Series: The Power of an Alliance with God

January 14, 2024

The Power of Sensing Peace
Philippians 4:6-7
Matthew 6:25-34
Part 2 of 10

I've started a series on, "The Power of an

Alliance."
This is a picture where you and I are reaching out to
God's hand as a covenant of relationships by
obeying Him. In other words, we're saying to God,
"I'm willing to give to you, to surrender
totally to you and become a partner of yours
and let you do something special in my life."

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We live in a world that is bogged down with worry
and stress.
That's why I want to talk to you about peace.

“Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you

something to do, but never get you
anywhere.”

In the Bible we find practical advice about peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
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We need to do two things if we are to receive God's
peace.

My responsibility:
Two things

1. We are to pray for everything.

This sentence sums up how wonderful God is:

“There is nothing too great for God’s power.

There is nothing too small for God’s care.”

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I think many of us know that God can meet our big
needs, but sometimes we fail to bring the little
things to Him.

Paul tells us that if we really want to have peace, we

have to learn to pray in all things.
The problem is many of us will not bring our
concerns until they have snowballed into a huge
ordeal.

There are three types of people in life.

Three types of people:

1) Those who bring nothing to God in

prayer.
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In other words, they say, “I can deal with this or I
can fix this problem without God."

2) Those who bring something to God in

prayer.

The vast majority of believers fall into this category.

We bring some things to God in prayer, but not all
of them.

3) Those who bring everything to God in

prayer.

The way to not worry about anything is to take

everything to God in prayer. Paul is saying that if
there is something that bothers you, then take it to
God in prayer.
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 2. We are to be thankful.

The spirit of thankfulness always appears in the

scriptures that speak of peace.

Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since
as members of one body you were called to
peace. And be thankful.
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all
wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from
the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your
hearts.

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17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through him.

A thankful heart implies…

1) Gratitude.

2) Perspective.
A person with a grateful heart in the midst of
problems has a clear perspective on life.

3) Maturity.
It is the ability to live above the emotional
rollercoaster of life.

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 4) Submission.

In other words, it's a picture of us reaching out to

God and saying, "Lord, I'm in the midst of a
painful problem but I'm grateful." This is
giving God absolute control of your life.

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God’s responsibility:

God will bless you with peace…

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 1) That no one can completely
understand.

2) That will protect the way you think and

feel.

Remember this…

The love of God desires only what is best for

us.
The wisdom of God knows only what is best
for us.

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The power of God allows only what is best
for us.

Canto: Abel I. Ledezma: Paz, Paz cuan dulce

paz.

Five Steps to Inner Peace:

Matthew 6:25-34

1. Relax yourself.

Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the
body more than clothes?

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Jesus tells us: Relax! Life is more than the things
that consume our time. Many times we worry more
about things that are meaningless, than about life
itself.

2. Value yourself.

Matthew 6:26, 28-30 (NIV)

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or
reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how

the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or
spin.
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29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little
faith?

We need to value the life God has given us.

3. Accept yourself.

Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to
your life?

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We need to accept ourselves the way God has
accepted us.

A study done by 104 psychologists on the different

stages of life:

Timetable for anxiety by years:

At 18 years old - Identity.

At 20 years old - Appearances.

At 23 years old - Good Impression.

At 26 years old - Career.

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At 30 years old - Salary.

At 33 years old - Job Security.

At 38 years old - Children.

At 41 years old - Purpose in life.

At 45 years old or more - Health.

When you accept yourself, you'll worry less.

4. Focus yourself.

1) Focus yourself when you are worried.

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Matthew 6:31 (NIV)
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

Worry many times is the result of the having the

wrong focus.

2) Focus yourself on God.

Matthew 6:32 (NIV)

For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them.

¿Por qué nos preocupamos si en verdad

conocemos y nos enfocamos en Dios?

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“Every evening I turn my worries over to
God… He’s going to be up all night anyway.”
Mary Crowley

3) Focus yourself on today.

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.

One day at a time:

Today is all you have.

Today is all you need.

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Today is all you can handle.

5. Consecrate yourself.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.

Formula for peace:

Put God first in every area.
Receive God’s peace in every area.

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“The only place in life you can’t have peace is
the place in your life that you have not
surrendered to God.”

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