WEBVTT - Untangling Life Without Losing Your Peace – Part 2 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:04.000 Today on Bold Steps, Mark Jobe continues teaching us how 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:07.200 to maintain peace while untangling life's messes. 0:00:07.960 --> 0:00:10.240 The world may be difficult, but God is good and 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:12.640 he's in control. The world may be tough, but the 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:16.079 God of the universe is just and kind and forgiving 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.680 and loving and and generous and gracious. He's in control 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:22.119 of all things. So therefore we have a lot to 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:25.240 be grateful for. We have a default to joy in 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:27.040 our life because God is in control. 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:43.519 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:46.120 of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:49.760 Community Church in Chicago. And I'm Wayne Shepherd. In our 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:53.159 relationships with family and friends and coworkers, we all encounter 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:56.840 situations that get tangled and messy, and far too often 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.360 our initial response is to become combative rather than gentle 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:04.160 when faced with conflict or criticism. Today, Mark continues his 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:08.240 powerful message titled Untangling Life Without Losing Your Peace, where 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.559 he's showing us how to navigate these challenging situations using 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.280 wisdom from the book of Philippians. Yesterday, Mark explained Paul's 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:18.640 instruction to rejoice in the Lord always so important that 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.680 Paul actually says it twice. Let's join Mark now as 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.480 he continues teaching us how to maintain our peace while 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:27.320 untangling life's most challenging relationships. 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:34.880 He says, let your gentleness be evident to all. Gentleness 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:41.640 means a readiness to listen and to reason. A yieldedness 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:47.080 that does not retaliate. Gentleness means that I don't come 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.559 out swinging. It means that when someone comes and talks 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:52.440 to me about something I don't like, oh, you're going 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:54.920 to tell me. Let me tell you something. It means 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:58.920 that we listen, that we don't react. It means that 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:02.890 people can approach us Without expecting them to get their 0:02:02.890 --> 0:02:06.330 head bitten off. It means that there is a sense 0:02:06.330 --> 0:02:09.610 of calmness about our spirit that says, I'm willing to 0:02:09.610 --> 0:02:12.970 listen and hear you out. That I can dialogue with 0:02:12.970 --> 0:02:15.609 you and that I'll listen to you and that we 0:02:15.610 --> 0:02:20.330 can reason together. Can I be honest? There are some 0:02:20.330 --> 0:02:24.770 of you that people whisper around you, and I believe 0:02:24.770 --> 0:02:29.450 that many of us have a combative spirit. The Bible says, hey, listen, 0:02:29.450 --> 0:02:31.530 if we're going to get along with people, you need 0:02:31.530 --> 0:02:36.850 to learn to step back, to listen, to check your insecurities, 0:02:36.850 --> 0:02:40.690 to realize that we need to dialogue about things, that 0:02:40.690 --> 0:02:42.889 we have to be, that there's blind spots in our 0:02:42.889 --> 0:02:47.330 life and that our gentleness, our willingness to listen, our 0:02:47.330 --> 0:02:51.290 ability to dialogue about things should be evident to all. 0:02:52.169 --> 0:02:55.450 The question I ask you is this the last time 0:02:55.450 --> 0:02:59.730 someone came and pointed something out in your life? How 0:02:59.730 --> 0:03:04.410 did you respond? Was it? Thank you. Let me think 0:03:04.410 --> 0:03:09.330 about that. You may be right. Or was it? Seriously? 0:03:09.330 --> 0:03:11.210 You're going to tell me? Have you looked at your 0:03:11.210 --> 0:03:14.690 own life? Dude, you're a lot. Let me tell you. 0:03:14.810 --> 0:03:16.970 I got a couple of things to tell you about, too. 0:03:19.130 --> 0:03:23.090 That's combativeness. And the apostle Paul is saying, you know, 0:03:23.090 --> 0:03:25.850 some of us are combative and and and we need 0:03:25.850 --> 0:03:29.130 to check our attitudes. We need to default to an 0:03:29.130 --> 0:03:34.690 attitude of joy. Secondly, we need to check our combativeness. 0:03:34.690 --> 0:03:37.970 So we have the ability to listen to people as 0:03:37.970 --> 0:03:42.250 people express grievances or issues in our life. And thirdly, 0:03:42.450 --> 0:03:46.810 he does a little statement. This is staccato rejoice in 0:03:46.810 --> 0:03:49.970 the Lord. Let your gentleness be evident to all. And 0:03:49.970 --> 0:03:54.250 then another staccato statement he says, the Lord is near. 0:03:54.610 --> 0:03:58.210 Now why would he say that? I believe that he says, 0:03:58.210 --> 0:04:02.380 the Lord is near. To remind us That life is short. 0:04:04.460 --> 0:04:06.940 You know, the Bible talks about if you if you're 0:04:06.940 --> 0:04:10.820 not been exposed to a lot of Christian teaching, the 0:04:10.820 --> 0:04:14.580 Bible talks about the imminent return of Christ. So the 0:04:14.580 --> 0:04:17.260 believers in the times of Jesus, we don't talk about 0:04:17.260 --> 0:04:20.460 it as much today, but we are 2000 years closer 0:04:20.460 --> 0:04:24.540 to the coming of Jesus than they were. The Bible 0:04:24.540 --> 0:04:26.859 talks about the imminent return of Christ. In other words, 0:04:26.860 --> 0:04:31.300 that Jesus Christ could return at any moment, at any time. 0:04:32.140 --> 0:04:36.220 And the early believers lived with an expectation that Jesus 0:04:36.220 --> 0:04:42.380 Christ could come again anytime, any moment. You say, well, 0:04:42.380 --> 0:04:45.060 I believe that, you know, this prophecy has to be 0:04:45.060 --> 0:04:47.580 fulfilled and this has to happen in Israel and the 0:04:47.580 --> 0:04:49.780 temple needs to be rebuilt. Okay, you could die of 0:04:49.779 --> 0:04:55.340 a heart attack at any moment. The point is, life 0:04:55.339 --> 0:05:01.419 is short. And if life is so short, There are 0:05:01.420 --> 0:05:05.419 things that are extremely petty in our relationships that one 0:05:05.420 --> 0:05:08.500 day we'll have to stand before God, and you're going 0:05:08.540 --> 0:05:11.340 to look at the petty things that you argued against. 0:05:11.339 --> 0:05:13.500 You're going to look at the things that you were 0:05:13.540 --> 0:05:16.420 divided over, and we're going to have to give an 0:05:16.420 --> 0:05:19.540 account before God. So I believe that the Apostle Paul 0:05:19.540 --> 0:05:25.340 is reminding us, listen, rejoice always, be gentle, and remember 0:05:25.339 --> 0:05:29.740 life is short, so get things right as quickly as possible, 0:05:29.779 --> 0:05:34.099 because some things really don't matter that much. How about it? 0:05:43.180 --> 0:05:48.780 You've heard the word maranatha. The Aramaic equivalent to the 0:05:48.779 --> 0:05:54.540 Lord is near is Maranatha. Maranatha means come, Lord Jesus 0:05:55.420 --> 0:06:01.029 or the Lord is coming soon. Maranatha. Then the Apostle 0:06:01.029 --> 0:06:03.989 Paul tells us, not only resolve your conflict quickly reset 0:06:03.990 --> 0:06:09.510 your attitude. Then he tells us in verse six, practice 0:06:09.550 --> 0:06:19.190 stress releasing prayer, stress releasing prayer. I know that if 0:06:19.230 --> 0:06:24.750 you look on different websites and so forth, and you 0:06:24.750 --> 0:06:28.350 are plagued with some anxiety, that there is a lot 0:06:28.390 --> 0:06:31.589 of talk about meditation and a lot of talk about 0:06:31.589 --> 0:06:36.870 breathing slowly and posturing and emptying your mind and so forth. 