Hold Your Peace (Pastor Holly Furtick)

0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.240 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our 0:00:05.280 --> 0:00:07.760 podcast and I wanted to thank you for joining us today. 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:10.680 Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:12.840 Hope it gives your perspective to see God has moving 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:13.560 in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:14.640 Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:21.400 Are you ready for the word today? I'm excited. Turn 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:23.800 in your Bible if you have one. If not, we'll 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:27.200 have it up here on the screens. To Philippians four, 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:32.040 starting in verse six. Has our pastor not been on 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:36.680 fire for the last several weeks? I mean like eight 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.280 nine weeks he's been preaching. 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:42.760 He did the series called called did you enjoy That? 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.520 I mean, I don't know about you. 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:49.559 But every single week this man brought a word for me. 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:53.519 Did you have a favorite? I think my favorite was Martha? Martha, 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:55.240 but then I also. 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:57.319 Like the one about Jacob with the wagons, and then 0:00:57.640 --> 0:00:59.280 I like the one about Samuel. 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.360 And it was like every week I was like, no, 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:02.800 this one's my favorite. 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:07.000 And the last week he said, all you have to 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.720 do is don't and that really ministered to me. I 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:14.520 wish you could see how hard our pastor fights every 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:15.959 single week. 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.360 He makes it look easy, but he fights so. 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:23.039 Hard every week to bring us a relevant now word 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:23.720 for our church. 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:25.560 Aren't you grateful for our pastor. 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:32.200 So it's my turn this week, and I feel like 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:33.960 God has given me a word not just for all 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:35.680 of the moms here, but for everyone all right. 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:37.240 So we're in Philippians four. 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:41.600 Starting in verse six, it says this, do not be 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:46.440 anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:49.040 with thanksgiving, present your request to God. 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:50.320 And the peace of. 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:54.600 God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:59.760 minds in Christ Jesus Finally, Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.600 whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:08.440 is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:11.640 think about such things. 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.800 Whatever you have learned or received, or heard from me 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:17.600 or seen in me, put it into. 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:21.440 Practice, and the God of Peace will be with you. 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:22.400 Let's pray. 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:25.960 Where we think you that your word is a lamp 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:28.440 into our feet and a light into our path. 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.840 God, we open up our hearts to hear from you today. Lord. 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:36.080 We know that sometimes Mother's Day can be a day 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:37.240 that is painful. 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.480 But we're here, Lord, and we want to hear from you. 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.600 Would you shine your light in the darkest areas of 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:46.120 our hearts today? 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:49.680 Lord use me. Now it's in your name, I pray Amen. 0:02:51.880 --> 0:02:52.600 All right, So. 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:57.600 We have a little problem with the DNA in the 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:04.359 Verdict family. See, I am a very opinionated, like there 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:09.080 is a right and a wrong kind of person. And 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:13.480 then I married Stephen Ferdick, who was a very opinionated 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.600 there is a right and a kind of person. So 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:20.800 together we make a great team when it comes to 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:23.240 proclaiming the word of God. 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:26.799 Now I'm not a genetic expert. 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:32.320 I never really understood that little box with the geen thing. 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:36.120 I don't even remember what it's called. What is it called? 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:44.000 Graham Punnet Square? Junior accolade right here? 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:48.040 So I don't know anything. 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:50.560 About the Punnett Square, but I can tell you that 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.760 when Stephen and Holly Ferdick made babies, we managed to 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:57.800 produce three of the most opinionated there is a right 0:03:57.880 --> 0:03:59.640 and wrong, and I need to make sure that it's 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:03.920 clear kind of people. So all five of us together 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:07.680 we have a problem. And when a disagreement occurs in 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:08.520 our family. 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.920 Which is rare, because we're a pastor's family. 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:18.800 We each have this just innate desire to have the 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:19.880 last word. 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.080 I know this is not a problem in your house, 0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:23.520 but this is a problem in my house. 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:25.679 So the other day, the. 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.320 Weather was nice, and Steven and Abby and I we 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:30.560 were having dinner on. 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:35.000 Our peaceful porch. And earlier that day. 