TRUSTING THE PEACE SPEAKER

DOWNLOADS AND LINKS:

• Defeating Anxiety | Biblical Meditation – Download HERE
• Small Group Discussion Guide – Download HERE
• Download the Guide Booklet for Lent HERE

TODAY’S MESSAGE___

Unself: Trusting the Peace Speaker

Text(s): Luke 8:22-25; Philippians 4:6-8

Biblical Basic: Peace | I am free from anxiety because I have found peace with God, peace with others, and peace with myself.. | Philippians 4:6-7

Sermon in a Sentence: As I meditate on God’s care and love for me, my mind is being transformed to believe his promises, changing how I think about the source of my worry and fear.

KEY POINTS:

It’s not what happens to you, but rather what happens in you that determines your peace and joy.

1. BELIEVE that God’s desire for you is to be free from worry. (Be anxious for nothing. Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you.)
2. Try to IDENTIFY the true source of your worry or fear that may be leading to you anxiety. (Dig deep to the root.)
3. PRAY: 1.) Lay your specific burdens at His feet in prayer, trusting Him to free you. 2.) Ask for His wisdom to guide you into your part in the resolution.
4. Make a list of the ways He has already blessed you, or THANK Him in advance for what you believe He will do. (Rehearse His faithfulness.)
5. What BELIEF about God’s love and care for you is more true than the source of your anxiety? (The Kingdom of God is a perfectly safe place to be. Psalm 23.)
   1. What we believe leads to how we behave.
   2. Life in the Kingdom of God is a perfectly safe place to be.
   3. The gap between your answers to step 2 and step 5 is where your mind is in need of a transformation
6. What promises in God’s Word would be helpful in changing the way you think? MEDITATE on those promises. (Ponder. Personalize. Practice. Memorize.)

BIBLICAL MEDITATION

Ponder: Read the Scripture(s) attentively, perhaps aloud. Imagine the Lord speaking these words to you in a personal way. Take time to focus your attention on each word and seek to understand what the passage means. 

Personalize: Now consider what this passage means to you. Read it meditatively, changing pronouns to personalize the verse directly to yourself. Let God speak to your heart as you mull over the verses He’s given you in Scripture. If Jesus were sitting down beside you and speaking these words audibly to you, what verse, phrase, word, truth, command, or promise would affect you most deeply? 

Practice: At the end of your time, jot down that verse or phrase to take with you into the day. You might write it on a note card, a page in your calendar, or an easily retrievable place on your phone. Review it all day, as you shower, drive, walk, work, or rest. Think about it as you fall asleep at night. Try sharing it with someone. Put into practice and do whatever it says.

Memorize: Commit key Scriptures to Memory.