Peace with God

[MUSIC] It's the only name that saves, and it's worthy of our praise, come on, say, I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you the healer, risen in the reigning in power, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you Savior, worthy of glory forever, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name, come on, say I have a key, with dominion over death, and He holds the keys. In His holy nail scarhead, He is the human that has crushed the serpent's head, our resurrection reign. I am close, I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you the healer, risen in the reigning in power, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you Savior, worthy of glory forever, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you name, chains break, dry bones wake, every time I call your name, the gates of hell, Savior. Every time I call you name, chains break, dry bones wake, every time I call you name, the gates of hell, say every time I call you name. Come on, give the Lord a shout of praise all over the room. Well, hey, welcome to the local church. It's the perfect place for imperfect people to experience the presence of God. We're so glad you guys are here. You can be seated for just a quick second. And hey, my name is Carson Padraza. It's my privilege and honor to welcome you here today, especially if you're at guest in our house. We're so grateful that you're spending your Sunday afternoon with us. In fact, we have a free gift just for you. It's our little way of saying thank you for joining us. If you haven't already done so, do us a favor, fill out that connect card and the seat back in front of you. We want to put a free gift in your hands so much more than that. We want to get to know your name and your story, make sure you get a proper welcome here today. And hey, I want to invite everyone to mark their calendars for October 9th. In just a few weeks, we're having our Famillionites. Famillionite is a free family event for the whole crew. We're going to have some food trucks. We're going to have some bounce houses. Local kids is going to present a movie. You're going to host a movie night right here in this room. And we're partnering with local DVPD. They're going to bring their big kid toys out for us to see and hang out with. And even some of their horses. It's a really fun night to hang out with your family. It's a really fun night to hang out with our church, Amelia. Maybe even get to spend time with people who maybe go to a different service in you. It's also a great opportunity to invite a friend to church. Maybe you've invited a friend to church and they said, "Oh, I can't walk in that building. Lightning will strike."

Well, Friday nights are good for that because if lightning is going to strike when they show up, I'd rather be on a Friday night than a Sunday morning. You know what I mean? I'm kidding. But it is a great opportunity to bring a friend to get to know our church, Amelia, and just have a great time together in community. So October 9th, it's going to be a great night. Full of familiar fun. And hey, one thing that we value really highly here, in fact, one of our core values as a church, is that we believe that faith happens here. That giving God all of who I am is the greatest gift that I can offer Him. And when we do so, we don't just pull that from making that up or whatever. We're following the examples set by Scripture. In fact, the most famous Scripture verse in the entire world is John 3.16. And you could probably quote it with me. It says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever He was. And this isn't a metaphor, this isn't just a theory, it's true. God in heaven sent Jesus his son, who was fully man and fully God, to spend life, a life here on earth. And he lived a human life and then he died a sinner's death. And that sacrifice came from God literally giving his son so that you and I can experience life and life to the full. And that, I can't think of a better picture of generosity. So we believe that giving God all of who I am, we're gonna give God our lives, we're gonna give him our attorneys, we're gonna give him our relationships, we're gonna give him our prayers, we're gonna give him our worries, all those things. We also wanna give him our resources by just recognizing everything that I have comes from God. And out of the example of his generosity, I'm gonna just show up, open-handed, believing that as he gives, we should do so in return. And so if you're here today and giving as part of your worship, there are several ways that you could do so. They're on the screen behind me, we have some offering boxes on your way out, a giving kiosk in the lobby. You can always give safely and securely online, but right now, we're gonna pass some buckets. So if you're on the left-hand side of your row, if you do me a favor, reach down and pass that to your right, it would be greatly appreciated as those who are being passed. I'm gonna pray over the generosity of the church if you join me in prayer. God, we're so grateful for the example that you have set. We are so grateful that you are generous, God. We're so grateful that you're God who shows up and gives and out of, as you take as we pour out today, Lord, whether it's out of our little or a lot, Lord, I pray that you would multiply it for your kingdom, that people would come to know your name and your grace and your goodness and your mercy, because the generosity of your church, we love and praise you, as you're ready to be prayed.

