Elevation with Steven Furtick - Arresting Anxiousness (Dr. Dharius Daniels)

Episode Date: December 2, 2024

Has anxiety been stealing your peace? Learn how to adjust your mindset by inviting God’s presence in with your praise. Each year, we come together to stretch our faith by giving a sacrificial offering, believing that God will move in our lives and in our church in the coming year. To take part in this offering and help us in reaching more people with the gospel all around the world click here: http://www.elevationchurch.org/giving/ If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References: Philippians 4, verses 4-9 Psalm 16, verse 11See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. So honored to be here today. I want to just, first of all, pause and just say, what's up to everybody at every location, to the people on the location in Mars, the people on the location in Jupiter. But if you are just blessed by and grateful for all that God's doing in your church, come on, thank God for that. And certainly we just recognize and just express public appreciation to one of by far the greatest

leaders and greatest teachers of scripture in the universe. my friend and my brother, Pastor Stephen, Ferdick, come on, let's thank God for him, everybody. Man, so honored to be here. If it's okay, I want to get right into our lesson and our time together on today. And I want to share something with you that really got started in my heart late summer. I was attending an event. It's a father-son dinner that my son's school has every year that the football coach hosts just for dads. And while we were there, and it's my son's last year.

This son's a high school senior, and it was the last one. And so shout out, he's committed to play football next year, Syracuse. They got a big win last night. Shout out to Syracuse. But there's a point in the dinner where the coach asks the sons to leave, and it talks to the dads. And it talks to us about trends he's seeing in our. in our sons and people who are on the team to give us some insight on areas we might need to lean into as parents. And one of the things that he said to me stuck out, it leaped in my heart,

if you will, and he said he is seeing this trend of anxiousness. He said they're seeing it so much in schools that the head of the school made a specific book required reading. It was called the anxious generation or something like that, made it required reading for every faculty member of the school. And I sat back and I just didn't hear it parentally. I heard it pastorally. I said, that's just not happening in the schoolhouse. That's happening in our houses. And how many know God's word has an answer to address any and every issue we may find ourselves facing? And so I went on this journey to search the scriptures to see what God's word had to say about this issue and have just finished walking our church through a journey found right in this one passage I'm going to be sharing with you today.

It is a brief portion of the Apostle Paul's letter to believers in Philippi, the book of Philippians. chapter four and here's what he says in beginning at verse four he says rejoice in the lord always i will say it again rejoice let your gentleness be evident to all the lord is near do not be anxious about anything i'm going to read that one more time i thought i was at elevation do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. Here's the promise attached to that principle and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.

What will it do? It will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now, after you've done that, he says finally, brothers and sisters whatever's true whatever's noble whatever's right whatever's pure whatever's lovely whatever's admirable

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things I want to stop the reading of scripture there and I want to talk from this subject in our time together very simply I want to talk from the subject

arresting anxiousness a resting anxiousness. Family, I want to start this teaching with a question. It's a simple question for your reflection. And the question is simply this. If you were to barricade yourself in a room with the Bible and explore and examine all the instructions that God offers from Genesis to Revelation,

what would you see that God says, more than anything else in Scripture. In other words, what is the most common command given to humans from God all throughout the pages of Holy Scripture? The answer to this question is revealed in two simple yet significant words. The thing that God says more than anything else in. Scripture is two words. Fear not. Some iteration or some variation of this command is found over 300 times in scripture. Over 300 times in some way. In some iteration, God says, fear not,

don't be afraid, calm down, chill out, breathe, drink some water. drink some coffee, take a walk over 300 times. God in some way communicates to his people to fear not. And the frequency of this instruction is an indication and a revelation of something. If God says something a lot, it's not because he needs to say it a lot. It's because we need to hear it a lot. And so the fact that this command is communicated so frequently, isn't necessarily saying something about God. It is saying something about us. It is an indication and a revelation of the human orientation toward anxiousness. Anxiousness. A feeling of inner unrest and worried that is fueled by the fear of outcomes we may never experience.

