WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:04.129 How much would you pay someone if they could 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:08.509 absolutely guarantee a solution to all your worries? 00:00:08.689 --> 00:00:11.609 In other words, you would never, ever have to 00:00:11.609 --> 00:00:14.910 worry again about anything. Does this sound impossible? 00:00:15.429 --> 00:00:23.170 It's not, and that's today. Welcome to this edition 00:00:23.170 --> 00:00:26.539 of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:29.280 is to inspire Christians to be genuine followers 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.219 of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple 00:00:32.219 --> 00:00:35.060 -makers in our world. Thanks for joining us as 00:00:35.060 --> 00:00:38.219 we continue our series, I Choose Peace, How to 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:41.179 Quiet Your Heart in the Chaos of Life. Today, 00:00:41.259 --> 00:00:43.380 Chip dives into one of the more notable passages 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:45.920 in the New Testament and reveals that even in 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:48.380 the most painful, agonizing seasons of life, 00:00:48.500 --> 00:00:51.789 we can have supernatural peace. So if you're 00:00:51.789 --> 00:00:54.270 ready to experience that, go to Philippians chapter 00:00:54.270 --> 00:00:57.990 4, verse 6, as we settle in for Chip's talk in 00:00:57.990 --> 00:01:03.670 anxious moments. It is well with my soul. It 00:01:03.670 --> 00:01:08.209 is well with my soul. You can't sing a song like 00:01:08.209 --> 00:01:11.209 that and not pause just to ask, how's it going 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:14.269 with your soul? I mean, is it well? When you 00:01:14.269 --> 00:01:18.310 think of the fears, the frustrations, the thoughts 00:01:18.310 --> 00:01:24.180 about the future. How are you doing? Song's really 00:01:24.180 --> 00:01:26.299 powerful, but the story behind it might be more 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:31.340 powerful. It was first sung in 1876. It was written 00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:35.000 by Horatio Spadford. He was an attorney that 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.459 did well in investments in Chicago. He was a 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.599 close personal friend of a guy named D .L. Moody, 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:43.120 who was an evangelist of an earlier century. 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:48.519 In 1871, There was a fire in Chicago. It's called 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:51.900 the Great Chicago Fire. And he lost almost all 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:54.620 of his holdings, all of investments. So any of 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:56.799 you that have ever gone broke, that's where he 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:00.939 was. And as he began to build his life up again, 00:02:01.099 --> 00:02:03.579 he just felt like, you know, we need to pause 00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:05.579 for a moment. He said to his wife, and he had 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:08.099 four daughters, I want you to get on the ship. 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:10.120 We'll all go together. Let's get a couple months 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:13.069 away to get perspective in Europe. I was just 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:15.330 ready to get on the ship, and there was a zoning 00:02:15.330 --> 00:02:18.009 problem with some property, and so he had to 00:02:18.009 --> 00:02:19.949 stay behind for a few days. He says, I'll catch 00:02:19.949 --> 00:02:24.430 the next ship. It is now a famous telegraph. 00:02:24.590 --> 00:02:27.110 The ship with his wife and his four daughters 00:02:27.110 --> 00:02:30.669 was hit by another ship at sea. It went down, 00:02:30.729 --> 00:02:33.969 and he received from his wife a telegram that 00:02:33.969 --> 00:02:38.710 says, saved alone. All four of his daughters 00:02:38.710 --> 00:02:43.750 died in that shipwreck. A very few weeks later, 00:02:43.810 --> 00:02:48.169 he was on a second ship to meet his wife. And 00:02:48.169 --> 00:02:50.590 when he came to the place where the two ships 00:02:50.590 --> 00:02:53.169 collided, the captain brought him and said, this 00:02:53.169 --> 00:02:55.229 is about the place where you lost your daughters. 00:02:56.030 --> 00:02:59.710 And the words that we sang earlier is as he looked 00:02:59.710 --> 00:03:02.990 out over the ocean with the spirit of God speaking 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:06.370 into the deepest parts of his hurt and his pain 00:03:06.370 --> 00:03:11.629 and his loss, he said, when peace like a river. 00:03:13.710 --> 00:03:18.310 It's well with my soul. Like see billows roll. 00:03:19.069 --> 00:03:22.849 It is well with my soul. And I don't know about 00:03:22.849 --> 00:03:26.210 you, but it seems humanly impossible to lose 00:03:26.210 --> 00:03:28.889 everything financially, lose four of your daughters, 00:03:28.930 --> 00:03:32.889 and to honestly and sincerely say, it is well 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:36.949 with your soul. And yet, if you'll notice on 00:03:36.949 --> 00:03:39.150 the front of your teaching handout, that is exactly 00:03:39.150 --> 00:03:42.439 what Jesus promised his early disciples. and 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:45.960 Horatio Spafford is just one person among millions 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:48.740 over the last couple millennia, have experienced 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:52.759 the Spirit of God to do something inside of them 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:56.819 that is beyond any human understanding. The last 00:03:56.819 --> 00:03:59.099 night Jesus with his disciples said to them, 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.740 I have told you these things so that in me that 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:04.060 you might have peace. In the world you'll have 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:09.139 trouble, tribulations, but take heart, I have 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:13.120 overcome the world. This isn't theory here. We've 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:16.899 had 10 memorial services in the last 30 days 00:04:16.899 --> 00:04:20.800 in our church. There's people all around you 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.220 that have lost a mom, a dad, a grandpa, a child. 