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:37.520 I had asked my friend Ashley, whose children go to 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:40.599 the same school as Abby, if she could bring Abby 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:43.560 home for me. And so we're having dinner and Abby 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:47.520 starts talking about her afternoon, as she often does, and 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.560 she started in and talking about how Ashley had Chick 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:52.920 fil A waiting for her in the car because they 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:57.240 had to kill an hour until Abby was dismissed. Now, 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:00.760 Ashley's kids are in the same school Abby, but they're 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:02.600 in the lower school and they get out like. 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.000 Twenty minutes before Abby. 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:08.679 So I needed to stop the story right there, because 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:13.480 I would never inconvenience someone as to make them wait 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:16.600 an hour to pick up my child. So I had 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:18.760 to interrupt story. And I said, no, they get out 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:19.680 at two thirty and. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:21.040 You get out at two fifty five. 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:23.359 And she said, no, they get out at two and 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:25.880 I get out at two fifty five, and I said. 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.039 No, they get out at two thirty. 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.719 And she said, Mom, I think I would know what 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.719 time we get out of school. And Stephen said, guys, 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.360 does this fact really even matter? 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:42.479 We're having a peaceful meal here. 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:47.599 So I held my tongue and Abby proceeded with her story. 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:50.880 And while she was talking, I went on the school 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:56.400 website and I grabbed a screenshot of the school's dismissal 0:05:56.480 --> 0:06:00.400 times and I sent that off to her. And just 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:02.800 in case you were wondering, they get out at two 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:08.360 thirty and Abby gets out at two fifty five. The 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:14.839 title of my sermon today is hold your Peace. You 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:19.000 like that? And I want to talk to you about 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:21.920 the power of peace in your life. And I want 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:25.880 to show you that sometimes in order, sometimes you have 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:30.000 to hold your peace in order to hold your peace, okay. 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.119 And I want you to know that you can have peace, 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:35.200 biblical peace in your. 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:38.719 Mind and in your relationships, no matter what is going 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:40.599 on in the world around you. 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.240 As a believer in Christ, we have access to. 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:46.920 A type of peace that Paul is telling us in 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:51.880 this scripture that cannot even be explained. He says, it 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:56.400 transcends all understanding peace in the midst of your pain, 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:59.880 Peace in the midst of your circumstances, Peace in the midst. 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:03.760 Of your disappointment. It is a benefit of knowing Jesus. 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:08.320 Jesus said to his disciples in John sixteen three. He said, 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.200 I have told you these things so that in me 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:16.040 you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:20.680 But take heart, I have overcome the world. You see, 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:24.240 Peace is not the absence of problems in your life, 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:26.400 Jesus said, in this. 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:28.360 World you will have trouble. 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:32.520 So trouble is the common denominator of every person who 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:37.120 has breath in their lungs. Peace is the addition of 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.160 power to whatever trouble that you're in. 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:44.920 So before we go any further. 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:48.000 I need to clear up exactly what kind of peace 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:49.320 I'm talking about. 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:50.520 I'm not talking. 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:55.200 About a mood or a mental state where everything feels well. 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:59.440 I'm not talking about a spa or a vacation spot. 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:02.800 Not even talking about a quiet Saturday morning and your 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:04.880 slippers while everyone else. 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.960 Is asleep, Because I don't know what your life is like. 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.200 But if I have to wait for those moments, if 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:14.920 I have to wait for that kind of peace, I'm 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:15.560 not gonna have. 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:17.120 A very peaceful life. 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.280 Now, there are two types of peace in the Bible 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:24.120 that we find. There's external peace and then there's internal peace. 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:28.600 And external peace refers to your relationships with others. Internal 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:33.960 peace refers to a mental perspective or an attitude towards. 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:35.960 Your personal or your current trouble. 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:39.160 And I need you to understand today that the two 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:40.319 are connected. 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:41.640 They feed each other. 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:45.720 So my external piece, my relationships with others, effects my 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:46.560 internal peace. 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:48.160 But also my internal. 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:51.079 Piece affects how I act and how I respond to others. 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:54.480 So both are really important. And if the enemy can't 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:56.920 get to your inner piece, he's gonna go after your 0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:00.440 relational piece because he knows the external effects the internal, 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:02.960 and the internal effects the external. And he knows that 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:05.840 if he can steal your piece, then he can steal 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:06.559 your joy. 