It is an emotional thief that robs us of today's peace in anticipation, of tomorrow's problems. Can I read that one more time? Anxiousness. It is a feeling of inner unrest and worry that is fueled by the fear of outcomes we may never experience. It is an emotional thief

that robs us of today's peace in anticipation of tomorrow's problems. Let me reframe this, not just rephrase this, Let me reframe this. It is an emotional thief that is significant to some of us because you're familiar with a statement that Jesus made in John 1010 when he talks about the part of his mission when he says, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I've come that you may have life and have it to the full.

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. The thief comes only to steal. And so the thief has instruments that he uses to steal and to rob believers of that which God wants them to possess. And what is one spiritual asset, an emotional asset that God wants every believer to possess? It is the asset of peace. And whatever God gives, the enemy wants to steal. And one of the ways he steals this emotional and spiritual asset of peace is by using a weapon, called anxiousness. It is a feeling of inner unrest and worry that is fueled by the fear of outcomes

we may never experience. It's wasted worry. It's losing sleep over something that might happen. It's losing joy over something that might happen. And more often than not, doesn't even happen. a feeling of inner unrest and worry that's fueled by the fear of outcomes we may never experience. It's an emotional thief that robs us of today's peace in anticipation of tomorrow's problems. And this family, if we're honest and objective, is an emotional epidemic that has become a social norm. And although it is normal for those in culture, it does not have to be normal for those of us in the kingdom. I'm not saying those of us in the kingdom won't have anxiousness. I'm saying those of us in the kingdom can live in a way where anxiousness doesn't have us.

Pastor, how can you say this? I can say this with confidence because I eavesdropped on a conversation. I eavesdropped on a conversation that the Apostle Paul was having with a group of believers in northern Greece in a place called Philippi. And as I was eavesdropping on this conversation, I read something Paul said in verse 6. He tells believers, be anxious for nothing. In other words, don't be anxious about anything. Watch what he's saying here because remember he's writing to believers now. He's writing to believers now.

He's writing to believers now. He loves everybody, but he's writing this to believers. This is a letter that was circulated among believers. This is a promise he's making to believers. Watch what he says to them. He says, don't be anxious about anything. He's not saying that. there is nothing to fear. He's saying that you don't have to be afraid. Did you hear what I just said?

Okay. He's not saying that there's nothing to be anxious about, but he's saying you as a believer don't have to be anxious. Yeah. This is an indication of the principle of exception. And the principle of exception simply suggests that what happens with them does not dictate and determine what happens with me. I'm going to say that one more time. What happens with them does not dictate and determine what happens with me. This is not exceptionalism. He's not saying you're better than. This is exceptionism. He's saying you're different from.

So in other words, don't look at what has happened with others and come to a conclusion of what can happen with you. Because what happened with them does not dictate and determine what happens with me. Because all throughout scripture, we see examples of God making his people exceptions. People do not go in a fiery furnace and come out of it and not smell like smoke. But with the Hebrew boys, God made an exception. People don't go in a lion's den with hungry lions and come out, not chewed up and consume.

But with Daniel, God made an exception. People do not walk around a wall once a day for seven days, and then seven times on the seventh day, scream at a wall and a wall fall. But with Joshua and the walls of Jericho, God made an exception. A shepherd boy who writes poems does not take a slingshot with a rock and defeat a nine-foot-tall Wallistine giant named Goliath. but with David God made an exception and dead men don't go in a grave

stay there three days and early Sunday morning get up out of the grave but with Jesus God made an exception and if he can do it for Daniel if he can do it for the Hebrew boys if he can do it for David

if he can do it for Jesus he can do it for you do I have any exception in the house today. It's the principle of exception. He's saying what happens with others. Doesn't have to dictate and determine what happens for you. He's not telling them to deny their circumstances.

But he is saying as a believer, you can deny its influence. Because anxiousness isn't just a result of what you're in. Anxiousness is a result of how we allow what we're in to influence us. And so Paul, I love this because Paul is practical. He's a practitioner. He teaches in a way that you're familiar with at a church like this where you have a pastor who teaches biblical truth but then builds a bridge from biblical truth to everyday life. Yeah, you're used to this. You don't just get Sunday messages here. You get Monday messages here. Pastor, what's a Monday message? It's a message I hear on Sunday. that I can use on Monday. Yeah, this is the kind of practitioner Paul was. So he doesn't just tell them they don't have to be arrested by anxiousness. He tells them how to actually put anxiousness under arrest.