Amen and day, amen. Well, hey, church, you're excited to worship together, let's stand to our feet and continue to do just that. I wanna fill in peace in the room this morning. All of your spirits here, is your willing and available to give it, just ask them for peace if you need it this morning. We need your peace, God. We need it, we need your peace, God. Oh, I don't wanna be afraid, every time I face the waves. No, I don't wanna be afraid, no, I don't wanna be afraid. I don't wanna feel the storm just because I hear it, Lord. I don't wanna feel the storm, no, I don't wanna feel the storm. Oh, peace, peace, still, say no word and I will, I'll set my feet upon the sea till I'm dancing in the deep. Peace, peace, still, you are here so it is well, but we never when our eyes can see. I will trust the noise that speaks. Come on, church, let's sing this out together. Oh, I don't wanna be afraid, 'cause these waves are only waves. Oh, I'm not gonna be afraid, no, I'm not gonna be afraid, no, I'm not gonna feel the storm just because you are greater than each door. Oh, I'm not gonna feel the storm, no, I'm not gonna feel it, Lord. Oh, peace, peace, still, say no word and I will, I'll set my feet upon the sea till I dance in the deep. Peace, peace, still, you are here so it is well, but we never when our eyes can see. I will trust the noise that speaks. Peace, peace, won't be made. You were there, stand still and see the deliverance, stand still and see the deliverance. Let faith rise up, oh, hard, believe, let faith rise up in me. It's real simple, church, come on. Let faith rise up, oh, hard, believe, let faith rise up in me. Come on, let's sing it out. ♪ Let's fade ♪ Let it rise, let it rise, let's save rise up, oh heart, believe, let's save rise up in need Please, please, still, say the word, and I will Will send my seat upon mercy, till I'm dancing in the deep

Please, please, still, you are here, so in and well But we never wear my eyes hands, I will trust the Lord that's me Please, please, please, please, still, you are here, so in and well I'll send my seat upon mercy, please, please, still, you are here, so in and well But we never wear my eyes hands, I will trust the Lord that's me Please, please, still, you are here, so in and well I'll send my seat upon mercy, please, still, you are here, so in and well I'll send my seat upon mercy, please, still, you are here, so in and well And now my life is yours, and I will sing of your goodness forever Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise Worthy is Your name Worthy is Your name, Worthy is Your name of Jesus Worthy is Your name, Jesus, you deserve the praise # You alone deserve our praise # # You're the name above all names # # The exalt him now in the heavens # # As your glory fills this place # # You alone deserve our praise # # You're the name to be exalted # # Be exalted now in the heaven # # As your glory fills this place # # For you alone deserve our praise # # You're the name above all names # # The exalt him #

# The exalt him now in the heavens # # As your glory fills this place # # You alone deserve our praise # # You're the name to be exalted # # The exalt him now in the heavens # # As your glory fills this place # # You alone deserve our praise # # You're the name above all names # # The exalt him now in the heaven # # As your glory fills this place # # You alone deserve our praise # # You're the name above all names # # She's gone # # All your Jesus # # You're the name of supposed to remain # # You're the name of supposed to remain # # You are worthy to be exalted # # For you were worthy # # You were worthy # # You were worthy # # You were worthy # # You were worthy # # And worthy is safe # # Word is your name # # Jesus # # You deserve the praise # # You're the name # # You're worthy is worth it # # You're worthy is your name # # Jesus #

# You deserve the praise # # You're worthy is your name # # You're worthy is your name # # Jesus # # You deserve the praise # # You're worthy is your name # # You're worthy is your name # # Jesus # # You deserve the praise # # You're worthy is your name # # You're worthy is safe # to the only one who's worthy. To the only one who's worthy. To the only one who's worthy. Come on with hands lifted all over the room. You are the holy one. You've come to exalt your eyes. Worthy is the man. Worthy is the man for you are holy. Holy are you like an almighty. Worthy is the man for you are holy, holy are you like an almighty. Worthy is the man. Worthy, worthy. You are holy. You are holy. You are holy. You are holy. So, are you like an almighty. Worthy is the man. Worthy is the man. Worthy is the man for you are holy. You are holy. Holy are you? Oh yes you are. Are you Lord God? Are you Lord God? Are you Lord God? ♪ Oh what is it now, what is it now ♪ ♪ You are holding, you are holding, you are holding ♪ ♪ You are holding, you are holding, you are holding ♪ ♪ See, are you the Lord, are you the Lord God ♪ ♪ Oh my, come on, what is it now ♪ ♪ Who wants this word, it's the receive going on ♪ ♪ Who wants this word, it's the Lord ♪ ♪ What is the name, we see what is the land ♪ ♪ Yes, we see what is the land ♪ ♪ What is, what is the land ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, we see what is the land ♪ The Bible gives his description of Jesus as the lamb that was slain. He was a sacrifice so that we could be called the sons and daughters of God. The Bible says he's holy, he's set apart, there's no one like him.