0:06:38.110 --> 0:06:41.710 I believe that the Bible does talk about meditation, but 0:06:41.710 --> 0:06:46.830 not meditation. Maybe, as you are explained from other secular 0:06:46.830 --> 0:06:52.110 pagan sources, but I believe there is a place for powerful, 0:06:52.110 --> 0:06:57.909 stress releasing prayer. In fact, let me say this he 0:06:57.910 --> 0:07:00.350 starts out in verse six and says, do not be 0:07:00.510 --> 0:07:05.349 anxious about anything. Can I tell you that we live 0:07:05.350 --> 0:07:14.230 in a epidemic of anxiety? In fact, as I just 0:07:14.230 --> 0:07:19.350 say that here, probably the great majority of this auditorium 0:07:19.830 --> 0:07:25.030 has been affected by anxiety to one degree of severity 0:07:25.030 --> 0:07:29.430 or another in the last few months. There are more 0:07:29.430 --> 0:07:37.150 people now struggling with severe anxiety than almost at any 0:07:37.150 --> 0:07:42.310 other time that we have noted or surveyed it in history. 0:07:44.510 --> 0:07:49.310 Some people attribute it primarily to what we went through 0:07:49.310 --> 0:07:53.830 during the pandemic. There was fear of death. There was isolation. 0:07:54.470 --> 0:07:58.790 Some people attribute it to our disconnectivity because of our 0:07:58.910 --> 0:08:04.040 social Devices. And so we scroll through our screens but 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:09.200 have less and less physical. Eye to eye verbal contact 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:18.239 with people. We are at an all time epidemic of anxiety. 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:24.040 What does that look like? It looks like I'm unable 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:26.440 to sleep at night because my thoughts start to race 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:28.640 and race, and I start thinking about everything I have 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:32.240 to do. And suddenly my thoughts start to merge into 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:35.200 one another and my mind starts to race at a 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.079 speed that I cannot control. And before you know it, 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:40.960 my heart starts to palpitate and I can't sleep. And 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.800 I'm restless and I wake up and I'm sweating. And 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:47.920 or it can lead to anxiety attacks. Panic attacks where 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:50.840 you feel like your pressure's going up. Something's happened to me. 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:53.920 It can lead to severe panic attacks. So people are 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:56.600 paralyzed or I can't get out of bed, or I 0:08:56.600 --> 0:09:01.000 start fearing being around people. I have social setting anxiety. 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:04.120 I have anxiety about my deadlines, anxiety about people that 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:07.800 I meet, anxiety about the future, anxiety about death, anxiety 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:10.600 about finances. Anxiety about who am I going to marry? 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:12.800 Am I going to be left alone in life? I 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:16.439 have anxiety about a lot of things, but my mind races, 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:21.040 my peace evaporates, and I feel myself constantly. By the way, 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:25.760 anxiety and depression are cousins, so one gives way to another. Oftentimes, 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:31.280 depression is the result of anxious thoughts that I can't 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.400 continue to control. And so for it leads me down 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:41.440 this dark hole of depression. Huge today. And if you're 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:44.559 struggling with anxiety today, let me tell you you're not alone. 