It's one thing to hear that it's possible to arrest anxiousness. It's another thing to be taught on how to arrest anxiousness. And in this letter, Paul doesn't just tell them what's possible. Paul offers them a pathway. And I just want to know, is it okay? If I share with you, what Paul shared with them so that we too can have a pathway to arrest anxiousness. I'm going to say that, do you want me to share with you what Paul shared with them? on how to arrest.

Do you want me to share it with you now what Paul shared with it? Okay. It's interesting here because when you read the letter, there seems to be four areas in the text where Paul shows them where they have to make adjustments if they want to put anxiousness under arrest. That arresting anxiousness requires making adjustments. And I see four areas here that Paul gives them instruction in that if we lean into that can aid and assist us in this as well. Here's number one.

If they're going to arrest their anxiousness, they have to adjust their perception. What do I mean by that? Anxiousness doesn't come from what we see, but anxiousness comes from how we see. Did you hear what I just said? It's not what we see. It's how we see it. Anxiousness isn't necessarily tied to an event or an experience. Anxiousness is tied to our interpretation of what it means.

And I see the importance of this, not just in what Paul says, but where Paul was when he said it. I told you who he wrote this letter to. Did or not? He wrote this letter to a group of believers in northern Greece in a place called Philippa. But I didn't tell you where he was when he wrote it. He was actually in prison in Rome.

This is a prison epistle. So here we have a man who is locked up practically, who's writing to other people helping them get free emotionally. He is in prison, his future is unclear, he is unsure, yet at the same time he's experiencing this event of imprisonment, but the fact that he's writing this letter lets us know he's not interpreting this event the way others would interpret it. Because if anxiousness had him, he would only be able to think about him. He wouldn't be able to think about others.

So even if he had some anxiousness, the anxiousness didn't have him. It didn't arrest him. He arrested it. And we know that because he's able to think about setting other people free when he himself was in this prison predicament. Why? He's not unaccustomed to being in prison. which means he has enough experience to say, I'm in what I'm in. But it doesn't mean what other people think it means.

I'm going to say that one more time. I'm in what I'm in, but it doesn't mean what other people think it means. See, sometimes our anxiousness doesn't come from what we're in. It comes from what we think it means. But I want to tell you no matter what you're in, it may not mean what you think it means. you may be facing a red sea and you may think it means it's the end but what looks like a breakdown

is getting ready to become a breakthrough because just because you're in what you're in doesn't mean it means what you think it means Gideon was facing an army of thousands and he only had an army of 300 but it didn't mean what other people thought it would mean and I want to tell you that sometimes anxiousness

isn't the event. Anxiousness comes as a result of our interpretation of what we think it means. So if I want to arrest anxiousness, I got to adjust my perception. Because it's not just what I see. It's how I see it. Did you hear what I just said? It's not just what I see. It's how I see it.

And sometimes we're coming to conclusions about what we think of. The crisis means when God is a God that redeems the meaning. Have you ever been in a season in the present where you were crying tears of pain? And then you live and you move into the future and you look back on that thing. And the thing that you were crying tears of pain about are now things you are crying tears of joy about. because Kirchigard says life is live forward but understood backwards because God can change the meaning. Is this not possibly what Paul meant when he wrote in Romans 8 chapter number 28 and God will work all things together for our good? It's not just what you see.

It's how you see it. And Charles Spurgeon says, Every physical miracle can be seen as a metaphor for a spiritual miracle. And maybe the miracle we need spiritually to address our anxiousness is for God to heal our blind eyes. Maybe the issue is not what I'm seeing, but how I see. But that's not the only thing I see in the text. Paul doesn't just share with them that if they want to arrest their anxiousness, they need to adjust their perception. Paul also shares if they want to arrest their anxiousness, they need to adjust their praise.

Pastor, where you see it, is it in the text? He says in verse seven here, excuse me, he says in verse four, he says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, or I'll say it again, rejoice. Paul is encouraging them, watch this. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. He is encouraging them to engage in a spiritual discipline called the practice of gratitude.