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:27.720 And that's not unique. Everyone in this room, 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:32.019 right? We have our issues. But we can choose 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:35.319 peace. But how do you choose peace in moments 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:38.660 of extraordinary anxiety? That's what we're going 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:41.420 to learn. As we do, sometimes you have to learn 00:04:41.420 --> 00:04:43.040 a little bit about the problem before you can 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:45.339 solve it. So let's do a little research together. 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:49.180 What exactly is anxiety? A textbook definition, 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:53.680 it's uneasiness, apprehension, dread, concern, 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:57.360 tension, restlessness, and worry. The anxious 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:01.339 individual often anticipates misfortune, danger, 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:04.819 or doom. We don't need that definition. That 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:07.060 kind of describes where a lot of us are multiple 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:09.980 times a week at times. The biblical word for 00:05:09.980 --> 00:05:13.759 anxiety literally means to take thought. It can 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:16.079 be used in a positive way like taking thought 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.740 for something positively, but mostly it's used 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:21.279 in the New Testament for taking thought as being 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:23.620 obsessed with something. You can't get your mind 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:26.279 off of it. The German word comes from the word 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:29.600 to choke or to strangle, and anxiety at its heart 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:32.139 has the idea inside your mind of being pulled 00:05:32.139 --> 00:05:35.699 in two different directions. What makes us anxious 00:05:35.699 --> 00:05:39.040 or causes it is fear of the future. This is probably 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.279 the most common one. Fear of failure, fear of 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:43.459 another terrorist attack, fear of an economic 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:45.879 downturn, fear that your kids won't turn out 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:47.639 right, fear you'll be single the rest of your 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:49.759 life, fear that the marriage that you're in is 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:51.759 never going to get any better, fear of rejection, 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:55.220 fear of abandonment, you name it. For others, 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:57.379 anxiety is produced by conflict in the present, 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:00.220 conflict in your marriage, conflict with a friend, 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:03.060 conflict at work, conflict with a neighbor, conflict 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:05.860 with one of your kids, conflict with your in 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:09.870 -laws. A third cause for anxiety is, in the past, 00:06:09.870 --> 00:06:12.930 regret. There's times when things are just going 00:06:12.930 --> 00:06:14.509 well and you're just driving in your car and 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:19.509 out of the blue, you remember, oh my, what you 00:06:19.509 --> 00:06:22.209 did back then that you hope no one ever finds 00:06:22.209 --> 00:06:24.410 out. Or for some of us, we came to know Christ 00:06:24.410 --> 00:06:27.509 later in life and we made some mistakes and there's 00:06:27.509 --> 00:06:29.670 issues with some of our kids or some things about 00:06:29.670 --> 00:06:32.410 our life that we can't change and we just start 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:35.540 getting overwhelmed with, I blew it, I blew it, 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:39.620 I blew it, and it produces this anxiety. Anxiety 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:45.639 isn't just a little thing to take a pill. Anxiety 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:50.439 can ruin your life. I have a friend who's a professor, 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.759 a medical doctor, and he wrote a textbook on 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:58.040 psychological disorders. Here's a list of things 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:02.279 that anxiety produces in us mentally, spiritually, 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:07.600 and emotionally. makes people hyper -alert, irritable, 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:11.160 fidgety, over -dependent, insomnia, talkative, 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:15.019 poor memory, fainting episodes, excessive perspiration, 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:17.759 muscle tension, headaches, including migraines, 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:21.040 quivering voice, hyperventilation, abdominal 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.819 pain, nausea, diarrhea, high blood pressure. 