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:49.560 And the Apostle Paul is very clear about there is 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:52.800 something that you can do about it. And I want 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:56.320 you to listen up because this is really powerful. Do 0:09:56.320 --> 0:10:03.290 not be anxious about Anything you say, pastor. I try 0:10:03.330 --> 0:10:05.690 not to be anxious, but I just can't control it. 0:10:06.850 --> 0:10:10.569 So he tells us what to do when your mind 0:10:10.610 --> 0:10:16.530 starts to default to anxiety. Oftentimes our anxiety is a 0:10:16.530 --> 0:10:24.090 result of tension and relationships. Not always. He says, but 0:10:24.970 --> 0:10:27.290 instead of being anxious about things, here's what I want 0:10:27.290 --> 0:10:32.410 you to do, he says. But in everything. Anytime there's anxiety, 0:10:32.530 --> 0:10:37.650 anytime you're worried, anytime you're burdened, anytime you're frustrated, anytime 0:10:37.650 --> 0:10:42.810 you're stressed, he says. I want you to take advantage 0:10:43.610 --> 0:10:48.690 of this incredible power and position that you have to 0:10:48.730 --> 0:10:52.809 enter into the throne room, where there is more peace 0:10:52.809 --> 0:10:56.490 and authority than anywhere in the universe. And that is 0:10:56.490 --> 0:11:03.890 the throne room of the Most High God. So he 0:11:03.890 --> 0:11:06.410 says what I want you to do when anxiety starts 0:11:06.410 --> 0:11:09.610 to come upon you, I want you to go into prayer. 0:11:10.490 --> 0:11:15.490 Some of you are new at praying. Prayer for Christians, uh, 0:11:15.490 --> 0:11:18.010 regardless of the background that you come from, prayer for 0:11:18.010 --> 0:11:25.250 Christians is coming before God the Father, having been given 0:11:25.290 --> 0:11:31.370 access by Jesus Christ the Son, who's the mediator. And 0:11:31.370 --> 0:11:35.610 you're empowered to pray and know how to pray through 0:11:35.610 --> 0:11:42.689 the spirit that's inside of you. God the father, through 0:11:42.690 --> 0:11:47.929 Jesus the Son, empowered by the Holy Spirit. So you 0:11:47.970 --> 0:11:50.890 come into the presence of God Almighty and you say, well, pastor, 0:11:50.890 --> 0:11:54.410 I pray and it doesn't help me. I get worse. 0:11:56.450 --> 0:11:59.370 I would advocate and say, maybe it's because you're praying 0:11:59.370 --> 0:12:03.300 in the wrong way. You see, first of all, I 0:12:03.300 --> 0:12:05.460 think we need to understand what prayer is and how 0:12:05.460 --> 0:12:08.540 to pray the right way, especially when it comes to anxiety. 0:12:09.540 --> 0:12:12.340 The Lord's Prayer teaches us to address God as a father, 0:12:12.380 --> 0:12:16.180 a loving father that cares not as a judge that's 0:12:16.179 --> 0:12:20.300 seeking to demand something. So you have access to the 0:12:20.300 --> 0:12:25.620 father through Jesus Christ, the son, empowered by the Holy Spirit. 0:12:26.059 --> 0:12:28.900 And then it says, I want you in everything by 0:12:28.900 --> 0:12:32.420 prayer and petition. So you bring your requests before God. 0:12:32.420 --> 0:12:35.380 You say, God, this is something that's stressing me out. 0:12:35.980 --> 0:12:37.780 I don't know what to do about it. I have 0:12:37.780 --> 0:12:40.620 no control over this. But God, I'm bringing it to 0:12:40.620 --> 0:12:43.939 you and I'm asking you to intervene. I'm putting it 0:12:43.940 --> 0:12:47.780 in your hands. I'm asking you to do something about it. 0:12:49.420 --> 0:12:53.179 I believe that some of us do that, but I 0:12:53.179 --> 0:12:56.100 think that some of us miss one of the powerful 0:12:56.100 --> 0:13:07.620 components of this by prayer and petition with thanksgiving. I 0:13:07.620 --> 0:13:09.980 think some of us our