And the other thing is we're at right now in the prince of a holy God is holy, it's set apart. He's given us this place to experience the fullness of his presence. Listen, whatever you walked in with this afternoon, you don't have to leave here today with it. You can cast all of your cares upon him. The Bible says he cares for us. So as we continue to worship through the opening of his word and allow his spirit to speak to us, here's my prayer for every person in this place, that we would leave here knowing that we can have the peace of God. Holy Spirit, we welcome you. We declare Jesus, you are worthy. You have done everything possible so that we could be free from our sin and come into a relationship with you that doesn't exempt us from difficulty or challenges in this life, but you promise us that you're with us through every step of the way. It's right now, goddess. We've come in some of us with burdens and baggage. Some of us grateful just to spend another moment in your presence. All of us, all of us need more of you. So open up our ears and our hearts, let our hearts be fertile soil. Speak to us and teach us greater than any teacher could. It's not by our power. It's not by our minds. It's by your spirit alone that all this is possible. So we give you this time. Take our lives. Use us in Jesus' name. We thank you and pray. All people got to love them. Set. Come on, church, if you are grateful that we serve a God who's done everything possible so we could be free, why don't you turn to people next to you right now and encourage them to say, "I'm so glad you're sitting next to me today."

Look them out in one more time and say, "You look good." Philippians 4.6 is the passage that we're going to spend time in today. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God." Verse 7 says, "In the peace of God, say the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, it doesn't make sense in our given circumstances, it will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This is a word of God, I want to welcome you once again to the perfect place for imperfect people. For us who experienced the presence of God, I'm Eric. I have the privilege of teaching today as one of the pastors, and I don't know what your years look like so far, but let me give you my year in one word. The word is full. It's been a full year, full calendar, full schedule, full email, full mind. If your year has been full, what I've found out since kids going back to school and where we are today, I've realized that we can carry some things that we weren't supposed to, that we can carry some things that we haven't realized are on our shoulders or in our minds. And typically it's not one big thing, right? It's like 37 small different things. We're carrying our kids, we're carrying our marriage, we're carrying our finances, we're carrying our health, we're concerned about things that haven't happened or something somebody said or something somebody was supposed to say but they didn't. Then all of a sudden you're having six imaginary conversations in your head of what to say when something may or may not happen. And that's been my life, and I'm telling you, it's exhausting. Am I the only one who feels exhausted by all the things we're carrying? Like four of you? Okay, this is for us today. Now listen, I'm excited over the next several weeks as today we began a new teaching series titled Peace of Mind. God wants to give us peace of mind. And before we continue on, I want us to understand what the next several weeks isn't going to be.

It's not going to be me standing in front of a bunch of anxious people saying, "Stop being anxious!" How many of us know that doesn't work? It's like telling someone who's exhausted and can't get any sleep. You should probably get some rest. Oh really, thanks Sherlock, I didn't figure that one out. Men, does that ever work? Ladies, does that ever work? Calm down." No, of course it doesn't. That's not what we're going to be doing. We're not going to pretend like everything is fine. We're not going to have a just smile and be positive and think everything is going to work out kind of theology. Now, what we're going to do is we're going to look at the Word of God and we're going to let this speak directly into the mental exhaustion that a lot of us are caring. And I want to understand that this is okay for us to do because God cares as much about our mind as He does our heart, amen? I think the next several weeks it would be very important because what I've seen unintentionally happen in the church is a lot of times we've made people feel ashamed for struggling mentally. We've made it seem like if you really had faith, then you wouldn't be anxious. You ever felt that way from people in church? If you really believed in God, then you wouldn't need medication. You wouldn't need help. Let me say this on the onset. We don't believe that here at the local church. I'm standing in front of all of you today as someone who's needed that help in my own life. There's a lot of reasons where I'm reading God's Word and I'm preaching His Word and I'm praying and I'm loving Jesus and I'm leaving this church and I still wasn't okay.

And that used to be difficult for me to acknowledge and to admit because when you're a pastor, people come to you and they need help. And I can encourage everybody. I'd faith for everybody. I can help people through whatever they were going through. And then I'd go home and there were things that I was caring, that I realized I couldn't navigate on my own and so I had to learn something later on in life that I pray. Somebody here gets a lot sooner than I do. I want you to write this down. Needing help doesn't mean you don't have faith. Needing help doesn't mean you don't have faith. Having faith means having enough humility to admit I need help. And if it wasn't for those Christ-centered counselors that God put in my path, if it wasn't for the therapist that God led to me, I wouldn't be standing up here today with the help and the confidence that I had. None of those people replaced Jesus. I want to make that clear. You know, what they made me see was the places in my life that I needed Jesus. They helped me understand things that I couldn't see on my own. They gave me practical tools of how I could navigate some of the things that I was caring and worrying about and throughout all of it, Jesus was there. See, I think we've made this idea and this false choice in the church that we either have to have faith or get help with the choose between. Why does it have to be or? If I break my arm, I'm going to pray and I'm also going to go to the ER, right? I'm not going to stand in my living room with my arm all discombobulated, saying, "I don't need a doctor. I have faith." No, no, I need to see a doctor. I need to get an X-ray on top of it, right?

