes, hits us on the blind side, and all of a sudden I feel overwhelmed or feel angry or feel anxious and fearful. Lord, Father, I'm placing my trust in you.

Here's what you've said in your Word. I submit to your will, whatever your purpose is in life, I'm crying out to you, I'm believing you, I'm trusting you. And the next step I have, I'm going to start thanking Him right then.

Because what's happening? The Father has promised to be with me and in me and enable me to overcome, to endure, to survive, to come out, winning every single time as I submit myself to Him. Then what am I going to do? I'm going to start thanking Him. Start thanking Him and praising Him. What does He say in 1 Thessalonians, for example, if you want to turn to that moment in that last chapter? You know this passage by heart, I'm sure.

What does He say? But in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Listen, the world says, well, the Bible just said, doesn't the Bible say just give thanks to God? That's not what it says. He says, giving thanks is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

That is because of my relationship to Him. Now watch this. If you're wise, you write these things in the leaf of your Bible because I'm telling you trouble is going to come. Don't be out there looking for it. But listen, don't be saying, oh, my goodness, what's going to happen? No, but just be ready for it. You don't want it.

None of us want it, but we have to be ready for it. And so what happens? As soon as it hits you, Father, I just want to thank you for being my God. I'm placing my trust in you. You know what you're doing by allowing this to come into my life.

Here's what you said in your Word. And so I'm coming to you. I'm submitting my will to you.

I'm asking you, Father, to enable me through the power of the Holy Spirit to walk through this with an untroubled spirit, with quietness and calmness and peace in my heart because you are my God. You are my life. You are my sufficiency. Here's who you said you are. And so I just want to thank you because here's what you said. You said that you would cause all things to work together for my good. I'm trusting you that you don't change your mind. You're absolutely unchangeable. Just what Jesus said.

He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And, Lord, in my pain, in my hurt, in my misunderstanding, I don't understand what's going on and why, but I just want to thank you. I'm trusting you to keep my heart quiet and calm through this. And, my friend, one thing you can bet on. Almighty, holy God will never betray you, never let you down, never fail you one single time. Thank you for listening to part two of Peace in Times of Trouble. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.