Award Winning GENESIS SCHOOL OF MUSIC

➡️John 16:33…In Jesus, we have peace.

➡️2 Thessalonians 3:16…The Lord himself gives us peace at all times in every way. 

➡️Isaiah 26:3…God will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are stayed upon him.

➡️2 Corinthians 13:11…The God of love and peace will be with us. 

➡️Psalm 4:8…In peace, we can lie down and sleep, for God alone makes us dwell in safety. 

If God promises us peace, then why do reports show that around 65% of Americans today are experiencing stress – and 73% of those say it’s affecting them mentally, while 77% of those are saying it’s affecting them physically? When it comes to any subject, if the Word of God addresses it, we’ve got to make a decision to believe it and claim it as ours. The Bible is God’s covenant – his agreement – with us.  If the Bible says it, it is absolutely true!

Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God (here’s the promise) will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.

Here’s 4 STEPS to perfect peace:

1…REJOICE in the Lord – all the time.  I’ll say it again, REJOICE in the Lord, all the time. This word rejoice in the original language means to be calmly happy. Of course, you may be saying,  “To be honest, I don’t have a reason to rejoice. Life is hard. Money is tight. I don’t have any friends, I’m lonely. My job is tough. My kids are off course.”  However, this verse does not say to rejoice in our circumstances – all of us have good days and bad days. It says to rejoice IN THE LORD. God never changes. He’s always good. He’s always faithful, always our Shepherd, our Healer, our Provider. God is true to his Word, he always keeps his promises. I choose to rejoice in the Lord…all the time. 

2…BE GENTLE.  Verse five says that our gentleness should be evident to all. Ask the question, “When people look at me, do they see the evidence of gentleness?”  This word gentleness in the original language means to be patient, refusing to exercise my personal rights, to be meek, humble, to have power under control. Is that what people see?  Gentleness is not something that comes naturally, it’s something we choose. I may have the right to speak my mind, share my opinion, or stand up for my rights, but that may not be the right thing to do. I choose gentleness.

Before we go to step three, Paul, the author of Philippians, drops this truth bomb right in the middle of these four verses:  THE LORD IS NEAR. The Lord God, the one who’s supreme in authority, is near. That word near in the original language means, “he is close and ready, even squeezed next to us.”  He’s not down the road near. He’s not next-door near. He is right here with me.

3…DO NOT WORRY about anything.  We are to rejoice always, and to worry never.  It’s easy to get these two mixed up, we worry always, and we rejoice never.  Just like rejoicing and gentleness, anxiety is a choice. We choose to be anxious, or we choose not to be anxious.  The Bible will never command us to do something without God giving us the ability to carry it out.

4…PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING.  Verse 6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” We pray and we bring our petitions before God.  According to Websters dictionary, a petition is a written statement, often agreed upon by different people, and presented to someone in authority who has the power to carry out the request. That’s what God is telling us to do. We pray, and we bring our petitions before the Lord. And whatever he does or does not do, we still give thanks. 

We rejoice, we choose humility, we do not worry, and we pray about everything. If we do this, verse 7 promises, “And the peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding, (meaning we cannot explain it, or even try to figure it out), will guard our hearts (who we are) and our minds (what we think) in Christ Jesus.” 

That is so good. It’s in the Bible – and the Bible is always right!