December 18, 2011 Pastor Scott Snowden
Whatever!
#9. “Whatever” Leads to Peace of Mind.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…
And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:7, 9
In many of his letters, Paul includes a _DESIRE_ for the recipients to have or know God’s “peace.” But in the letter to the believers in Philippi, he goes one step further. He makes peace a _RESULT_ of a specific course of action! He connects peace to behavior and then teaches them how to achieve it! We see a two step process for attaining peace of mind, with God’s blessing.
- The first step toward godly peace of mind is to give away all of my _“STUFF”_.
- Identify the “stuff” that _STEALS_ my peace of mind…
- _CONFLICT_
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche
to agree with each other in the Lord.
Philippians 4:2
- Paul does not say that one is “wrong” and the other “right”, so it seems that the conflict is based on differing personalities.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4
- It is natural to feel guilty over personal failure or to be gloomy about an uncertain future.
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
Philippians 4:5
- Expressing my frustration and impatience may make me feel better in the short run, but eventually I I’ll have to go back and fix what I blew up!
Do not be anxious about anything…
Philippians 4:6a
- Fear and worry paralyze me and prevent me from experiencing any peace or contentment.
- … and give it to God in _PRAYER_.
… but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6b
- The key to this step is to, once I’ve given it to God, resist the urge to _TAKE_IT_BACK_!
- The second step toward peace of mind is to replace my “stuff” with something _BETTER_!
- Better thoughts, attitudes and motivations to _FOCUS_ON_.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
- To “think about” means to ponder, consider, calculate- in short- to bring every mental faculty to bear on a subject.
- Better role models and examples to _FOLLOW_.
Whatever you have learned or received or seen in me-…
Philippians 4:9
- Changing a lifetime’s worth of thinking and living is not easy, but it helps when I can see that others have done it!
- Better conduct and habits to _LIVE_OUT_.
… put it into practice.
Philippians 4:9
- It may take a while, but eventually I will build some momentum and have a positive track record to draw on.
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