prayer is more like a 0:13:11.420 --> 0:13:17.340 complaint session. Have you ever had complaint sessions before God? 0:13:18.340 --> 0:13:22.140 I have. God. I'm just tired of this. Sick of this. 0:13:22.140 --> 0:13:24.140 I can't believe they do this. They're doing this and 0:13:24.140 --> 0:13:26.780 it's going to happen to that. And I'm just expressing 0:13:26.780 --> 0:13:30.980 my negative thoughts before God. That's complaining in the presence 0:13:30.980 --> 0:13:34.580 of God. But when you're praying, you're actually saying, God, 0:13:35.100 --> 0:13:37.940 I have these issues and I am overwhelmed by it 0:13:37.940 --> 0:13:40.980 and it does bother me, but I'm bringing it before you. 0:13:41.059 --> 0:13:42.860 I don't know what to do about it. I have 0:13:42.860 --> 0:13:46.140 no control. It's stressing me out. It's stressing my family out. 0:13:46.140 --> 0:13:47.860 And then the Bible says, listen, I want you to 0:13:47.900 --> 0:13:55.179 notice the secret ingredient with thanksgiving. You see prayer petition 0:13:55.179 --> 0:13:59.340 wrapped in thanksgiving. You have a prodigal son or daughter. 0:13:59.340 --> 0:14:02.630 Maybe a son that's really troubled you. Uh, that that 0:14:02.630 --> 0:14:05.829 maybe they're struggling with addiction or making bad choices, going 0:14:05.870 --> 0:14:08.589 in the wrong direction. They don't listen to you anymore. 0:14:08.750 --> 0:14:11.270 You're overwhelmed by it. You're just waiting for a phone 0:14:11.270 --> 0:14:14.069 call in the middle of the night telling you bad news. 0:14:14.070 --> 0:14:16.590 And so it stresses you out. And so instead of 0:14:16.590 --> 0:14:19.390 just worrying about it, the Bible says, bring it before 0:14:19.390 --> 0:14:25.710 God with thanksgiving. I bring my petition. But then I say, 0:14:25.750 --> 0:14:29.150 and thank you, God, that you're in control. And thank you, 0:14:29.150 --> 0:14:31.270 God that you care about my son more than I 0:14:31.310 --> 0:14:33.910 care about him. And thank you that you're awake 24 0:14:33.910 --> 0:14:36.630 hours a day watching over them. And thank you that 0:14:36.630 --> 0:14:38.870 you're working behind the scenes and have a purpose and 0:14:38.870 --> 0:14:41.470 a plan. I don't even know of your purpose in 0:14:41.470 --> 0:14:44.710 your plan. Thank you, Lord Jesus. So I commend them 0:14:44.710 --> 0:14:47.550 to you and I bless you, God, because you've listened 0:14:47.550 --> 0:14:50.670 and heard and that you hear the the, the prayers 0:14:50.670 --> 0:14:53.270 of the people that call upon your name. God, I 0:14:53.310 --> 0:14:56.270 entrust them to you, bless you. Because when he was born, 0:14:56.270 --> 0:14:57.990 I knew you had a purpose and a plan for 0:14:57.990 --> 0:15:01.320 his life. So I entrust Trust them into your hands. 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:09.000 That's what. Thanksgiving. And listen. Hear me? Well, this is 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:13.840 what the Bible says. When you do this and you 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:19.200 present your request before God with thanksgiving, he says, the 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:26.960 peace of God. This means the contentment, the inner tranquility 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:31.600 that comes from God. This is not your peace. This 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:39.320 is the peace of God, supernatural, divine, heavenly created in 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:47.400 the heavenly realm, the peace of God. Listen. Will which 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:51.320 transcends understanding. In other words, there's a peace that you 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.800 have in the middle of circumstances where you should be worried. 