Did you hear what I just said there? Rejoice in the Lord. And again I say, rejoice. And he didn't just. just say rejoice periodically. He didn't just say rejoice sometimes. He didn't just say rejoice on Thanksgiving. He says rejoice in the Lord. Always. He didn't say rejoice when God gives you what you want. He didn't say rejoice when God comes through at the timeline that you've set for God to come through. But he says rejoice in the Lord always. He's encouraging them to make this a practice, a spiritual

discipline. And spiritual disciplines are what we call means of grace. What is that, Pastor Darius? God chooses what God uses to give us what we don't deserve. That's a means of grace. Grace is unearned, unmerited, right? Undeserved favor is when God gives us what we don't deserve. Does that make sense? I said, does that make sense?

Okay, so a means of grace is something that God chooses to use to give us what we don't deserve. and God chooses what God uses to give us what we don't deserve. What's an example of a spiritual discipline that means of grace? Prayer. God says there's some things I won't do if you don't ask. Now, whatever I do for you is grace, you don't deserve it. But I choose what I use to give you what you don't deserve. And some people miss grace because they won't follow the means.

and gratitude of what the Bible calls praise is a means of grace. I'm going to say that one more time. Gratitude or what the Bible calls praise is a means of grace. So when we see books of the Bible like songs dedicated to saying, praise the Lord, praise the Lord. and then we see contained in the book, we see instruction that addresses internal objections. What's an internal objection? It's an objection you have internally in church that you don't vocalize.

So some people say things like, it's not my personality. So David says, okay, since some people are going to say it's not my personality, let me give you all these ways to do it. Clap your hands, I'm not a clapper, lift your hands, I'm not a lifter, late prostrate, I'm not a layer, him in a dance. I'm not a dancer. And then the Bible even says, the Lord's in his holy temple and all the earth keeps silent before him. Everybody's not going to do the same thing, but everybody should do something because there's something for everybody to do in the scriptures. So this is not, it is not like a warm up in church for the sermon. It is, it is not some,

some spiritual discipline reserved for a specific stream of Christianity. It is something that God has mandated. It is actually the only spiritual discipline that will exist in eternity. The only, oh my, you won't need to pray in heaven. Come on. You won't need to study the scripture in heaven, but there will be worshiped in heaven. There will be praise in heaven. So it's not some emotional exercise. It's not some anti-intellectual exercise. It's a means of grace. God says, this is something I choose to use to give you what you don't deserve. What does praise give me? Praise doesn't get me things from him.

Praise gets me him. Praise doesn't just get me gifts from God. Praise gets me God the gift. It gets me him. I said it gets me him. David says, he dwells, Psalm 22, 3, he dwells, or he dwells. He tabernacles in the midst of my praise. What is he saying here?

He's not coming against or he's not contradicting this idea of God being everywhere at the same time. Yes, God is omnipresent. He's everywhere at the same time. But praise takes God from omnipresent to manifest presence. Okay, what does that mean? We just had Thanksgiving. Right? And it was great for all of y'all extroverts.

But for some of us, ambiobers, introverts, after a while, it got a lot. So we had to duck off for a minute, right? We had to go upstairs for a minute, get some alone time to recharge so we could go back out and engage. Come on. Now, if I did that, I didn't. Yeah, I did.

But if I was in my house the whole time. So if everybody was in the living room and I was in the living room, right? and then I leave and I go to my bedroom, I'm still in the house. I'm just not manifest. And there are certain things you don't get unless I manifest. If you want to know where something in the house is and I'm the only one that has the answer, you don't get that answer just by me being in the house. You only get that answer when I manifest, when I show up, when I come in the room.

And what praise does is praise. helps causes God. It's an invitation for God to show up, to come in the room, to manifest. And I want to know, am I talking to anybody that needs God to show up, to come in the room, to manifest. Praise. Praise is an invitation for the manifest presence of God. What does this have to do with anxiousness? a lot because God's presence is an automatic eviction of anything that's not like him.

When he come in the room, whatever's not like him has to automatically go out. The presence pushes it out. I said the presence pushes it out. I said the presence will push anxiousness out. The presence will push fear out. The presence will push fear out. The presence will push despair out. The presence of God is an automatic eviction of anything that's not like him. David put it this way. David said in Psalm 1611, you make known to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy. Where? In your presence. It is a temporary eviction of whatever is not like him. Have you noticed when you're in the presence? You're not in worry. Have you noticed when you're in the presence? Have you noticed when you're in the presence, you're not in anxiousness. So now it makes sense why Paul told believers in Philippi,

don't just do this on Sunday. Because if you only do this on Sunday, the only relief you'll have is Sunday. And God won't just show up. Watch this. God shows up not to spaces. He shows up in response to sounds. So wherever you release the sound, he'll show up. If you release it in the kitchen, he'll come in there. If you release it in your car, he'll come in there. If you release it in the closet, he'll come in there. If you release it in the bedroom, he'll come in there. If you walk in the break room at the office, he'll come in there.