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:08.400 Then he can get you to question. 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.120 Your faith, and then it can get you to question 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:16.000 your calling. So if trouble is the common denominator of 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.120 all humans, then peace is. 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:23.400 The X factor. It's the thing that sets us apart. 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:27.640 It's the stabilizing force that allows you to push through 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:30.880 the trouble. And if the enemy can't get to your 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:34.679 inner piece. Then he's going to go after your relational piece. 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:36.679 Do you understand that? And I want to. 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:40.240 Illustrate this for you today, hopefully in a way that 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:42.959 you won't forget. I just read Philippians four. I meant 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:44.840 to read it out of my Bible. I always read 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:48.200 it off of my iPad, but I want to show you. 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:48.880 In my Bible. 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:51.480 So this is Philippians four, which is a letter that 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:53.760 was written to the apostle Paul, to. 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:57.400 The church at Philippi. And maybe you know this, maybe 0:09:57.440 --> 0:09:58.000 you don't, but. 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.600 Paul wrote this letter from a p in cel in Rome. 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:05.280 But this is not the only letter that he wrote. 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:06.880 He also wrote. 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:11.480 Ephesians and Colossians, and they're all right here together. And 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:15.040 throughout these three letters, Paul has a lot to say 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:20.600 about peace because he's writing to the persecuted believers who 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.880 needed inner peace as well as the new believers who 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:28.600 needed external peace with one another. So I'm gonna come 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:32.280 back to Philippians four, but I want to flip back 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:37.320 one page to Ephesian six to give you a vivid. 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.959 Picture of peace, also written by Paul. 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:42.160 So this is Ephesian six. We're going to start in 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:46.480 verse eleven. It says, put on the full armor of God, 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:50.199 so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:53.520 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:57.600 against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:01.480 this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:06.640 in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:09.280 of God, so when the day of evil comes, you 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.840 may be able to stand your ground. And after you 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:15.400 have done everything to stand, stand firm and with the 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:18.880 stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.360 with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:27.080 feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the. 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:28.640 Gospel of Peace. 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:33.160 Paul is painting this picture of a soultier getting ready 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:36.640 for battle because it's one thing to recognize that there 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:41.360 is an enemy. It's another thing to realize that you 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:43.920 have to get ready to fight. 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:45.440 Back against the enemy. 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:47.800 And you know, I think that one of the ways 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:52.040 that the enemy attacks us is by diverting our attention. 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:56.240 You think your enemy is your boss, or your spouse, 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:58.600 or maybe your mother in law, not me. 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:03.640 Some of us wake up in the morning, we're ready 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.560 for a fight with the wrong enemy. Paul says, our 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:12.760 struggle is not against people, it's not against flesh and blood. 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:14.200 It is against. 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:18.000 Spiritual forces in a heavenly realm. 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:22.040 And you gotta get ready. And here's how you do it. 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:23.760 He says, you put on your armor. 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:26.480 Now when we get dressed for the day, At least, 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.160 when I get dressed for the day, the last thing. 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:29.480 I do is put my shoes on. 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:33.079 But if you were putting on armor, like you know, 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:37.440 you're gonna have a breastplate and a shield and a sword, 0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:38.680 your hands are. 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:41.240 Gonna be tied up. So you gotta. 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:44.520 Put your shoes on first, right, And Paul says that 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:46.800 our feet are fitted with the. 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:51.200 Readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:57.200 Look at your neighbor and say I'm ready. Now, look 0:12:57.240 --> 0:13:01.320 down at their shoes and tell tell me how ready 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:02.679 you think they are. 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:13.600 Oh my goodness, how many of you know? 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:16.440 How many of you are looking at my shoes and 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:18.560 they're like, she ain't ready. 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:23.360 Shoes matter. Steven and I have this funny thing that 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:23.920 we say. 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:26.439 We got it from a like a book from several 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:28.000 years ago, and so we. 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:30.240 Say to each other, did you shoes? Wisely? 