0:15:54.960 --> 0:16:00.320 You should be anxious, but it defies logical explanation. It 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:02.960 guard the peace of God. That kind of peace. Look, 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:06.880 it says, and the peace of God that transcends understanding 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:11.200 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:18.280 That term guard is a military term. It's used of 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:22.240 military people that guard the entrance of a city. They 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:27.000 determine what comes in and what goes out. The peace 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:32.960 of God becomes militant guardians of your mind and your heart. 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:37.440 So when anxiety tries to make its way in, the 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:43.040 peace of God aggressively fends off anxiety. When, when when 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:46.960 anxiety tries to get Ahold of your heart or your mind, 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:49.960 the peace of God says, you're not allowed in here. 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:54.080 They they aggressively push out thoughts that would attribute to 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:57.680 your mind, or feelings that would attach yourself to the heart, 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:02.200 and they become the guardians, the supernatural spiritual guardians of 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:05.960 your heart and mind because they are the peace of God. 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:12.280 And lastly, redirect your thoughts. Notice what it tells us 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:18.560 in verse eight through seven of Philippians chapter four. Finally, brothers, 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:25.720 whatever is pure, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:32.000 is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:40.320 if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about these things. 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:49.040 Some of you are stressed out because what you allow 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:54.479 your mind to think of consistently. Can I just be 0:17:54.480 --> 0:18:01.090 honest with you? Some of you are news junkies. And 0:18:01.090 --> 0:18:03.450 let me just tell you something about our news channels. 0:18:03.450 --> 0:18:05.889 I think we need to know what's happening around the world. 0:18:07.170 --> 0:18:12.449 But the way that networks and stations get high ratings 0:18:12.810 --> 0:18:19.810 is by addressing bad news. 90% of the news or 0:18:19.810 --> 0:18:24.770 more is bad. It's the war that's happening. It's the 0:18:24.770 --> 0:18:28.330 plague that's going to happen. It's the crisis in the economy. 0:18:28.770 --> 0:18:33.570 It's the crime that happened down the street. Seldom, if ever, 0:18:33.570 --> 0:18:39.330 do you hear the good news when it comes to relationships. 0:18:40.330 --> 0:18:45.729 If you're married, you allow some sort of conflict in 0:18:45.730 --> 0:18:50.209 your relationship to sour you. It's not dealt with. A 0:18:50.210 --> 0:18:53.930 little resentment starts building up, and you start looking at 0:18:53.930 --> 0:19:00.100 your spouse through the lenses of disgruntled. They're at work 0:19:00.100 --> 0:19:04.820 and you're thinking that old. They didn't even kiss me 0:19:04.820 --> 0:19:06.940 when they went by. What are they doing? Why did 0:19:06.940 --> 0:19:11.020 I marry them? They're probably doing this. You start comparing, 0:19:11.020 --> 0:19:15.140 you start negative, you start projecting. You start looking at 0:19:15.140 --> 0:19:17.619 them in the wrong way, and they come in after 0:19:17.619 --> 0:19:19.300 a long day of work and they say, hey, honey, 0:19:19.300 --> 0:19:24.139 how you doing? Don't honey me. You know what? Because 0:19:24.140 --> 0:19:27.220 you just filled your mind with everything that's negative, bad. 0:19:27.260 --> 0:19:30.060 Anything that you can think of or conspire to think 0:19:30.100 --> 0:19:32.219 of is in your mind. And here's listen what the 0:19:32.220 --> 0:19:36.060 Bible says. Listen. The Bible says, I want you to 0:19:36.060 --> 0:19:38.820 be clear about this. He's talking about guarding our thinking. 