00:07:25.019 --> 00:07:26.860 I don't know about you, but that list alone tells 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:28.560 me I don't know how to get rid of anxiety, but 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:30.839 I want to get rid of it in a hurry, right? So 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:33.240 that's the issue. How do you overcome anxiety? 00:07:33.899 --> 00:07:36.300 There's many of you this last week, you woke 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:40.060 up at 2 .11 and then 3 .05 or 4 .07 and you're 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:42.199 thinking about the future and your mind, it goes 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:44.319 over and over and over again and you're very 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:46.379 fearful about something or you're in conflict 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:48.579 with someone and the stomach acid is going around. 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:52.699 How does that change? That's what we're gonna 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:55.720 learn. Open your notes. I wanna tell you that 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:59.519 you simply do not have to live as an anxious 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:04.060 person. It is possible to absolutely be at peace 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:07.319 in the midst of horrendous, difficult, and uncertain 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:12.779 times. Jesus promised it. My peace I give to 00:08:12.779 --> 00:08:15.680 you. You might jot on the very top of your notes 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:19.980 1 Peter 5 -7. Peter would make a command and 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:23.319 he would say, cast all your burdens upon the 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.160 Lord because he cares for you. And the burdens 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.939 are cares. It's the picture of like a 9 or 10 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:32.139 -year -old boy coming home on Friday, and he's 00:08:32.139 --> 00:08:34.360 got his backpack, and he takes his backpack, 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:36.519 and he throws it to the corner and goes, wow, 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:40.879 no homework. Weekend. Literally. And you know 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.379 what? He doesn't go in and go, oh, I wonder if 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:46.919 I've got something to do later. He's 8 years 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:49.879 old. He just takes it off. There's no homework. 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:52.580 Man, it's going to be fun. That's the picture 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.360 of... casting all your burdens on the Lord. Why? 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:59.600 He really cares for you. You give your problems, 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:02.259 your struggles, and anxiety to a personal God 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:05.419 who is in control, who's all wise, who's loving, 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:08.059 who's powerful, and you're the object of his 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:11.840 affection. And in Philippians chapter four, verses 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:15.379 six and seven, he will give you a specific game 00:09:15.379 --> 00:09:21.379 plan that every time anxiety comes, and knocks 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:24.899 on the door of your heart, this game plan will 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:27.460 teach you that prayer can answer the door and 00:09:27.460 --> 00:09:30.340 you can run into your father's arms and God will 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:32.639 give peace. You're going to learn that every 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:35.440 time anxiety knocks on the door of your heart, 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.940 that you literally can let prayer answer it and 00:09:39.940 --> 00:09:42.100 then run into your father's arms. You're going 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:45.659 to learn. Do I need to say it again? I want you 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:48.440 to read the text silently as I read it out loud. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.659 Command, do not be anxious about anything. Second 00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:55.820 command, but in every situation by prayer and 00:09:55.820 --> 00:09:58.820 petition with thanksgiving, present your request 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:02.679 to God. Promise, and the peace of God, which 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:05.720 transcends all understanding, will guard your 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:09.500 hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now, if 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:12.240 you're a little bit new, we study the Bible together, 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:14.399 and so one of the questions we always ask before 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:16.620 we make application is, what does it actually 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:20.200 say? And by that, you need to make some observations. 