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:36.640 Like he was preaching at an event recently in Orlando, 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:38.760 and so we had to get up super early, and 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:41.199 we flew to the location, and we went straight from 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:43.280 the airport to the convention center. 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:45.000 And by the time we got. 0:13:44.840 --> 0:13:49.360 To the hotel hours and hours later, he looked at 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:51.960 me in the elevator and he looked down at my shoes, 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:52.280 and he. 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:56.520 Said, did you shoes wisely? I rarely do. 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:59.760 I'm vain. I always go for fashion first. 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:04.600 Like have you ever wondered why when I do the welcome, 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:07.680 Like if my chair is right there, why do I 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:12.320 not come up these stairs? Why do I walk all 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:17.199 the way around and come from the back. It's because 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:22.720 I'm always a little bit unstable in my vanity shoes. 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.400 I just I just am, And I would never come 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:30.600 up these stairs because I'm so afraid that I'm just 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:33.160 gonna fall in front of everyone. Let me show you 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:37.640 my steadiest shoes that I own. I packed a bag 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:48.280 for this sermon, so reflect bag. These are my hiking boots. 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:55.760 They are sturdy, and they are waterproof. And when I 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.760 have these shoes on, I really feel like I can 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:02.840 maybe walk for f not exactly, but the longest time 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:03.960 in these shoes. 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:06.520 And Steven and I like to hike together. 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:09.800 Now, if you're watching this and you live in Colorado, 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:11.320 you might call what we. 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:14.240 Do walking in the woods, but it's. 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:17.800 We live in North Carolina, and we actually, if you 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:20.400 think of Asheville, we lived like two hours from Ashville. 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:22.880 So well, what we do, it's hiking to us. 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:26.280 So we can drive about an hour west of our 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:28.480 house and find a good trail. 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:31.960 That's not too long, not too steep. 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:34.160 Enough for us to feel like we got out in 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.160 the great outdoors and got a little bit of exercise 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:41.720 and got home by dinner. And so I use this 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:45.480 app it's called All Trails, to find new trails, to 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:49.080 download the maps, and so the don't they make the 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:50.840 most amazing apps these days? 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:51.840 There's app for everything. 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.480 So the other day I wanted us to try a 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:58.120 new trail that I found is called the Baden Lake Trail. 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:01.280 So we pull up, we drive. It's about an hour 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:02.440 and twenty minutes from our house. 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:06.480 We pull up to the trail and it looks paved 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:11.720 from the car, and so I decided not to put 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:16.560 my boots on. Remember I fashioned first, so I'm not 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:18.560 gonna like. We went to lunch, so I wasn't gonna 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:20.480 wear these to lunch, so. 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:21.560 They were in the in the car. 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.480 I had my white hookahs on and I thought that 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:25.520 they would be fine. 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:28.760 Maybe you can feel where this story is going. 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:33.760 The trail was paved for about fifty yards. 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:35.720 Rookie mistake. 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:38.200 And we go hiking all the time, and normally, even 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.440 when we do a new trail, I'll read the reviews 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:43.760 about the trail just I don't know, just to see 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:46.440 if there's if it's a good one. And for some reason, 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:48.640 I didn't read the reviews. 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:50.440 That time, and so I went back when I. 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:54.040 Was preparing this sermon, and I looked up the reviews 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:56.600 of this particular trail, and I want to show. 0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:56.680 It to you. 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:02.200 So it says, oh, it's got four point four stars 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.520 and a thousand people have reviewed this trail, And then 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:11.159 it says trailgoers are saying highlights include beautiful lake views, 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:15.760 a well marked trail, and it's dog friendly. Challenges are 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:23.800 muddy areas, rocky sections, and limited parking. Reviewers suggest sturdy 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:28.680 footwear and bugscray guys. 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:31.480 We walked over five. 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:35.760 Miles and I was trying so hard to keep my 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:37.399 shoes white. 0:17:37.680 --> 0:17:39.760 So I was like, I. 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:43.399 Was like hopping over puddles and like we were like 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:47.760 crossing creeks at times, and my feet were I know 0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:49.960 some of you are like, well, you were in tennis shoes, 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:53.439 but my feet were like sliding all around in my 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:54.280 tennis shoes. 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:56.800 And about mile three. 0:17:56.720 --> 0:17:59.439 I started to get a blister on the bottom of 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:02.879 one of my toes. And by the time we got 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:05.639 back to the car, I didn't want to complain, so 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:07.200 I was trying not to say anything. 