0:19:38.820 --> 0:19:42.420 He's talking about reducing stress. He's talking about fighting anxiety. 0:19:42.700 --> 0:19:48.420 If it's true, if it's noble, if it's right, if 0:19:48.420 --> 0:19:53.859 it's pure, if it's lovely, if it's admirable, if there's 0:19:53.859 --> 0:20:01.420 any excellence or praiseworthy fill your mind with those things. Basically, 0:20:01.420 --> 0:20:04.780 what the Apostle Paul is saying is you need to 0:20:04.780 --> 0:20:08.820 start focusing on other things. You say, well, I want to. 0:20:08.859 --> 0:20:13.139 I'm a realist. I'm a realist too. But listen, in 0:20:13.140 --> 0:20:19.260 my orchestration and understanding and schematics of the universe, when 0:20:19.300 --> 0:20:21.980 God is on the throne and he is in control, 0:20:22.140 --> 0:20:25.780 then there is always good news. The world may be difficult, 0:20:25.780 --> 0:20:28.580 but God is good and he's in control. The world 0:20:28.580 --> 0:20:31.020 may be tough, but the God of the universe, who 0:20:31.020 --> 0:20:35.140 is just and kind and forgiving and loving and and 0:20:35.140 --> 0:20:38.580 generous and gracious, he's in control of all things. So 0:20:38.619 --> 0:20:41.980 therefore we have a lot to be grateful for, a 0:20:42.020 --> 0:20:45.340 lot to thank God for. We have a default to 0:20:45.380 --> 0:20:54.300 joy in our life because God is in control. And 0:20:54.300 --> 0:20:55.939 sometimes what we need to do is we need to 0:20:55.940 --> 0:21:00.020 take the remote of our thoughts and click to the 0:21:00.020 --> 0:21:00.859 next channel. 0:21:06.020 --> 0:21:08.540 Mark, I know this strikes a chord with people who 0:21:08.540 --> 0:21:11.660 are listening today who are feeling a bit tangled, huh? 0:21:11.820 --> 0:21:15.820 You know, Wayne, there is so much anxiousness and the 0:21:15.820 --> 0:21:21.060 Apostle Paul says, be anxious for nothing. And so if 0:21:21.060 --> 0:21:25.540 you find yourself in a moment of anxiety, especially because 0:21:25.740 --> 0:21:31.100 you're having family dynamics that aren't going well or because 0:21:31.100 --> 0:21:34.660 you're not getting along with another person, or because there's 0:21:34.660 --> 0:21:37.979 some undealt with issues, then I want to pause right now, 0:21:37.980 --> 0:21:39.780 and I want to pray with you, but I want 0:21:39.820 --> 0:21:43.100 to challenge you before I pray. I want to challenge 0:21:43.100 --> 0:21:48.899 you that you would put into practice what God says. Yeah, 0:21:48.940 --> 0:21:52.620 pray about the situation. But he says with thanksgiving, so 0:21:52.619 --> 0:21:56.500 start thanking God for what he's already doing. Begin to 0:21:56.540 --> 0:21:59.590 bless him that he's in control and it says the 0:21:59.630 --> 0:22:02.350 peace of God will start to descend. So, father, I 0:22:02.350 --> 0:22:05.590 pray for that person right now that is just stressed 0:22:06.270 --> 0:22:10.350 over relational tension. I pray for that person right now 0:22:10.350 --> 0:22:14.149 that is anxious because they have a situation at work 0:22:14.150 --> 0:22:17.350 that they're not sure how to solve, or because they 0:22:17.350 --> 0:22:24.270 have tension with their spouse or siblings or sons or daughters. God, 0:22:24.270 --> 0:22:27.070 I pray in Jesus name that they would pause right 0:22:27.070 --> 0:22:29.270 now and that they would give it to you and 0:22:29.270 --> 0:22:34.270 start thanking you for your involvement, thanking you for what 0:22:34.270 --> 0:22:36.870 is right. And I pray God that you would redirect 0:22:36.869 --> 0:22:40.030 their thoughts to those things that are pure and good, 0:22:40.030 --> 0:22:43.389 that they would change the channels. I pray for peace 0:22:43.869 --> 0:22:47.430 where there's been worry, stress and anxiety and we ask 0:22:47.430 --> 0:22:49.710 this in Jesus name. Amen. 0:22:50.070 --> 0:22:54.310 Amen. Thank you Mark. We'll continue talking about untangling relationships 0:22:54.310 --> 0:22:58.030 Monday with our next message called the Trap of Unforgiveness. 