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:22.960 The Word of God is living and active, sharper 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:25.940 than a two -edged sword, and it's truth. The 00:10:25.940 --> 00:10:28.539 second question is after, what does it say? Well, 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:31.100 what does it actually mean? What did it mean 00:10:31.100 --> 00:10:33.480 to its first century hearers, and what does it 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:36.019 mean to us? And then the last question that's 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:39.100 most important is, so, God, what do you want 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:41.700 me to do? How do I put this into practice? So 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:44.279 often, at least when I study, I will outline 00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:46.320 the text. What I've laid out here for, I call 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:49.509 it a mechanical outline. Just like when you study 00:10:49.509 --> 00:10:52.470 a poem or study Shakespeare and you want to grammatically 00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:54.669 see what's happening in it. So what I've done 00:10:54.669 --> 00:10:56.389 is I've taken it in the original language and 00:10:56.389 --> 00:10:58.269 I've just literally put it in order so you can 00:10:58.269 --> 00:11:00.250 see the grammar. You don't need to know the original 00:11:00.250 --> 00:11:03.029 language, but in this particular case, it's interesting 00:11:03.029 --> 00:11:05.590 that he takes a word completely out of order 00:11:05.590 --> 00:11:09.289 to make his point. So notice, just when I lay 00:11:09.289 --> 00:11:11.950 it, the first command is nothing be anxious about. 00:11:12.090 --> 00:11:14.710 If you have a pen, put a little arrow and write 00:11:14.710 --> 00:11:17.159 negative command in your notes. In other words, 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:21.159 we're commanded, literally, it's stop being anxious. 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:24.440 Stop worrying. It's not just a little thing. 00:11:25.299 --> 00:11:28.679 It eats up your soul. It ruins your emotions. 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.960 It thwarts your relationships. It chokes the 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:35.299 life out of you. Stop worrying. And if it's a 00:11:35.299 --> 00:11:37.500 command, that means there's got to be power and 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:41.240 a way to obey this command. Notice the positive 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:44.639 command. But in everything, He's going to give 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:47.320 us four specific words for prayer. After the 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.340 everything, put an arrow and put positive command. 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.620 In everything, by prayer, petition, with thanksgiving, 00:11:53.799 --> 00:11:56.799 the request of you be made known unto God. There 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:59.000 are four words in the New Testament for prayer. 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.899 All four of them are right here. Here's what 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:05.159 I want you to know. When anxiety knocks on the 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:07.899 door of your heart, let prayer answer it, but 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:10.600 not just any kind of prayer. He's going to give 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.539 you a very clear, using all four words, there's 00:12:13.539 --> 00:12:17.639 a specific way to pray that when you're anxious. 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.399 When you're fearful, when the stomach acid starts, 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:24.159 when you are awake and can't fall back to sleep, 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:27.139 when you have these scenarios where you're projecting 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:29.299 into the future how terrible and what's going 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:31.340 to happen, and that's your job, and your kids 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:32.960 aren't going to turn out right, and this is going 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:34.659 to happen, and your marriage will never get better, 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:36.379 and this thing at work is never going to change, 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:38.240 and the health issue is always going to go from 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:40.720 bad to worse. Once you start down that track, 00:12:40.980 --> 00:12:45.399 there's a kind and there's a way to pray that 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:49.879 the Spirit of God will go. Hush. In fact, notice 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:53.059 what the promise is. The promise is that when 00:12:53.059 --> 00:12:56.440 you pray, petition with thanksgiving, and you 00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:59.399 make your request known to God, the peace of 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:03.580 God that's beyond human understanding will guard 00:13:03.580 --> 00:13:06.419 your heart and your thoughts or literally your 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:09.919 minds. Circle the word guard. If you've ever 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.460 seen the little commercial, I like this commercial. 00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:15.480 It's the one where the guy's in the bank. And 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:17.519 the robbers come in and everyone's on the floor. 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:19.899 And the lady looks up and says, do something. 