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:08.359 By the time we got to the car, I was 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:14.520 walking like this, and my shoes were so dirty. I 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:19.440 did not shoes. Wisely, we could again one more time 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.240 if you's in six point fifteen, it says, and. 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:25.960 With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:28.159 the Gospel of peace. 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:33.800 Paul is saying, there is a battle going on for 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:39.320 your very soul, and you have got to fight back, 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:44.680 and your first line of defense is to make sure 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:49.879 that your feet are stable with the Gospel of peace. 0:18:52.800 --> 0:19:02.040 So thank you. This is not peace. Don't judge me. 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:12.480 You steal the hotel slippers too. Also, this these, this 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:20.879 is not peace. This is peace. 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:27.840 So some scholars say that Paul is making a reference 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:32.120 to the Sandals that the Roman soldiers wore and how 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:36.480 they were like specifically designed to go long distances and 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:38.440 to go over rough terrains. 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:44.120 And actually they the Roman soldiers could like, oh, no, 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:47.080 my pants, I just tied my pants into the hold on. 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:50.480 Guys, it's really hard to talk and tie your shoes 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:51.240 at the same time. 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:54.639 Uh. 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:57.919 The Roman soldiers they could, they could cover distances like 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:00.800 twice as fast as the other arm And a lot 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:03.200 of people say it was because they had spent a 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:05.679 lot of time on their shoes. They even put like 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.959 metal little tax on the bottom of them so that 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:11.040 they could they were more sturdy. 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:15.680 Other people say. 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:21.280 That Paul was referring to the prophecy from Isaiah when 0:20:21.320 --> 0:20:25.200 he said, sorry, I have to look down here, when 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:28.480 he said, how beautiful are the feet on the mountains 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:32.320 that bring the good news? Let me tie this up 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:36.240 so I can stand up and tell you that I'm 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:42.720 saying it's both. When you lace up with peace, you're 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:47.400 getting yourself ready for the fight that's ahead. 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:51.880 And all the people that are watching you walk up 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:54.280 that mountain, they're gonna be amazed. 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:57.479 They're gonna look at your life and they're gonna wonder, 0:20:57.720 --> 0:21:04.880 how are you handling your circumstances, you're gonna You're gonna. 0:21:04.640 --> 0:21:09.040 Try and tell them that what you have is peace. 0:21:08.920 --> 0:21:15.400 But it's indescribable, it's not pretty, but it's what's holding 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:15.960 you up. 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:18.640 And if you want to have. 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:22.040 I'm gonna preach in these shoes the rest of the 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:23.600 time because they're way more comfortable. 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:24.399 If you want to. 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:28.080 Have any chance in this fight, you're gonna have to 0:21:28.240 --> 0:21:30.760 operate from a place of peace. 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:32.840 If you want to hold your. 0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:36.760 Peace, you gotta tie it on, you gotta double not it. 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:40.280 Look how steady I am. Now, Look, I can even 0:21:40.320 --> 0:21:43.880 go up and down the stairs like Pastor Steven. 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:51.359 When he preaches. And when I'm here you can't even 0:21:51.400 --> 0:21:52.280 see my shoes. 0:21:53.560 --> 0:21:56.800 But when I go back up here, you can see 0:21:57.200 --> 0:21:58.800 the full picture. 0:21:59.600 --> 0:22:01.200 I think life is like that, you. 0:22:01.160 --> 0:22:05.360 Know, like maybe there's someone you know that seems so peaceful. 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:10.360 Do a close up again, and when you do a close. 0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:13.399 Up, you can there are things about me right now 0:22:13.880 --> 0:22:17.360 you can't see because you're not getting the full picture 0:22:17.600 --> 0:22:24.560 of preparation that I have done to handle whatever trouble 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:30.040 faces me. You see, you don't see my practices. You 0:22:30.080 --> 0:22:33.560 don't see me double nodding my peace. So that I 0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:35.800 don't lose it with the people that I work with 0:22:36.160 --> 0:22:40.439 or the people that I live with. All Right, now, 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:43.159 I want to go back to Philippians for and I 0:22:43.200 --> 0:22:47.119 want to talk to you about the practices of peace. 0:22:47.640 --> 0:22:50.480 So Paul gives us a picture in Ephesians, but now 0:22:50.880 --> 0:22:54.600 in Philippians, he's going to give us a practice, and 0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:57.240 it says this, We're going to read the whole thing again. 0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:02.160 Do not be anxious about event anything, but in every situation, 0:23:02.560 --> 0:23:06.320 by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, 0:23:06.960 --> 0:23:11.000 and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will 0:23:11.000 --> 0:23:12.560 guard your hearts and minds, and Christ. 0:23:12.480 --> 0:23:14.960 Jesus finally, Brothers and sisters. 0:23:15.240 --> 0:23:18.920 Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is. 0:23:18.880 --> 0:23:23.320 Pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is 0:23:23.400 --> 0:23:29.240 excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have 0:23:29.400 --> 0:23:32.880 learned or received or heard or seen in me, put 0:23:32.920 --> 0:23:36.560 it into practice, and the God of. 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:39.800 Peace will be with you. 0:23:39.800 --> 0:23:43.600 You see, I want you to know today that peace 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:53.800 follows practice. God's presence follows my practice, not the other 0:23:53.840 --> 0:24:00.200 way around. And the truth is, no one likes the practice. 0:24:00.560 --> 0:24:04.480 Like just ask any fourteen year old in piano lessons? 