0:22:58.030 --> 0:23:01.470 So make plans to join us then. But over the weekend, 0:23:01.470 --> 0:23:03.870 we encourage you to check out our sister program, which 0:23:03.869 --> 0:23:08.310 is heard Saturdays or Sundays or at Bold Steps weekend. Org. 0:23:08.630 --> 0:23:11.190 It's your chance to dive into a powerful, fresh new 0:23:11.190 --> 0:23:15.350 study titled When You Believe Everything Changes by Pastor Mark Jobe. 0:23:15.630 --> 0:23:18.510 The study will challenge and inspire you as Mark explores 0:23:18.510 --> 0:23:21.990 how our faith in Christ transforms every aspect of our lives, 0:23:21.990 --> 0:23:25.830 from relationships to circumstances and even our perspective on life's 0:23:25.830 --> 0:23:29.990 biggest challenges. You'll gain practical insight and encouragement that can 0:23:29.990 --> 0:23:32.750 help you step into a new season of bold faith. 0:23:32.950 --> 0:23:35.470 So don't miss out on this uplifting message that could 0:23:35.470 --> 0:23:38.350 change the way you approach your life. To find out 0:23:38.350 --> 0:23:40.910 when and where you can hear Bold Steps weekend, just 0:23:40.910 --> 0:23:45.109 go to our website Bold Steps on our homepage. You 0:23:45.109 --> 0:23:47.470 can also check out our brand new Bold Step Gift, 0:23:47.590 --> 0:23:51.750 a book that we really want to send to every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, 0:23:51.750 --> 0:23:54.590 or mentor of young boys. Let me ask you, do 0:23:54.590 --> 0:23:56.869 the boys in your life believe they're too young to 0:23:56.910 --> 0:24:00.040 make a difference? Are they convinced that reading the Bible 0:24:00.040 --> 0:24:02.560 isn't for them? Well, these are just two of the 0:24:02.560 --> 0:24:06.880 dangerous lies tackled in lies. Boys believe written by parents 0:24:06.880 --> 0:24:10.520 of four boys, this engaging resource helps young men separate 0:24:10.560 --> 0:24:13.680 truth from fiction in a way that captures their imagination 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:16.640 and speaks to their hearts through an engaging story of 0:24:16.640 --> 0:24:20.199 adventure and discovery. This bold step gift equips boys to 0:24:20.240 --> 0:24:24.560 recognize lies and stand firm in God's truth. So reach 0:24:24.560 --> 0:24:27.320 out today and request a copy of Lies Boys believe 0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:29.480 when you give a gift of any amount to support 0:24:29.480 --> 0:24:33.840 bold steps, just call us at 800 D.L. Moody. That's 0:24:33.840 --> 0:24:40.840 (800) 356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps. You can also 0:24:40.840 --> 0:24:44.280 send your gift through the mail to Bold Steps. 820 0:24:44.320 --> 0:24:49.959 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. And right now, 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:52.560 we'd also like to invite you to become a bold partner. 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:55.360 A bold partner is someone who supports this ministry with 0:24:55.359 --> 0:24:58.560 a monthly financial gift. You set the amount that works 0:24:58.560 --> 0:25:01.240 best for you and your family, and you become part 0:25:01.240 --> 0:25:03.960 of the Bold Steps family, helping us spread the truth 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:07.320 of God's Word across the globe all year long. With 0:25:07.320 --> 0:25:09.560 your gift as a bold partner, we'll send you some 0:25:09.560 --> 0:25:13.040 special bonuses like a signed copy of Mark's book unstuck. 0:25:13.320 --> 0:25:16.560 There's access to our Bold Partner post, and when your 0:25:16.560 --> 0:25:20.080 gift is $30 or more each month, you'll receive a 50% 0:25:20.080 --> 0:25:23.840 discount on all items at the Moody Publishers online store. 0:25:24.359 --> 0:25:27.400 Signing up is simple and easy. Just visit Bold steps. 0:25:29.960 --> 0:25:32.840 I'm Wayne Shepherd wishing you a wonderful weekend. Make plans 0:25:32.840 --> 0:25:35.240 to join us again Monday when Mark continues our series 0:25:35.240 --> 0:25:39.160 on untangling relationships with a new message titled The Trap 0:25:39.160 --> 0:25:43.040 of Unforgiveness. That's coming up Monday right here on Bold 0:25:43.040 --> 0:25:47.679 Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of 0:25:47.720 --> 0:25:50.920 Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.