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:22.139 He goes, oh, I'm not a security guard. I'm a 00:13:22.139 --> 00:13:24.919 security monitor. I'm just monitoring. There's 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:30.120 a problem here. That's this word. He says, when 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:35.279 you pray like this, the spirit of God that gives 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:37.700 you a sense of peace and calm will literally 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:40.759 guard the deepest parts of your life and your 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:43.700 thinking. And in fact, what we're going to learn 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:46.899 is there's times when you lose your peace, when 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:50.679 you realize there's something wrong, that actually 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:52.940 it's like the red light on the dashboard of the 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:55.820 car. And what it tells you is that there's something 00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:58.399 wrong under the hood. When you lose your peace, 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:00.759 there's something about your abiding in Christ, 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:04.340 your focus, your mind, your trust is off of Christ 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:06.980 and onto something else. And your loss of peace 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:11.379 is like, and it says he'll act as like an arbitrator. 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:15.730 a monitor, so that you can get back in line. 00:14:17.190 --> 00:14:19.870 You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:22.169 Ingram. We'll get back to today's message in 00:14:22.169 --> 00:14:24.370 just a minute. But first, if you're wanting to 00:14:24.370 --> 00:14:26.990 do a deeper study of Philippians chapter 4 with 00:14:26.990 --> 00:14:30.029 Chip, check out his popular book, I Choose Peace. 00:14:30.269 --> 00:14:32.649 You'll discover how to willfully and purposely 00:14:32.649 --> 00:14:36.049 choose the peace that only God can offer. Stick 00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:38.929 around after the broadcast to learn more. Well, 00:14:38.990 --> 00:14:41.990 with that, here again is Chip. With that, let's 00:14:41.990 --> 00:14:45.129 get to the application. Negatively, there's a 00:14:45.129 --> 00:14:47.509 command. We've looked at them negatively and 00:14:47.509 --> 00:14:49.509 positively. You'll notice there's four key words, 00:14:49.590 --> 00:14:52.450 but it's the how and there's the promise, which 00:14:52.450 --> 00:14:54.809 is the why. In your notes where it says negatively, 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:57.889 I would like you to write, stop worrying about 00:14:57.889 --> 00:15:03.730 anything. Part of how our minds work, we see 00:15:03.730 --> 00:15:07.500 it, we say it, we write it, it sticks. I just 00:15:07.500 --> 00:15:10.000 saw a study by Harvard University recently that 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:12.899 talked about those graduates that actually wrote 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:16.320 down their goals were 80 % more likely to succeed. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.600 I want you to write down, stop worrying. Don't 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:21.320 just sit here and listen. You're not passive. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:23.639 This is about your life today in this moment. 00:15:23.899 --> 00:15:27.100 Second, where it says positive command, I want 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:31.490 you to write, pray about everything. Because 00:15:31.490 --> 00:15:33.929 we're going to, here's the thing. Some of us 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:36.169 have practiced being anxious most of our lives. 00:15:36.490 --> 00:15:39.409 We learned it from our parents. Almost everyone 00:15:39.409 --> 00:15:43.110 does it. We think that what you do, you know, 00:15:43.149 --> 00:15:45.149 when you worry is you take a pill for this, a 00:15:45.149 --> 00:15:48.210 pill for that. When you feel uptight, we'll turn 00:15:48.210 --> 00:15:50.730 on the TV. For others, when you lose your peace, 00:15:50.830 --> 00:15:53.750 you go shopping. For others, you know, it's been 00:15:53.750 --> 00:15:55.509 really tough and you're uptight about things 00:15:55.509 --> 00:15:57.309 and you're wondering. So, you know, one glass 00:15:57.309 --> 00:15:58.710 of wine made you feel a little bit better and 00:15:58.710 --> 00:16:00.799 about three makes you feel a lot better. Some 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:02.580 of you had a prescription for some back pain. 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:04.840 And when you get uptight now, you actually take 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:06.440 some of those pills, even though your back pain 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:10.000 was months ago gone and better. For others, some 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:11.700 of us, it's maybe a little bit more healthy. 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:14.759 You just work. The moment you feel anxious, you 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:16.460 just start working because you feel like you're 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:20.139 in control. At the heart of anxiety is life is 00:16:20.139 --> 00:16:23.120 out of control and I can't handle this. So you 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:26.240 do something that gives you pseudo peace. For 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:28.850 many of us. It's just a trip to the refrigerator 00:16:28.850 --> 00:16:32.169 when we're not really in need of calories. But 00:16:32.169 --> 00:16:35.669 there's something about a bag of chips, a bag 00:16:35.669 --> 00:16:39.889 of popcorn, some chocolate that just makes you 00:16:39.889 --> 00:16:42.370 feel better for what? Right? 15 to 30 minutes. 