If you go to the restroom, he'll come in there. Because he'll show up wherever the sound of praise is released. It's a spiritual discipline. Am I making sense? See, people who are wired like me who are not necessarily expressive or emotive. I had to see this this way. Because if not, it just felt like people who had certain personalities were people who practice the spiritual discipline. When everybody's supposed to practice this spiritual discipline, regardless of your personality,

and there are ways in scripture that give everybody a way to practice this. Everybody won't do it the same way. So all of those ways in scripture that call spiritual temperaments, all of these ways to worship in scripture are not because everybody's supposed to do everything. It's because there's something for everybody. Because what I need is the presence. And Paul's not just saying this like conceptually. He's saying this experientially. Because in the book of Acts, he's on a missionary journey.

And one of the places he ends up is in Philippi. He takes a partner in ministry with him named Silas. And they begin to engage in ministry. And as a result of engaging in ministry, they free, they perform this exercise of spiritual liberation. and they free this young lady from this evil spirit. And as a result of that, him and Silas end up in prison. Now, I grew up in Kilmichael, Mississippi, the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church.

We had Sunday school vacation. Some of you're too young for that vacation Bible school. We're just Bible stories, Bible school. And I remember this one, because the Sunday school teacher would always start with this phrase, and that midnight. Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God and the Bible says and suddenly when they were praising

there was a great earthquake and the prison doors were opened and immediately everyone's bands were loose so they got free physically but the metaphor applies to us spiritually and emotionally just like their chains fell off because of the presence. There are some chains

us that will fall off because of the presence. And I want to know, is there anybody in the room today that's got some things you need to fall off? You need fear to fall off. You need anxiousness to fall off. Well, let's just take 13 seconds and in your own way, let's offer up the spiritual exercise of praise. Yes, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. So it brings his presence. But praise also shifts our perspective.

There's this phrase in songs where David says, magnify the Lord with me. Magnify something, if you use a magnifying glass, it doesn't make the thing larger, does it? Not in reality, it doesn't make it larger. It makes it larger to you. Did you hear what I just said? If you put an ant under a magnifying glass,

the ant is the ant. Right? So it doesn't necessarily make it large. So I can't make God larger. He's already as large as large can be. But when I magnify him, it right-sized is God in my perspective. And sometimes we're struggling with anxiousness

not because the problem is too big. Your God's too small. Praise reminds me of his largeness, of his faithfulness, of his power. It requires mindfulness. It requires filling my mind with the goodness of God. It requires me going back into my history

and reminding my soul of his faithfulness of how he's never lost a battle. I thought y'all would be familiar with that one. I said, and he's never lost a battle. I want you to think about every battle you've been in and every time your back was against the wall And every time you couldn't see your way through And you were worried and stressed and anxious

But somehow, some way, every single time God came through and he didn't bring you this far To leave you now, he never lost a battle And he never will I said, and he never will I said and he never I got two more points but I'm done here they are I'm done

Here they are. Adjust my perception. I'm done. Adjust my praise. And then three, adjust my prayers. Where's that at? It's verse six and seven. Do not be anxious for anything but in every situation by prayer and petition. The word prayer here is a word supplication. That's what it means. So different types of prayers, right? This prayers of intercession where I'm standing in the gap for someone else, their prayers of Thanksgiving, when I'm not requesting anything, I'm just thanking God for what he's done, right? Then there are prayers of supplication while making a specific request. Now, I want you to hear me. This is so important, because this is an area where for many of us, there's an unconscious struggle. It's a struggle, and we don't even know it's a

struggle. Listen to me. The purpose of prayer is not to notify God of a need. God's I'm like, I didn't know that. Bible says he knows what we need before we ask. So why then does the text tell us to make a request known to God? The purpose of prayer is not to notify God of a need. The purpose of prayer is to express our dependency and to remind you that you don't have control. I'm done every time I pray. Every time I pray. Not reminding God of anything. I'm remembering. I'm mind to me. I'm actually not in control. And even when I think I'm in control and I get comfort from being in control, I'm comforted by an illusion. Because even when I think I'm in control, I'm not. So prayer frees me from the illusion. Control what I can't. Your God, I'm not.