0:24:04.480 --> 0:24:07.600 Are there any fourteen year olds and piano lessons in here? Oh? 0:24:07.960 --> 0:24:08.280 Abby? 0:24:08.359 --> 0:24:08.719 Verdict? 0:24:12.640 --> 0:24:16.640 Abby, would you like to play the piano as well 0:24:16.760 --> 0:24:20.720 as Ella one day? Would you like to play the 0:24:20.760 --> 0:24:23.040 piano as well as LJ one day? 0:24:23.720 --> 0:24:28.000 Okay, that's her goal, right Abby? 0:24:28.040 --> 0:24:32.119 How many hours of practice do you think they have 0:24:32.640 --> 0:24:41.639 on you? She says, she is thousands, thousands, thousands of 0:24:41.880 --> 0:24:46.600 hours of practice. When you see somebody who does something 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:49.960 really well, they have practiced it. 0:24:53.720 --> 0:24:56.679 So real quick as I close. Don't worry. I'm not 0:24:56.720 --> 0:24:57.720 going to go super long. 0:24:57.760 --> 0:25:01.320 But I do want to show you things that you 0:25:01.400 --> 0:25:04.240 need to practice if you want to hold your peace. 0:25:05.560 --> 0:25:08.159 And I feel really silly in my boots, but I 0:25:08.800 --> 0:25:11.960 hope that this will be a reminder to you. The 0:25:12.119 --> 0:25:19.200 piece is not pretty and practice is not pretty. Practice 0:25:19.240 --> 0:25:22.840 is where you learn from your mistakes. It's not the place. 0:25:22.640 --> 0:25:28.520 Where you perform for others. Okay, So three things. First. 0:25:28.560 --> 0:25:31.320 One is the practice of prayer. 0:25:33.200 --> 0:25:35.919 Sometimes, when I'm faced with a difficult situation, I'm going 0:25:36.000 --> 0:25:38.560 to be honest with you, I do everything but pray. 0:25:39.480 --> 0:25:42.520 I talk about it. I worry about it. 0:25:43.080 --> 0:25:45.960 I worry about it and call it praying. I talk 0:25:46.040 --> 0:25:50.840 about it some more, and then I start time traveling. 0:25:50.640 --> 0:25:51.360 Where any of you here? 0:25:51.480 --> 0:25:54.720 Last week my pastor Stephen said, don't time travel. 0:25:55.320 --> 0:25:58.000 I know that he made that point up about me. 0:25:59.560 --> 0:26:04.880 Because I am a professional time traveler. I go back 0:26:04.920 --> 0:26:07.040 in time and I think of all the things that 0:26:07.119 --> 0:26:09.280 I did wrong. The other day, I got in my 0:26:09.400 --> 0:26:14.080 time machine and I told myself this elaborate story of 0:26:14.119 --> 0:26:17.000 how something in my life today would have been so 0:26:17.240 --> 0:26:20.879 different if I had said no to one question that 0:26:20.960 --> 0:26:24.760 someone asked me ten years ago, and if I had 0:26:24.800 --> 0:26:25.199 said no. 0:26:25.400 --> 0:26:27.280 So I'm in the time machine and I'm just thinking 0:26:27.320 --> 0:26:27.679 about that. 0:26:27.760 --> 0:26:29.440 I was like, if I had said no to that, 0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:32.400 then this would have happened, and then this wouldn't have happened, 0:26:32.440 --> 0:26:33.719 and then this would have happened. 0:26:33.760 --> 0:26:35.920 And I had pretty much convinced myself. 0:26:35.600 --> 0:26:40.400 That everything today is my fault. And so I said 0:26:40.440 --> 0:26:42.920 to Stephen because I really was convinced, and I said 0:26:42.920 --> 0:26:44.280 to him, I was like, do you ever wonder what 0:26:44.320 --> 0:26:47.080 would have happened if I had said no to that 0:26:47.200 --> 0:26:48.520 one situation? 0:26:49.800 --> 0:26:54.520 And my husband looked back at me and he was like, Holley, 0:26:55.840 --> 0:26:57.359 you can't think that way. 0:26:58.240 --> 0:27:03.040 He said, you're going back and you're changing a past 0:27:03.400 --> 0:27:06.480 situation with future information. 0:27:07.560 --> 0:27:10.040 He said, that's not fair to your past self. 0:27:10.560 --> 0:27:13.480 And furthermore, he doesn't actually say furthermore, but that just 0:27:13.560 --> 0:27:20.919 makes his home his Furthermore, he said, you're not taking 0:27:21.000 --> 0:27:23.280 into account all the things that could have happened if 0:27:23.320 --> 0:27:24.040 you had said yes. 0:27:24.640 --> 0:27:27.720 He said, you're making up the perfect scenario. 0:27:27.600 --> 0:27:30.639 And life is not perfect, and you did the best 0:27:30.680 --> 0:27:32.879 that you could with the information. 0:27:32.440 --> 0:27:34.080 That you had at that time. 0:27:35.680 --> 0:27:38.040 And maybe that's a word for someone today who's been 0:27:38.160 --> 0:27:40.320 time traveling back and trying to. 0:27:40.320 --> 0:27:43.720 Do something over. But you know what, I'm so good 0:27:43.720 --> 0:27:46.200 at time travel. I can also go forward in time. 0:27:48.560 --> 0:27:51.320 A situation happened with one of my kids recently, and 0:27:51.400 --> 0:27:54.119 I got in my time machine. And the problem is 0:27:54.280 --> 0:27:57.040 I read too much fiction, and so I know a 0:27:57.040 --> 0:28:00.239 lot about time travel and time loops, and so is 0:28:00.240 --> 0:28:02.960 off and I was like, well, what if this happens 0:28:03.000 --> 0:28:03.800 while they're driving? 0:28:03.840 --> 0:28:06.160 And then what if this happens? And then what if 0:28:06.200 --> 0:28:06.800 that happens? 0:28:06.840 --> 0:28:11.359 And then and I was so worried about a scenario 0:28:11.880 --> 0:28:17.160 that was not even happening, And then I wonder. 0:28:16.920 --> 0:28:17.880 Why I feel anxious. 0:28:20.600 --> 0:28:23.359 Pastors even told us last week, all you have to 0:28:23.440 --> 0:28:24.480 do is don't. 0:28:25.440 --> 0:28:27.680 And Paul is backing this up. 0:28:28.160 --> 0:28:33.880 He says, do not be anxious about anything, but by 0:28:33.960 --> 0:28:38.160 prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, 0:28:39.120 --> 0:28:42.800 and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your 0:28:42.840 --> 0:28:47.280 hearts and minds and Christ Jesus. I feel like the 0:28:47.320 --> 0:28:51.800 Lord sent me here today to tell someone don't talk 0:28:51.840 --> 0:28:56.160 about it any more. Like I say to my kids, 0:28:57.600 --> 0:29:01.719 not another word out of your mouth. Take it to 0:29:01.880 --> 0:29:07.440 the Lord in prayer, and no one else stop talking 0:29:07.720 --> 0:29:12.880 about it. Yes, there are times when you rally praying 0:29:12.960 --> 0:29:15.360 people around you to believe. 0:29:15.000 --> 0:29:16.880 With you for a certain situation. 0:29:17.240 --> 0:29:19.280 I have a handful of women in my life who 0:29:19.280 --> 0:29:24.000 have prayed me through some really hard stuff. But sometimes, 0:29:24.240 --> 0:29:27.400 in all my running around and telling people to pray, 0:29:27.640 --> 0:29:31.680 I neglect to actually pray. And Paul didn't say present 0:29:31.720 --> 0:29:36.360 your request to people. He said, present your request to God, 0:29:36.840 --> 0:29:39.680 and the peace of God that transcends all understanding will 0:29:39.680 --> 0:29:44.440 guard your hearts and minds and Christ Jesus. Sometimes we 0:29:44.560 --> 0:29:48.120 want something so bad for someone we love, but we're 0:29:48.160 --> 0:29:51.560 going about getting it all the wrong way. And I'm 0:29:51.560 --> 0:29:54.240 telling you this because I have learned this the hard way, 0:29:54.680 --> 0:29:56.120 and I still get it wrong. 0:29:56.400 --> 0:30:00.160 I have tried to manipulate situations. 0:29:59.400 --> 0:30:02.280 For people so that I love, and it is exhausting, 0:30:03.360 --> 0:30:06.320 And then I wonder why I'm the only one who's worried. 0:30:07.600 --> 0:30:10.160 But here's the lesson that I have learned. 0:30:11.200 --> 0:30:15.680 When I want something for someone that I love, if 0:30:15.720 --> 0:30:21.640 I take it to God, he will change them. 0:30:21.040 --> 0:30:22.160 Or he'll change my heart. 0:30:24.480 --> 0:30:29.040 Now, a miracle happened in our home last week. This 0:30:29.080 --> 0:30:32.560 has been a miracle that is twenty three years in 0:30:32.600 --> 0:30:35.360 the making for me. Stephen and I are about to 0:30:35.360 --> 0:30:39.120 celebrate twenty three years of being happily married. 