No one would question you. No one would look down on you if you do those things physically. Why do we treat our mind any differently? I want to make another important distinction as we continue on over the next several weeks because we're going to use the word anxiety a lot in this series. And sometimes when we talk about anxiety, we're talking about a worry that all of us feel at some point in our lives. And for some people, the anxiety is persistent. For some people, it affects their day-to-day living, their relationships, their sleep, maybe even their ability to function normally. Here's what I don't want to happen. I don't want either one of those people to feel ashamed. I don't want either one of those people to be confused. God's Word has something to say to every single one of us, but that doesn't mean that the help we get is exactly the same. But what I do believe is that there's hope for every single one of us. Do you believe there's hope available to every one of us? The Bible says there's a peace available to the people of God that we can't explain, that we can't manufacture, that we can't achieve on our own. Paul calls it the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. The peace that comes from God that does not make sense in our circumstance. You know what else is powerful about that? It's not simply the promise that was given, it was where this promise was penned. Paul, he says that we can have the peace of God that surpasses understanding. Where did he write that? He wasn't in a Starbucks sitting in a comfortable chair spouting off some nice cities to all his followers on TikTok.

He was in prison. Paul wrote Philippians, well, in a jail cell, his circumstances, they were not comfortable, his future was unclear, and it's in that place in prison that he writes, Philippians 4-6. He says, do not be anxious about anything, anything? How can Paul write that? What Paul was trying to teach us, isn't that people of faith never experience anxiety? Isn't that people of faith never feel anxiety? Well, Paul was trying to communicate to us is what to do when we feel anxious. There's a story in Daniel chapter six that paints this picture perfectly. It's a story of Daniel in the lines. Then do you remember that story? Love you, learn that in Sunday school. It's a simple story of Daniel praying and they get some jealous people angry. So they throw him in a pit with some lines, but God rescues him and keeps him safe and secure while he's in that pit. That's how a lot of us have learned this story. But if we look at the story, we realize that's a story about what happens when there's pressure surrounding us from every side, but we still have the presence of God with us. And what I think resonates really well today with the story of Daniel in the lines then, is that I think a lot of us,

we walked in here with some lions. We walked in here with some dangerous surroundings, with some difficult situations, whether it's your family or your finances, or simply that you close your eyes every night, but you can't get any rest. The question I wanna ask today is, what do we do when the lions are real in our life? Three truths from God's word that I want you to get. First one, write this down. Prayer gives my anxiety somewhere to go. Prayer gives my anxiety somewhere to go. Philippians 4, 6, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Notice Paul doesn't just tell us what not to do. He tells us what to do instead. He says, don't worry and said, pray about it. Don't just worry, pray about what you're worried about. And I love the language he uses. He says in everything, say everything. God bless you. A lot of us, we think that there are certain things that we can bring to God. Cancer diagnosis, pray about that, certainly broken relationship, pray about that. Can't find a parking spot at Costco? That's on, you gotta figure that out on your own, man. God's got nations to run. No, Paul says everything.

The Bible tells us to cast all of our cares upon and why, because he cares for us, he cares about our cares, 'cause we're his beloved children. Write this down. If it matters enough for you to worry about, it matters enough for you to pray about. If the thought comes, give it to God. If you think it, pray about it. Now, I wanna be clear. If all you hear me say is you're anxious, you need to pray more. That doesn't help anybody, right? I want us to understand why we pray. Why prayer is powerful. See, what anxiety does is anxiety keeps everything inside of me. I think about it. I worry about it. I try to fix it on my own. It eats me up from the inside. But Paul says, make your request, we may know to who, to God. When I pray, I'm taking what I'm wrestling with internally, and I'm giving it relationally to my heavenly Father, amen? Prayer also reminds me that I'm not God. Turn to the person you told earlier, you look good. Look him in the eyes again and say, you look good, but you're not God. Don't get it twisted. You look good, right?

But you're not God. There are things that you can do. There's help that we can get on our own, but there are also so many other things that we have no power to control. And what prayer does is prayer takes that to the person who has all control, the one who can carry every heavy weight. He says, pray about everything. And he says, with thanksgiving. Because anxiety pulls my attention to what might happen. But thanksgiving, it reminds me of what God has already done. Anxiety asks, what if, what if this doesn't work out? What if they don't say yes? What if the door doesn't open? That's what anxiety says. What if? Thanksgiving says, remember when, remember when God opened the door, remember when, God met my needs, remember when He saved me. Prayer isn't just powerful because we're getting something off of our chest. Write this down. Prayer is powerful because of who I'm talking to. I'm bringing what I can't control to the one who can. I'm just talking to some random person, I'm not talking about someone who might be able to help me. I'm bringing my anxiety, not just giving it a place to go, but I'm bringing it to the very presence of the living God. That's why prayer is powerful. And Daniel understood this. He's serving in the Persian government.