00:16:43.330 --> 00:16:45.669 There's all kind of ways that we address our 00:16:45.669 --> 00:16:49.330 anxiety. Most of them aren't very helpful. And 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:51.769 then when we do a lot of those things, some of 00:16:51.769 --> 00:16:54.429 you log on and surf. Some of you spend mindless 00:16:54.429 --> 00:16:57.240 hours, not because you want to or need to. Because 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:00.379 it's just a distraction. Is there something wrong 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:02.200 inherently with doing some of those things? Absolutely 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:05.779 not. But when I'm doing that, because what I'm 00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:08.559 really trying to do is get my mind off of this 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:12.920 gnawing anxiety, you're not letting the peace 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:16.039 of Christ rule in your heart and in your mind. 00:17:16.299 --> 00:17:20.839 I mean, my confession is, my anxiety, you know, 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:25.599 ESPN. Somehow watching other people play games 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:28.059 makes me feel better for a half hour or get into 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:33.440 my work or go work out. Bad? Evil? I don't think 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:38.319 so. But when I do it, instead of letting prayer 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:40.819 answer the door and let God work in my life, 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:44.940 my heart, neither wise nor profitable. Now, what 00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:47.500 I want you to see is that prayer answers the 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:49.400 door, but it's a very specific kind of prayer. 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:54.569 Like you, I have lots of challenges with anxiety. 00:17:54.750 --> 00:17:57.430 I think we all do. And I think God would say, 00:17:57.589 --> 00:18:02.910 okay, I want to teach you a way to pray. Because 00:18:02.910 --> 00:18:05.549 I felt very anxious and, oh God, help, help, 00:18:05.609 --> 00:18:09.529 help. God, God, God. And then I just pick up 00:18:09.529 --> 00:18:11.650 the backpack and put the burdens right back on. 00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:14.650 So I want to walk through these four specific 00:18:14.650 --> 00:18:18.849 words. You practice this. And you do not have 00:18:18.849 --> 00:18:21.049 to be anxious. The first word is prayer. It's 00:18:21.049 --> 00:18:22.769 the most common word of the New Testament in 00:18:22.769 --> 00:18:25.809 prayer. It has the idea of turning in the moment 00:18:25.809 --> 00:18:28.769 you feel anxious, it's turning my thoughts and 00:18:28.769 --> 00:18:32.269 my feelings upward. It's getting an upward focus. 00:18:32.569 --> 00:18:36.029 It's adoration. It's pausing and recognizing, 00:18:36.130 --> 00:18:38.809 wait a second, in the midst of these struggles 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:42.109 right now, I want to get my focus on who is God? 00:18:43.869 --> 00:18:49.710 Worship. I actually have more than a few struggles 00:18:49.710 --> 00:18:54.529 with anxiety. I tend to juggle a few more balls 00:18:54.529 --> 00:18:56.990 than I can really juggle, trying to accomplish 00:18:56.990 --> 00:19:01.069 more than I'm really capable of. And as a result 00:19:01.069 --> 00:19:02.930 of that, you know, I don't know about you, but 00:19:02.930 --> 00:19:06.869 you can wake up. And if you wake up, and as you're 00:19:06.869 --> 00:19:08.410 waking up, the first thoughts in your mind is, 00:19:08.450 --> 00:19:09.650 what about this? And what about that meeting? 00:19:09.789 --> 00:19:11.470 And what about this? And what are my kids over 00:19:11.470 --> 00:19:14.549 here? And then if you get up out of bed, watch 00:19:14.549 --> 00:19:16.369 your face, and if you pick up your phone, oh 00:19:16.369 --> 00:19:20.440 my gosh. It dials down 77 points, and I'll just 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:22.559 check my email while I'm walking to make coffee. 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:25.140 Oh, my gosh. You know what you're setting yourself 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:29.339 up for? Disaster. The first thing you need to 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:32.740 do in the morning, every morning, either Psalm 00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:34.960 23 or the Lord's Prayer, before I get out of 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:37.779 bed, I realize, God, if I don't see life through 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:40.079 your lens, I'm going to be in trouble because 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:42.319 I know this life is going to bring more challenges. 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:45.420 Just the ones I know about, they're more than 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:48.400 I can handle. And it's interesting, when Jesus 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:50.579 taught his disciples to pray, what did he say? 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:55.660 When you pray, say, our Father. Oh. So in the 00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:58.059 midst of all the craziness of the world, the 00:19:58.059 --> 00:20:00.099 one who created all that there is, the one who 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:02.059 sent his son to die for you and rise from the 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:04.299 dead, the one who's the sovereign king, who's 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:06.619 all -wise, all -powerful, and all -knowing of 00:20:06.619 --> 00:20:09.359 every circumstance, real, possible, and potential, 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:14.700 he's your Papa. And say to him, who art in heaven? 