0:30:40.080 --> 0:30:42.680 Thank you. Please clap for. 0:30:42.720 --> 0:30:46.400 Us, because we've worked really hard at the happy part. 0:30:48.160 --> 0:30:50.760 And I want you to know that what I'm about 0:30:50.760 --> 0:30:54.719 to share has only come after twenty three years of 0:30:54.800 --> 0:30:59.520 learning the hard way about the power that comes when 0:30:59.560 --> 0:31:05.120 I hold my peace by practicing the work of prayer. 0:31:06.000 --> 0:31:08.760 So the other day Stephen. 0:31:08.400 --> 0:31:12.240 Woke up and he looked at me and he said, Babe, 0:31:12.400 --> 0:31:14.920 I had the craziest dream last night. 0:31:16.160 --> 0:31:19.680 You were talking to me and you were saying the 0:31:19.960 --> 0:31:24.680 nicest things to me, and you were encouraging. 0:31:24.040 --> 0:31:30.040 Me about that situation that we've been talking about. I 0:31:30.240 --> 0:31:37.720 was speechless, which is rare when I tell you that 0:31:37.880 --> 0:31:40.960 the things that he said I was saying to him 0:31:41.000 --> 0:31:45.720 in his dream, they were the very things that I 0:31:45.840 --> 0:31:51.080 had been silently holding my peace about and only talking 0:31:51.320 --> 0:31:52.560 to God about. 0:31:54.720 --> 0:31:58.280 And God, let me speak to that man in his sleep. 0:31:59.160 --> 0:32:00.640 I've got to speak my peace. 0:32:04.200 --> 0:32:09.120 Guys, I have found that God can whisper in the 0:32:09.160 --> 0:32:12.920 ear of the one that I love the very thing 0:32:13.200 --> 0:32:18.440 that I have been shouting at them for months, or 0:32:19.280 --> 0:32:22.640 this one's not as fun. He can whisper to me 0:32:24.000 --> 0:32:28.360 that he has the situation in his hands, and he 0:32:28.400 --> 0:32:30.440 can give me a peace that. 0:32:30.480 --> 0:32:37.240 Only comes by prayer. Peace comes by the practice of prayer. 0:32:38.360 --> 0:32:41.000 The Bible also tells us that peace comes by the 0:32:41.040 --> 0:32:48.920 practice of patterns. Watch for the pattern here Philippians four eight. Finally, 0:32:48.920 --> 0:32:53.120 brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever 0:32:53.240 --> 0:32:57.480 is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, 0:32:57.720 --> 0:33:00.560 if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think. 0:33:00.480 --> 0:33:04.680 About such things. Keep going. Whatever you have learned or received, 0:33:04.720 --> 0:33:05.440 or heard from me or. 0:33:05.440 --> 0:33:08.320 Seen to me, put it into practice, and the God 0:33:08.600 --> 0:33:10.600 of Peace will be with you. 0:33:10.800 --> 0:33:14.520 Do you see a pattern here? There is power in 0:33:14.600 --> 0:33:15.520 our patterns. 0:33:16.080 --> 0:33:21.200 Our patterns will either accentuate the presence of God, or 0:33:21.240 --> 0:33:25.040 they will diminish our awareness of it. 0:33:25.040 --> 0:33:27.560 It's not that God's presence comes and goes. 0:33:28.360 --> 0:33:30.760 He's always with us. He will never leave us or 0:33:30.800 --> 0:33:33.880 forsake us. It's just my awareness of. 0:33:33.840 --> 0:33:38.880 His presence is affected by my patterns. How many of 0:33:38.880 --> 0:33:41.000 you would agree that you've had a time when. 0:33:40.960 --> 0:33:43.640 You came to church or you joined online, and when 0:33:43.640 --> 0:33:44.760 it was over. 0:33:45.440 --> 0:33:49.400 You just had a peace about your situation. Raise your hand, 0:33:49.440 --> 0:33:52.400 I want to see wow. Okay, put in the chat. 0:33:52.520 --> 0:33:56.720 Raise your hand in the chat. Okay. So if that's. 0:33:56.560 --> 0:34:03.080 True, my first question to you is, wouldn't you maybe 0:34:03.120 --> 0:34:06.280 want to come to church a little bit more frequently, 0:34:07.680 --> 0:34:09.879 a little more regularly, Like maybe if you come once 0:34:09.920 --> 0:34:11.879 a month, you could bump it up to twice a month. 0:34:12.520 --> 0:34:15.160 Maybe if you come twice a month, you could bump 0:34:15.200 --> 0:34:15.680 it up again. 0:34:15.719 --> 0:34:18.759 I'm just saying, you raised your hand and you said 0:34:18.800 --> 0:34:22.279 you felt God's presence here when you joined us. 0:34:23.600 --> 0:34:24.719 What are your patterns? 0:34:26.360 --> 0:34:32.440 My second question is why would you limit the presence 0:34:32.480 --> 0:34:34.920 of God to once a week at church? 0:34:36.640 --> 0:34:38.839 We have to look at our daily. 0:34:38.640 --> 0:34:43.319 Routines and habits and evaluate is this promoting peace in 0:34:43.360 --> 0:34:43.880 my life? 0:34:44.160 --> 0:34:45.399 Or is it stealing it. 0:34:46.360 --> 0:34:50.279 For months, I have felt God asking me to do 0:34:50.320 --> 0:34:51.200 this little thing. 0:34:51.280 --> 0:34:53.759 It's so stupid, Okay, but here's what it is. 0:34:54.080 --> 0:34:56.560 For months, I felt like God has been telling me 0:34:57.280 --> 0:34:59.880 stop looking at Instagram first thing in the morning. 0:35:00.560 --> 0:35:03.200 Now he did not ask me to delete Instagram. 0:35:03.680 --> 0:35:07.200 He just said stop going on Instagram first thing in 0:35:07.239 --> 0:35:10.600 the morning. And I have ignored it, and I have 0:35:10.880 --> 0:35:14.880 told myself this is harmless, this is a way to 0:35:15.000 --> 0:35:17.960 just wake up my brain. And I have told myself 0:35:18.000 --> 0:35:20.040 that my feed is very light. 0:35:20.239 --> 0:35:21.320 It's not even news. 0:35:21.400 --> 0:35:25.840 It's like gender reveals and dogs doing cool things and 0:35:25.960 --> 0:35:27.320 people falling down. 0:35:27.520 --> 0:35:29.800 And I told God. I was like, God, it's fine, 0:35:29.800 --> 0:35:31.920 It's just like Kathine for my brain. I'm just like 0:35:32.280 --> 0:35:35.880 using it to wake up. And then last week I 0:35:35.920 --> 0:35:40.440 read this quote in a book by a priest. 0:35:40.480 --> 0:35:46.319 Her name is Tishwarren, and she said this, we've covered 0:35:46.360 --> 0:35:51.480 a lot here. She said, by reaching for my smartphone 0:35:51.520 --> 0:35:55.400 every morning, I had developed a ritual that trained me 0:35:55.480 --> 0:36:00.520 toward a certain end entertainment and stimulation via tech achnology. 0:36:01.360 --> 0:36:04.400 She said, my unexamined daily habit was shaping me into 0:36:04.440 --> 0:36:07.680 a worshiper of glowing screens. 0:36:09.200 --> 0:36:13.000 So they said, Okay, God, I hear you. I won't 0:36:13.040 --> 0:36:21.440 look at Instagram anymore in the morning. Okay, full disclosure. 0:36:21.520 --> 0:36:25.520 I have relapsed once, but I'm back on the wagon. 0:36:26.080 --> 0:36:27.280 My wagons have wings. 0:36:31.280 --> 0:36:34.000 Does your morning practice promote the peace of God in 0:36:34.040 --> 0:36:36.560 your life. I'm not saying that you can't play wordle 0:36:36.560 --> 0:36:37.960 while you're drinking your coffee. 0:36:38.000 --> 0:36:39.520 I'm not saying that you. 0:36:39.560 --> 0:36:41.440 Have to wake up at five am and read your 0:36:41.440 --> 0:36:43.080 Bible and journal for an hour. 0:36:42.920 --> 0:36:45.960 Before you start your day. What I am saying is 0:36:46.040 --> 0:36:46.319 if you. 0:36:46.280 --> 0:36:48.719 Do that, that's wonderful. But I'm not a five am 0:36:48.800 --> 0:36:52.040 kind of person. What I am saying is, if your 0:36:52.120 --> 0:36:58.640 priority is a feed social media or news, you might 0:36:58.760 --> 0:37:04.920 not feel very peace. Your peace and your priorities are 0:37:04.960 --> 0:37:06.120 directly connected. 0:37:07.080 --> 0:37:08.160 What patterns do. 0:37:08.120 --> 0:37:10.400 You need to put in your life in order to 0:37:10.480 --> 0:37:14.200 protect your peace, in order to make you more steady 0:37:14.600 --> 0:37:15.919 as you face your day. 0:37:17.040 --> 0:37:20.840 Here's the last one, the practice of praise. 0:37:22.920 --> 0:37:25.920 Paul says, is there anything excellent or praiseworthy? 0:37:26.280 --> 0:37:28.720 Think about such things? 0:37:29.000 --> 0:37:33.400 If you want to steady yourself with the Gospel of Peace, 0:37:33.560 --> 0:37:36.680 you're gonna have to fix your focus on the things 0:37:36.920 --> 0:37:39.720 in your life that are worthy of praise. 0:37:40.840 --> 0:37:44.560 The things that come out of your mouth matter. 