He's serving people well. He's serving his God well. And he has some haters, some people were jealous of his relationship with the king. And so they try to dig up some dirt to find something that will get him in trouble. They can't find anything and they realize the only way they can get Daniel is if they make his relationship with God illegal. So they go to the king. They go to King Dares and say, "Dares, you are worthy. Your name's a name above every name. Everyone should worship and honor you. So make a decree that no one can pray to anyone except for you for the next 30 days and if they dare to do so, throw them into a lion's den, sentence them to death." Listen to what happens in Daniel 6-10, "When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber, opened toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously." Did you catch that? I love that. Daniel knows they're going to put him to death for praying to God and what does he do? He prays to God. And notice those words at the end, as he had done previously, Daniel didn't start praying because he was in a problem. Daniel's prayer life was a natural rhythm of his life. Three times a day he would kneel down and he would fake his God in heaven. Church, the reason I share that is none of us can expect to have Daniel-level confidence if we have emergency-only prayer. We pray on a Sunday and then for the next six days we ignore God. Now all of a sudden we're in a problem and we say, "God, where are you?" He's saying, "I've been here the entire time, my child. I've been waiting to talk with you, to encourage you."

Daniel had a rhythm of consistently communicating with his heavenly Father. That's what prayer is. Prayer is communication in our relationship with God. And every relationship grows when there's consistency in communication, right? If I lack consistency in my communication with someone that I love, with someone that I know, I start to lose confidence in who they are because I've forgotten their character. If I don't talk to my wife every single day and I let there be weeks or months in between our communication, when I do approach her I forget how good she is. The rhythm that we build up when our life is calm, the communication that is consistent with him when everything is going well, it will sustain us when things aren't going well, when life gets chaotic. Some of you might say to that, "That's good for Daniel, but Eric, I'm in the den right now. What do I do?" Pray. Start today. There's no shame in this. We don't all get to this point of Daniel's confidence by saying one prayer. Start today. Start talking to him. And here's how you can start today when the anxious.coms, turn it into a prayer. if every time you had a thought about worry, you turned it into a prayer? You'd be talking to Him all throughout the day. When the thought comes, give it to God. Can I encourage people here? This isn't just for my charismatic brethren in the place. This for every person. Can I encourage you when the anxious thought comes and you turn it to God in prayer to pray it out loud?

Can I encourage you to do that? Say it out loud. See, when I was in seasons of despair and darkness and I had things within me that were driving me mad and driving me sad and I said them out loud. When I said them out loud, I realized they're not as big as I made them out to be in my minds. Not only say them out loud, but when you follow up what you're worried about with what you're thankful for, it changes the perspective. When it comes, pray about it, give God thanks. God, I don't know how we're going to do this. I don't know how we're going to pay this. I'm worried. But Lord, you have met every need up to this point. Thank you for that. Change your perspective. God, I don't know how we're going to make it through. I don't know what the doctor means by this. Lord, you've been faithful in the past and I believe you'll continue to be faithful. Thank you that you're with me. That's how we can start today. Turn your worry into praying. Anxiety keeps on reminding me of what could go wrong. But when we pray with thanksgiving, it reminds us of what God has already done. And can I tell you he's the same yesterday, today and forever? He doesn't change. He's been faithful then.

He will be faithful now, amen? Second thing is this. Peace can guard me even when I don't understand. Peace can guard you even though you don't have understanding. I spoke with someone last week, said Pastor Eric, I can't wait for next week because I pray every day. I get on my knees every day and I pray to God and I'm still anxious. I don't want you to misunderstand me. I don't want to turn this passage into a simple formula. If prayer comes out, then anxiety has to go out. That's not what he promised. He didn't promise if we pray continually that we'll never experience anxiety. No, that's not the promise of God. The promise isn't that we'll never feel it again. The promise is that his peace will guard us even while we feel every bit of it. Philippians 4-7, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will what? Guard your hearts and your minds in Christ. You say guard again. Paul, he's writing in prison surrounded by centurians. And when he writes about the peace of God that will guard our hearts and our minds, he writes in a way that the original readers, they would have understood it. He's saying that God's peace doesn't just come and visit you. He doesn't just show up for 15 minutes while you're behind bars. His peace comes and his peace guards you. We all know what a guard does. We've seen a guard whether it's a guard at your school, a guard at your gated community, a guard at the shopping center that you go to. What does a guard do? A guard stands and determines who gets access. Now, a guard being present doesn't mean that problematic people won't still show up.