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:18.359 You're not pulled into this or that. You're the 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:21.900 creator. You're in control. Holy is your name. 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:26.299 I can know 100 % of the time that God will never 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:29.680 lie to me. God's always going to be pure. His 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:34.039 intentions. So it's this moment where you pause 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:38.900 and you get a high, clear view of God. When anxiety 00:20:38.900 --> 00:20:41.359 knocks at the door of your heart, let prayer 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:45.150 answer it. And the first prayer is, Worship and 00:20:45.150 --> 00:20:51.650 adoration. This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:20:51.650 --> 00:20:53.630 Ingram, and you've been listening to part one 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:56.170 of Chip's message in anxious moments from our 00:20:56.170 --> 00:20:59.410 series, I Choose Peace. Chip will be back shortly 00:20:59.410 --> 00:21:01.809 to share some helpful application for us to think 00:21:01.809 --> 00:21:04.490 about. What's weighing on your mind right now? 00:21:04.670 --> 00:21:06.930 Financial uncertainty? A tense relationship? 00:21:07.309 --> 00:21:10.630 Or is it just the grind of everyday life? Whatever 00:21:10.630 --> 00:21:13.069 it is that's robbing you of your peace, let me 00:21:13.069 --> 00:21:16.049 tell you there's an antidote. Through this practical 00:21:16.049 --> 00:21:18.930 study in Philippians chapter 4, Chip will teach 00:21:18.930 --> 00:21:21.529 us how to access the peace of God, which can 00:21:21.529 --> 00:21:24.690 restore, calm, and encourage your soul, no matter 00:21:24.690 --> 00:21:27.069 what may be happening around you. You're not 00:21:27.069 --> 00:21:28.970 going to want to miss a single program of this 00:21:28.970 --> 00:21:31.650 series. Well, Chip's back with me in studio. 00:21:31.730 --> 00:21:34.549 And Chip, we've all experienced seasons of turmoil 00:21:34.549 --> 00:21:37.230 and discouragement. So if you would, take a minute 00:21:37.230 --> 00:21:39.410 and talk about a time you struggled to hold on 00:21:39.410 --> 00:21:41.569 to peace and maybe give a word of encouragement 00:21:41.569 --> 00:21:44.450 to those who are struggling right now. Be glad 00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:47.430 today for me, and I'm sure for many of our listeners, 00:21:47.609 --> 00:21:50.750 when I really think of a super challenging time 00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:52.950 that I lost my peace, it was during the pandemic. 00:21:53.170 --> 00:21:56.319 Right. The isolation. And being distanced from 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:58.740 family was difficult. But the bigger problem 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:02.180 was I was filling my mind with how broad is this 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:04.519 pandemic and what do we do and what are the scientists 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:07.380 saying? And I was glued to the television. And 00:22:07.380 --> 00:22:11.059 I usually am very, very careful about what I 00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:14.680 put in my mind. But during that season, I watched 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:17.440 more news and I took in more negative information. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.519 And all of a sudden, I found myself getting discouraged. 00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:24.940 And then I got downright depressed. And as I 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:26.960 got depressed, I realized, wait a minute, Chip, 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.599 you wrote a book about peace and you don't have 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:31.920 any right now. Even though I was reading the 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:35.440 Bible in the morning, my diet was like so overwhelmingly 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:38.440 negative. And it's not that we need to shut our 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:41.920 minds off, Dave, but I needed to detox. And so 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:44.660 I went on a media fast. I took a couple passages 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:47.299 that were near and dear to me and I reviewed 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:51.440 them and memorized them. And as I did, I really 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:54.380 begin to experience that peace that dwells within 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:57.420 me by the Holy Spirit. And what I tell people 00:22:57.420 --> 00:22:59.660 is that just because you write a book or just 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:01.859 because you know something, that doesn't mean 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:04.140 you're always practicing it. And so what I would 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:06.099 say for those that are struggling with peace, 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:09.099 this book, I Choose Peace, has really helped 00:23:09.099 --> 00:23:11.259 me personally, and I think it'll be a great value 00:23:11.259 --> 00:23:13.849 to you. Good word, Chip. Well, to learn more 00:23:13.849 --> 00:23:16.069 about this practical and insightful resource, 00:23:16.369 --> 00:23:22.230 visit livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003. 