And some of my anxiousness is because I'm trying to play your role. I'm control. I want to control my destiny. I want to control my family. I want to control my kids. I want to control the economy. I want to control business. Prayers away reminding me. I have control of my actions, but you control outcomes. I can till the garden. I can plant the seed, but only you can make it right. So why am I anxious about the wealth? Some of the weight we're carrying is not weight God gave us. is weight we assumed. And your shoulders aren't broad enough to handle God weight. Question I think the father wants to ask us today.

Do you and I, logical reason to believe? When you really think about it, well, let me talk about me. I've lived long enough not to trust my decision making that much. I'm just being logical, right? No, I'm not talking about what people have said about some of my decisions. talking about what I have said about some of my decisions. When I have stepped back outside of me, looked at me and said, Darius, what were you thinking?

It's one thing with somebody, when you ask yourself that, you know, you just, what were you thinking? So why do I won't control? I don't know enough to have it. I'm not strong enough to have it. It's not in my hands. Which leads me to my fourth and final point. We not only have to adjust our prayer where we are really specific, we're offering supplements. very specifically, not about anxiousness itself, but the things that we're actually anxious about

doing enough digging to say, I actually want control. Lord, I need to bring this before you. I'm actually trying to control the way I'm perceived. I'm anxious about that. Let me bring that before you. I'm actually trying to control my children. I don't want them to make some of the mistakes that I made, but you helped me survive mine. And why do I not believe that you'll help them survive theirs? I need to bring this before you. And then finally it's for, I've got to adjust my practices. And Paul, like he talks to them about their perception, their praise, their prayer. And then in verse 8, he says, finally, like, hey, this is the final ingredient in the recipe.

That you can do all the other things that I just told you to do. But if you don't do what I'm about to say, you won't get this result of a resting anxiousness. You have to include this. after you get through praising and praying, you have to adjust your practices. When you're saying amen, talking to God, when you're done praying and saying amen, what are you thinking about? He's warning them against an undisciplined imagination where my thoughts are just going. Oh, my God, the company said they're laying off.

They're probably going to come to my department. My supervisor don't like me. they're probably going to lay me off. If I get laid off, we're not going to be able to keep the house. If we can't keep the house, I got to go live with my parents, my in-laws. I don't know if I want to live with my in-laws. We're going to be on the street. My kids are going to be in the car.

Spirling. It's an undisciplined imagination. So Paul says, hey, here's what you've got to think about. And he literally has a conversation with believers in Koran. Literally, and this is kind of the essence. It's not the only part, but it's the essence of what we would call spiritual warfare. He tells him in 2 Corinthianschus chapter 10, he was like, hey, you have to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Like, don't allow those thoughts to accumulate because the accumulation of those thoughts actually become strongholds.

So he says, throw it away when it's a brick instead of trying to knock it down when it becomes a wall. So he says, hey, whatever's true, whatever's noble, whatever's right, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely. whatever's admirable, if anything is excellent or find something praiseworthy. What's worthy of praise? He says, think on these things. And watch what he says. I know this isn't in my nose, but I want you to see this in verse nine. Because early in the text, he says the peace of God. But in verse nine, he says this and the God of peace. The peace of God. And then he says, if you do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Whenever you get anxious, I want you to connect point four to point three. I want you to think about that those who sow in tears

even if you walk through grief, the valley of the shadow of death. Not that God didn't give you what you wanted, because it doesn't always give us what. But this has there ever been a time where he didn't give you? We're human. We will have anxiousness, but anxiousness. Father, today, as we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace in this Advent season, I pray for your people everywhere that we would have unprecedented experiences with the peace of God. Father, would you assist us in arresting anxiousness and joy both now.

We ask it all in Jesus' name. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give you. give now or visit elevationchurch.org slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe, you can share it with your friends, you can click the share button, take a screenshot, and share it on your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church.

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