Of course they will, but they will not get entrance in. The anxious thought will come, but his peace that guards us means that it doesn't get full control, that it doesn't get access to take over our minds. Notice what Paul says. He says that the peace of God that guards, it will guard our hearts and our mind, not just our mind, our heart and our mind. This is important because what we start thinking and what we start believing begins to affect how we're living our lives, what we think about ourselves, what we feel, our behaviors. So we'll never have the peace of God if we don't allow his spirit and learn to guard our hearts and our mind. You know what I find crazy about the culture we live in today? We guard this greater than we guard our mind. Right? You have a passcode on your cell phone. If you don't, what are you doing? A lot of you, you have two factor authentication on top of that. If you know the access code, it still sends a request to confirm the identity is real. [BLANK_AUDIO] You need the face ID to unlock your phone, but if you want to open your banking app, it needs to verify your identity once again. Why? Why do we have passcodes? Because we all understand the simple truth that not everyone should have access. Be foolish of me to hand my phone to a stranger and say, "Hey, do whatever you want with this." Here's my passcode. Download my pictures, go to nefarious websites, mess around with my calendar, send an email

on behalf of me. That's foolish, it's crazy, right? But yet, we allow that with our mind every single day. And anxious.coms and we say, "Hey, have full access." Mess with my digestion. Go to the dark corners of my mind. Sift through all my drawers, empty out my garage. And because we've given one thought, access, one worry, access before we know it, we've handed over the keys of who we are to an intruder that should not have had access. Church, I'm telling you, we need to guard our minds and our hearts greater than we guard our phone. Not everybody who knocks should get our passcodes. We don't need to believe every thought that comes to our mind as truth. We don't need to follow every fear to its worst possible conclusion. Tell your neighbor, God's peace can guard me. Look to another neighbor you like better and tell them with a little bit more enthusiasm. God's peace can guard me. To the person saying, "But I prayed, and I'm still anxious. "I want you to write this down. "Don't interpret the presence of anxiety "as the absence of God." Sometimes God's peace changes the way that I feel. I love that. Thank you, Lord. But sometimes his peace carries me while I'm still feeling every bit of it. Whatever you're going through right now, hear me.

It doesn't mean that God's left you. Your struggle doesn't mean that God left you. Daniel prayed and Daniel still went to prison. His prayer didn't save him from the lion's den, but his relationship with God sustained him while he was in it. Even in the midst of that dangerous lion's den, he still had peace. And I want you to know his contrast. And Daniel 618, it tells us that King Darius, because he loved Daniel, he was worried for Daniel. It says he couldn't sleep all night long. Where's King Darius sleeping in a palace? On a comfy pillow, where's Daniel sleeping? In a den, on the turt, but Daniel had peace. And King Darius didn't church. That shows us that peace doesn't come from where we lay our head. Peace doesn't come from what's happening around us. Peace comes from who we belong to. Listen how Daniel responds. The next morning, King Darius, he runs down to the lion's den. He calls out for his friend, Daniel 622. Daniel says, my God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouth and they have not harmed me. Daniel doesn't say I discovered peace of mind on my own power. I meditated and I reached enlightenment here. No, what does he say?

He says, my God sent help. That's the difference between biblical peace that we're talking about and peace that the world offers. Positive thinking, this isn't about positive thinking. This is about peace that surpasses understanding, that only comes from our gods. Write this down, biblical peace isn't confidence in me. It's confidence in him, in God. That's where peace comes from. And again, it's not just any peace. It's peace that surpasses all understanding. See, a lot of us, we want understanding instead of peace. We say, if I have understanding, then I'll have peace. God just explained to me, why am I in this? How, tell me, how long I have to And then I'll be at peace. God instead would rather just give us the peace, even though we don't understand. I love when God gives answers. I do, I love when God gives clear direction, but sometimes He gives peace even though we don't have an answer. And when He does, sometimes that's a supernatural power of the presence of God. That leads to the third idea. Write this down. Peace is possible in every situation. Peace is possible in every situation. I wanna go back to verse 6,

those two words He says in everything. Not somethings, everything. Now again, I don't wanna preach something that sounds really encouraging on Sunday, but has no practical effect on our life the next day. When I say peace is available in every situation that does not mean that every situation is peaceful. Let's admit that. Some of us, what we're going through is not peaceful. It doesn't feel good. That doesn't mean God left you. He's with you. And don't misunderstand his peace. His peace doesn't mean he takes away all of your feelings. Peace doesn't mean I don't feel anything anymore. You can absolutely cry and be overwhelmed and cry out to God. God, I don't get any of this. And still have peace. Peace isn't the absence of all our emotion. It's the presence of God with us with what we're going through. Daniel's faith didn't make the lines imaginary. The lines were real. The den was real. Peter's prison was real. You know who else was real? God was real.