00:23:22.470 --> 00:23:25.170 If you're desperate to quiet the worries of your 00:23:25.170 --> 00:23:28.089 heart and the anxieties of this world and experience 00:23:28.089 --> 00:23:30.750 genuine peace, you got to check out this book. 00:23:30.950 --> 00:23:35.930 So go to livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 00:23:35.930 --> 00:23:41.539 -6003 to get your copy of I Choose Peace. special 00:23:41.539 --> 00:23:44.380 offers. Well, with that, here again is Chip. 00:23:44.859 --> 00:23:48.099 As we close today's program, I want to ask you 00:23:48.099 --> 00:23:51.880 a question. Is it well with your soul? And what 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:55.099 I mean by that, are you at peace? Or are you 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:59.339 filled with anxiety and worry? And I know sometimes 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:01.220 we reframe it. Oh, I'm not worried. I'm just 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:03.759 a little frustrated. Or I'm not worried. I'm 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.660 just upset. I'm just really, really concerned. 00:24:06.569 --> 00:24:08.730 Could you just back off for just a minute right 00:24:08.730 --> 00:24:11.910 now and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a level 00:24:11.910 --> 00:24:15.269 of transparency and honesty? And then let me 00:24:15.269 --> 00:24:17.650 ask you some questions that I think might really 00:24:17.650 --> 00:24:20.829 help. If you don't recognize where you're anxious, 00:24:21.069 --> 00:24:23.509 you certainly can't deal with it. I mean, this 00:24:23.509 --> 00:24:26.170 is a great passage. I mean, this is great truth. 00:24:26.650 --> 00:24:29.670 But what's causing the anxiety in your life? 00:24:30.109 --> 00:24:32.670 I mean, is it a subtle or not -so -subtle fear 00:24:32.670 --> 00:24:36.170 of the future? Is it a relational conflict, you 00:24:36.170 --> 00:24:37.910 know, like we talked about the last few days? 00:24:38.130 --> 00:24:41.130 Is it money? I mean, you're just worried about 00:24:41.130 --> 00:24:45.450 money. Or is it a biopsy report? Or like in my 00:24:45.450 --> 00:24:48.430 case, you know, now and then it just flashes 00:24:48.430 --> 00:24:50.309 through my mind. Is the cancer going to come 00:24:50.309 --> 00:24:53.859 back that my wife beat? Or is it a regret? Is 00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:56.579 there something that keeps coming to your mind? 00:24:56.619 --> 00:24:58.839 You think, oh, if I wouldn't have done that or 00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:02.400 if I would have done something else. Or maybe 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:04.400 it's just a big decision you made and you're 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:07.319 living with the consequences and somehow you're 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:10.900 living in this emotional turmoil of wanting to 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:13.759 turn back the clock, but you just can't do it. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.940 Here's what I want you to know. When worry and 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:21.200 anxiety knocks at the door of your heart, let 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:23.880 prayer answer it. and there's just a certain 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:26.500 kind of prayer. In fact, I'm going to talk very, 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:29.700 very specifically in our next broadcast how to 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:33.380 take this passage from, oh, that's a nice verse 00:25:33.380 --> 00:25:37.240 in the Bible, to a very action -oriented process 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:40.799 so that when you begin to worry, how you can 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:43.880 literally stop worrying, and God will use it 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:46.299 by the power of His Spirit and His Word to really 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:50.779 help you develop over time the habit. of not 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:54.220 worrying and not being anxious. Until then, however, 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:57.099 this is what I'd like you to do. I'd like you 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:59.400 to go to the website and get the message notes. 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:02.160 I think you need to see how I've laid out this 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:06.539 passage. Second, get out a 3x5 card or open your 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:09.380 phone and click where it says notes, and I want 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:12.980 you to actually write out or type out Philippians 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:16.259 4, verses 6 and 7, whatever version you want. 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:20.119 And then when you start feeling anxious and worrying, 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.859 just open it up and read it slowly. And that 00:26:23.859 --> 00:26:26.579 will kind of help you start to make progress 00:26:26.579 --> 00:26:29.279 until our next time together. And I'll give you 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:33.059 some very practical ways to absolutely stop worrying. 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:35.660 Looking forward to that second half of this message, 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:38.259 Chip. As we close, if you're looking for good 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:40.960 Bible content, check out the Chip Ingram app. 00:26:41.309 --> 00:26:43.710 You can listen to our most recent series or sign 00:26:43.710 --> 00:26:46.650 up for Daily Discipleship with Chip, a great 00:26:46.650 --> 00:26:49.170 resource to help you study God's Word at a deeper 00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:51.609 level. We want you to grow in your walk with 00:26:51.609 --> 00:26:53.990 Jesus, and the Chip Ingram app will help you 00:26:53.990 --> 00:26:56.829 do just that. We'll listen in next time as Chip 00:26:56.829 --> 00:26:59.930 picks up in his series, I Choose Peace. Until 00:26:59.930 --> 00:27:02.529 then, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for joining 00:27:02.529 --> 00:27:05.130 us for this edition of Living on the Edge.