0:37:46.200 --> 0:37:50.080 I don't care what you say, It matters what you say. 0:37:51.040 --> 0:37:53.520 Have you ever had a conversation turn negative and you 0:37:53.600 --> 0:37:56.399 can literally feel it drag the mood down. 0:37:57.040 --> 0:37:59.240 It happens, but remember it's okay. 0:37:59.520 --> 0:38:04.400 Pieces practice and practice doesn't make perfect, but maybe in 0:38:04.440 --> 0:38:08.279 this context, practice makes presence. So if we want to 0:38:08.280 --> 0:38:10.799 feel the presence of God in our conversations, we have 0:38:10.840 --> 0:38:12.080 to be careful about. 0:38:12.040 --> 0:38:13.440 What we say. 0:38:14.480 --> 0:38:18.000 I have a friend that I respect so much about 0:38:18.040 --> 0:38:21.400 the way that she is careful about how she talks. 0:38:21.120 --> 0:38:23.480 Like sometimes to the point that I'm annoyed. 0:38:23.040 --> 0:38:26.480 By it, because she is so careful about how she 0:38:26.520 --> 0:38:29.040 talks about her kids, how she talks about her spouse, 0:38:29.200 --> 0:38:31.600 how she talks about her day. I mean, it is 0:38:31.840 --> 0:38:36.600 really hard to get her to speak negatively, not only 0:38:36.640 --> 0:38:39.439 to say something negative, but it's really hard to even 0:38:39.480 --> 0:38:42.080 get her to talk about what she's afraid of. 0:38:43.960 --> 0:38:46.960 I want to be like that. And it's not that 0:38:47.440 --> 0:38:48.880 she's like this perfect person. 0:38:49.040 --> 0:38:51.799 She's never honest and she never has a bad day, 0:38:52.200 --> 0:38:57.560 but she is so careful not to let herself spiral 0:38:58.080 --> 0:39:05.279 into negative talk and negative thoughts. She actually told me 0:39:06.080 --> 0:39:09.200 that she read that it is scientifically proven that venting 0:39:09.280 --> 0:39:10.680 does not make you feel better. 0:39:12.200 --> 0:39:15.399 And it's weird because after she said that, I noticed that. 0:39:15.320 --> 0:39:19.719 Almost every time I vent, every time I just let 0:39:19.760 --> 0:39:25.680 off the little steam, I feel worse because I say 0:39:25.760 --> 0:39:29.160 things that I don't mean, and I exaggerate my situation 0:39:29.320 --> 0:39:31.040 to a place that it hasn't even. 0:39:30.880 --> 0:39:32.440 Gotten to now. 0:39:32.640 --> 0:39:37.560 Processing processing is different from venting and processing with the 0:39:37.680 --> 0:39:41.280 right person, like talk to your therapist, talk to your spouse, 0:39:41.719 --> 0:39:44.200 talk to a friend that you trust. But make sure 0:39:44.520 --> 0:39:48.399 that when you are processing that you begin to take 0:39:48.440 --> 0:39:52.640 a turn and point your soul to whatever is good, 0:39:52.840 --> 0:39:55.680 whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is true, whatever 0:39:55.760 --> 0:39:59.440 is lovely, whatever is admirable, because you will find what 0:39:59.640 --> 0:40:01.120 you are looking for. 0:40:02.239 --> 0:40:03.840 I know they get on your nerves. 0:40:04.719 --> 0:40:06.960 I know it feels like this situation could not get 0:40:06.960 --> 0:40:11.000 any worse. I know you feel frustrated, but remember trouble 0:40:11.080 --> 0:40:14.680 is the common denominator. You've got to get the X 0:40:14.760 --> 0:40:19.400 factor of peace into play. And sometimes that means speaking 0:40:19.800 --> 0:40:26.239 out loud what is praiseworthy. Sometimes that just means going, okay, God, 0:40:26.280 --> 0:40:28.920 I thank you that you were working in places that 0:40:29.000 --> 0:40:30.520 I cannot see. God, I thank you that you are 0:40:30.520 --> 0:40:32.680 bigger than this problem. God, I thank you that you 0:40:32.719 --> 0:40:36.160 are my provider. I praise you because you are Jehovah Jirah. 0:40:36.239 --> 0:40:38.600 You have never let me down. God, I thank you 0:40:38.600 --> 0:40:41.200 that you are gonna give me wisdom and grace as 0:40:41.239 --> 0:40:43.759 I move into this day, and when you begin to 0:40:43.880 --> 0:40:48.680 speak the praises of God, you will sense that peace 0:40:49.040 --> 0:40:50.360 coming around. 0:40:50.000 --> 0:40:52.320 You for whatever is next. 0:40:53.960 --> 0:40:57.719 You don't have to go through this life anxious and 0:40:57.880 --> 0:41:01.440 worried and unsteady. There is a piece that is available 0:41:01.800 --> 0:41:05.040 to you, but it doesn't just fall into your lap. 0:41:06.480 --> 0:41:09.600 You gotta grab it, got a hold tight to it, 0:41:09.920 --> 0:41:11.160 You gotta strap it on, you. 0:41:11.120 --> 0:41:12.120 Gotta practice it. 0:41:13.719 --> 0:41:17.240 Isaiah said, how beautiful are the feet on the mountain 0:41:17.280 --> 0:41:21.399 that proclaim the good news of peace. When you put 0:41:21.440 --> 0:41:25.040 these things into practice, you will not only hold tightly 0:41:25.120 --> 0:41:28.920 to your truth, but others will see it and they'll wonder, 0:41:29.640 --> 0:41:32.480 and you'll try to explain it to them, but you can't. 0:41:34.400 --> 0:41:38.560 Corey Timboom, anybody know Corey Timboom, She's like one of 0:41:38.600 --> 0:41:43.040 my heroes. She was a Holocaust survivor and she was 0:41:43.040 --> 0:41:47.160 a Christian who was imprisoned because they hid Jews in 0:41:47.200 --> 0:41:50.680 their house in Holland, and her sister and her were 0:41:50.719 --> 0:41:55.719 sent to Ravensbrook, the concentration camp in Nazi Germany, and 0:41:55.800 --> 0:41:58.480 she survived to tell her story, and she traveled the 0:41:58.480 --> 0:42:02.520 world and she preached the forgiveness of God. And she 0:42:02.560 --> 0:42:06.600 told this story about how she and her sister had 0:42:06.640 --> 0:42:10.520 a secret Bible study where they would speak out loud 0:42:10.880 --> 0:42:14.040 the things that they could praise God for, and her 0:42:14.040 --> 0:42:17.320 sister would make her praise God for they had a Bible, 0:42:17.360 --> 0:42:19.920 and she would make her praise God for the fleas 0:42:19.960 --> 0:42:22.080 that were in the concentration camp, because the fleee kept 0:42:22.080 --> 0:42:24.600 the guards out and and they, I mean, they just 0:42:24.760 --> 0:42:30.680 went through the most horrific circumstances. And Corey wrote this 0:42:31.280 --> 0:42:37.120 when she described their barracks one time, she said, there 0:42:37.200 --> 0:42:40.040 was no way to walk to and from the meeting 0:42:40.480 --> 0:42:44.319 without passing through every row of bunks and at everyone. 0:42:44.840 --> 0:42:47.399 I would see the light of God in the eyes 0:42:47.440 --> 0:42:53.040 of people facing death, starvation, and cruelty in such a place. 0:42:54.040 --> 0:42:57.280 Peace was not just possible, it was real. 0:42:58.760 --> 0:43:01.200 And I want you to know today you might be 0:43:01.239 --> 0:43:04.520 in your darkest hour, but you can have a peace, 0:43:05.120 --> 0:43:08.920 have guard your heart and mind to an extent that 0:43:09.040 --> 0:43:12.000 you cannot even explain how it is happening. 0:43:12.040 --> 0:43:15.719 You just you just know that it's real. We are 0:43:15.719 --> 0:43:16.360 in a fight. 0:43:17.840 --> 0:43:24.160 It is a battle against spiritual enemies in heavenly realms 0:43:24.200 --> 0:43:27.480 that we cannot even see, and we cannot go into 0:43:27.520 --> 0:43:32.920 it unprepared and unaware. Paul said, if anything is excellent, 0:43:33.600 --> 0:43:39.000 if anything is worthy of praise, sometimes the only way 0:43:39.680 --> 0:43:44.799 to hold your peace is to praise. Drown out the 0:43:45.000 --> 0:43:50.040 noise of the evil one with songs of deliverance in 0:43:50.080 --> 0:43:52.279 your home, in your car. 0:43:52.480 --> 0:43:53.320 At your desk. 0:43:53.520 --> 0:43:56.600 Maybe you've got to put on AirPods, drown out the 0:43:56.640 --> 0:43:59.799 noise of the enemy with songs of. 0:44:08.200 --> 0:44:10.719 Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 0:44:10.760 --> 0:44:13.759 you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 0:44:13.800 --> 0:44:16.719 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:44:16.760 --> 0:44:20.480 link in the description to give now or visit Elevationchurch 0:44:20.640 --> 0:44:23.920 dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 0:44:24.000 --> 0:44:27.239 enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 0:44:27.239 --> 0:44:29.560 with your friends. You can click the share button, take 0:44:29.560 --> 0:44:31.920 a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 0:44:31.960 --> 0:44:34.839 tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 0:44:34.880 --> 0:44:40.239 bless you