God was for him and with him every step of the way. That's what I want for us. As we invite our friends and family and coworkers and people that we know need peace of God. God is developing peace within us. And I want us to be the type of church where they come in and we smile and give them thumbs up and say, hey, everything's going to be okay. The reality is not everything's okay. This is a broken sinful world. People are hurting. We're hurting. But I want us to be able to look at the very thing that is not okay. And say, this is not good, but I'm not alone. I don't get this at all, but I got a heavenly father who's with me, who loves me, who's going to lead me. That's how peace is available in every situation. So then what do we do about it? I want to give you three quick things of how we can live this out, how we can experience the peace of God starting today. First one's this, pray about what you're caring. Again, we talked about this. When anxiety rises, turn it into a prayer. Build a rhythm of every time the thought comes. You take it captive and you give it back to God. The second thing is this, guard what you're allowing to lead you. You don't have to believe everything that you think.

Realize and recognize the thought when it comes, but then give it to God and give them thanks. Not because what you're going through is good, because he's good and he's faithful. Anxiety will come, but it doesn't have to take over. Me, guard what I'm allowing to lead me. Last one is this, practice his presence in the middle of what hasn't changed. Don't wait until every single line disappears for you to realize that he's with you. That he's for you, that he loves you. Thank him in the middle of it. Worship him like we did two weeks ago. While we're still in prison, let's give him thanks for his goodness, for his faithfulness. Remind yourself often, I don't like this, but I'm not alone. I don't get this, but I'm not alone. And if you're here today, and you're carrying the type of anxiety that doesn't go away by saying one prayer, that doesn't go away from listening to one sermon. Get the help you need. Talk to somebody. Reach out to the prayer team. Find the counselor. Don't keep it to yourself. Just a few moments, I'm gonna ask our prayer partners to come forward. And I wanna encourage you,

if you're carrying something heavy and significant, don't go through it alone. I encourage you to come forward and receive prayer. Listen, you don't have to have all the perfect words. You don't have to explain the entire situation. You may not fully understand it, but come and get some help. This is what we do. We don't go through this alone. We're a family in Christ. He's with us every step of the way, but he's put people around us so that while we're walking this earth, we know that we're not in this alone. We're gonna take some time to pray for some needs represented the whole church. And if there's something significant on your shoulders, today you can get the help that you need, but before we get to that, there's something deeper that I want us to see before we conclude today. Paul done just say that God will give us peace, that surpasses understanding that will guard our hearts and minds. I want you to hear this. Philippians four, seven, one more time. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I want to encourage you to keep coming back. Invite your friends, people that you know,

meet peace with you over the next several weeks. We're gonna continue to talk about how we can really experience peace of minds but I'm telling you, there is a foundation that we need to build on otherwise none of it applies, none of it has power. The most important thing I want you to know today is that peace is found in a person. And his name's Jesus. That's where peace begins. There'll always be a circumstance you cannot control. There'll always be something that you don't understand and if your peace requires everything being perfect, you're not gonna experience peace for very long, right? This is why God, in all of his word, he doesn't promise us continual peaceful circumstances on this side of eternity. He promises something greater. He promises us peace with God. Romans five one, it says, "Therefore since we have been "justified by faith, we've been made right with God "and now when he looks at us, it's justified never sinned. "Therefore since we've been justified by faith, "we have peace with God." Where through our Lord Jesus Christ? See the greatest problem that Jesus came to solve wasn't simply my struggle with anxiety. The greatest problem he came to solve was our sin. God is perfect. He's holy, he's set apart like we sang about.

And we are not. We're imperfect. We've sinned against him. He's given us his commands. We've broken them. We've lived on our own strength. We've lived apart from him. And because of our sin, we cannot be in the presence of a holy, perfect God who loves us. But he made a way from the very beginning. His plan was to send his one and only son Jesus to take on flesh like us, to live the life that we lived, to experience every temptation that we would go through. But he did not falter. He did not sin. And so he willingly put himself on a cross to die. The death that we deserve to pay the penalty of our sin. He was crucified and killed and buried. But being the perfect son of God, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the earth. Death cannot hold him down three days later. He resurrected from the grave and he exchanges his life for hours. The Bible says that if we believe that and we receive that, then all of our sins are washed away forever. That we have a relationship with God in heaven and that he prepares a place for us when we meet him one day. But while we are here, we can have peace with God. And peace of God.

Once I have peace with God, I can experience the peace of God. Once I have peace with Him, our relationship is good because of what Jesus did, then I can have and experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. If you want the peace of God, it starts with peace with God, and peace with God is available to every person here today. I want to ask you to stand to your feet right now. I want to ask your prayer partners, I'm going to invite them to come forward. And like I said earlier, if there's something heavy that you're carrying, something that feels weighty on your mind, keeping you up at night, and you need help, I want to encourage you to come forward and receive prayer. Maybe some of you are here today, and it starts earlier than that. Maybe there's been war between you and God, you feel so distant from Him today, He invites you home. For those of you where it needs to start with peace with God, it's simple. If you believe and receive, if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He did everything necessary for us to be forgiven and washed and set free. If you believe that and you receive it, you say, I receive that forgiveness from my life, I receive your gift of the Holy Spirit, I receive your salvation. The Bible says that He will come and fill you by His Spirit instantaneously, and your future will be forever changed. Nothing on heaven or earth, nothing that you can do or didn't do will ever separate you from the love of God. If you believe in Jesus, then receive His gift of salvation. For some of you, that's where it starts, but for every person, if you're carrying something like some people have already done, I want you to come forward right now. Get the help that you need. Let's come together. Let's believe God for the best, and as you're doing so, if you're here today, and this is one of those seasons where things are good, would you just stretch out your hand as we pray for people who are in the middle of some lion's dens right now?

I want to pray for these needs of a few that are representative of the whole, and let's believe God's best. I can continue to come forward, we'll have more prayer partners up here, but let's believe and trust that peace of mind is possible in every situation. Father, thank you. Thank you that you are near, that you are here, that you so love us, that you give us hope in you, that you give us a future that we have not earned, that we get relationship with you for every person here today who's saying yes to you for the first time or recommitting to you after many months or years of wandering astray, Lord, I pray that they will feel welcome back into your presence, and that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding would guard their hearts and minds right now, that they would know that nothing they've done or nothing they can do will ever separate your love for them forever, and they are children of God from this day forward, and for every person coming forth who needs prayer, Jesus, we are not ashamed to admit that we need help, winners, our help comes from you, the maker of heaven and earth, that your peace that surpasses all understanding, fill and overflow them right now, that you would give them strength regardless of their circumstances. I pray right now for Gina in Florida as they navigate their daughters, severe autism diagnosis, God, would you give them peace of mind, would you help them to know that everything they need to raise this beautiful child, you've placed within them, God, and as much as they love her, that you love her far more, and you've got her in your hands. I pray right now, Lord, for Felix Molina, would you bless him and give him peace of mind as he navigates and traverses this new season of life, God, let him know that you are near and drawn closer to you. I pray right now for the of our familia, specifically for Tomasu who's in, who's in Atlanta right now, God, I pray that you would just give that entire family peace that surpasses all of their understanding, that they would sense that you are near and even though it's difficult and heavy for them to move to a different place, Father, that they would know that your presence is with them everywhere they go, but they are loved and they are walking in your plan. And for all of us today, God, whatever it is we've come in caring, we cast all our cares

upon you, we know that it may not make our situation any different, but the truth that you are with us, that you are for us, and you will never leave us. I pray that that would strengthen us right now. You are worthy of all our praise, Lord, we pray all these things in Jesus' name, and we declare that death has no more sting, and the grave has no more victory. So we can experience peace that surpasses understandings in the name of Jesus. We thank you and pray, and all the people of God who love him said. Come all church, listen to clarin, let's sing it out loud. Even in the midst of what we're going through, that has lost its victories. The grave has no more sting, the best is still before us, why? Because we have Jesus. Your victory will grow, where all death is now your sting, and where all gray, your victory. Death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line in the name of death, death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line. Oh yeah, death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line. Oh yeah, the name of death, death is from a line, death is from a line, death is from a line. Yeah, I'm calling you Jesus, I call you, I call you Peter. Listen, reigning in power, something comes out of the grave. Every time I'm calling Jesus, I call you, I call you Savior, worthy of calling forever. ♪ She's bumping, comes out of the air ♪ Come on, come in here, together, here we go. ♪ Every time I say the same ♪ ♪ Change, break, try, close, wait ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name ♪ ♪ The names of hell's name ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name ♪ ♪ Can't be from a lie ♪ ♪ Can't be from a lie ♪ ♪ Standings come alive in the game ♪ ♪ Get 'em, get 'em ♪

♪ Standings come alive in the game ♪ ♪ Get 'em, get 'em ♪ ♪ Standings come alive in the game ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ [MUSIC PLAYING]