The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Feel Like You're In Prison? Listen to Paul

Episode Date: December 12, 2020

Struggling with anxiety, frustration, and depression during these covid lockdowns? Maybe all we need to do is change our perspective. Today, Jeff pulls some inspiration from St. Paul’s letters to the Philippians, Ephesians, and Colossians, to help us center our hearts in the Lord during these confusing times. Snippet from the Show “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work, for his pleasure.” Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail] Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

You're listening to the Jeff Kaven Show, episode 196. Feel like you're in prison? Then listen to Paul. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general.

It's the Jeff Kaven show. Hey, thanks for joining me again this week. I'm Jeff Kavins, and every week, I'm here sharing some good things about the Lord Jesus Christ and our relationship with him what it means to be a disciple in the world. And even this world, the one we're going through right now. I just got back from the doctor's office. And you know, you got to get those yearly checks and all of that. I'm doing fine. I'm doing fine. But we got into such an interesting conversation. And this isn't the first doctor I've I've dialoged with recently. It's been several

actually. And there's one common denominator, and that is without breaking HIPAA rules, of course, they're saying that the number of people coming in to see the doctor for anxiety and depression and illnesses brought on by anxiety and depression has skyrocketed. It has gone through the ceiling. And people are not doing real well right now. I don't know if you're in that group. And if you are, this show is for you today. And I hope that it can be a blessing to you. I want to give you some hope. I got to thinking about this. And so on the way home, I thought, you know what, I'm just going to share this with you. Some scriptures on taking your thoughts captive about the future and how we think as Christians. Now, the reason that I'm talking about this is because it seems that everybody's going through it,

you know, to one degree or another. By the way, I do have some scriptures for you. I'm going to share, and if you want those free in the show notes, all you've got to do is text my name, one complete name, Jeff Kavens, and you can text it to 33777. It's pretty easy, 3377. So I do pray. In fact, let's pray right now. Should we, let's just pray right now and ask the Lord to lead and guide and may his word penetrate your heart.

If you're struggling with anxiety, depression, you are anxious about so many things right now with COVID-19, the political situation, maybe you feel like this isn't your country anymore, you have been let down, you're wondering if your parents are going to be okay, you're wondering if you're going to have a job. well, I hope that these scriptures will penetrate your heart. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I lift up my friends who are listening right now to you, and I ask you, Lord, to penetrate their heart with your word. And Lord, may your word go forth and accomplish what you desire. It shall not return void. I thank you, Lord, for your concern. I thank you for your oversight. I thank you for your love and your mercy and your kindness and the covenant relationship. we have with you, will never be abandoned by you. You'll be with us always, always. In Jesus' name, amen. Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Well, the reason that I'm talking about this is

because I got to thinking on the way home about the Apostle Paul. And of course, the Apostle Paul, these are super-ap apostles, Peter and Paul. And we tend to think that they didn't really have any problems and they were just so close to the Lord and had theology all worked out that it just wasn't a problem for them. But if you really look at the life of Paul, you'll see that he had all kinds of trouble in his life as he went forth with the gospel into a world that was diametrically opposed to the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus. He met up with all kinds of problems. They tried to kill him in Ephesus. He was a ship wreck, beaten, left for dead, stoned several times. He had a lot. But maybe the most difficult might have been when he was alone and in prison. And if you have felt like you have been in prison

recently, I want you to know you're not the only one. There's many, many more like you. And the Apostle Paul spent time in prison. In fact, he wrote four documents from prison. And I'm going to give you those four documents, and once you know those documents and you know that he wrote them from prison, then you'll read those documents a little bit differently, and it'll give you encouragement and a different perspective on life. So those four documents were Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon. Those are the documents that he wrote from a dark, alone prison. And I do know that so many people feel dehumanized in prison these days, wearing masks, being told where to go, where they can't go, what they can put online, Facebook, Twitter,

whatever it might be. And they feel like the walls are coming in. And life is getting smaller and less freedom and opportunity. Well, it could be. It could be. But that's what happened to Paul, but it certainly did not affect the way he thought. and his goal in encouraging the churches in Philippi and Colossi and Ephesus and a personal letter regarding Philemon.

Just amazing stuff. So I want to go through a few of the passages that Paul wrote from prison, and I hope that it gives you a little bit of a different perspective on what we are going through today. So take this word of God as medicine, all right? take it as medicine. But just like if you go to the doctor, I just went to the doctor, and if the doctor had given me a prescription, then that prescription would not have done anything for me if I didn't get it filled. And even if I got that prescription filled, it wouldn't do anything for me unless I took what was prescribed. And so when I give you the Word of God this week, it is life, it is power,

It is transformative. It's a new way of thinking. But we have to do it. We are the daughters and the sons of God. We have a new mind, a new way of thinking, and a completely new worldview. And I would just share this before I share the scriptures from prison. Jesus said, in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 29, he said, take my yoke upon you and learn from me. Now, you've heard me talk many times before about discipleship, and when we talk about taking the yoke of Jesus, we're not talking about eggs and we're not talking about oxen yolks, we're talking about a worldview, because that's what a rabbi would say two thousand years ago. The rabbi would say, take my yoke upon you. In other words, see life through my eyes, through my wisdom, in my knowledge, in my power, that's the way we want to see life. I know that a lot of you are very discouraged over the political situation in this country, but I would remind you that as you read from Genesis all the way to Revelation,

I don't see a time where the people of God have been in control of the world, but somebody else always has, whether it was the Egyptians or the Assyrians or the Babylonians or the Persians or the Greeks or the Romans. And in modern time, we can go on and on. When we are weak, we are strong. We're strong in Christ. And what the political situation is, yes, it has consequences, but it doesn't change our goal and our mission. It doesn't change who we are or what the point of life really is. And if we can get our minds around that and focus on what we are supposed to do and pray for our leaders, don't get me wrong, we are going to experience a new life. Let me tell you some of the scriptures here. It's just beautiful. So Paul writes from prison, and he says, I'll start with the

Philippians. He starts with the Philippians. He says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Now, he's talking about to have the mind of Christ, to have the mind of Christ, to think like Jesus. It kind of gets back to this idea of the yoke of Jesus, that Paul sitting in prison, maybe he felt abandoned, he wanted the things that he was used to, he wanted them delivered, but even in prison, you know, he didn't sit and think about himself. He thought about you. He thought about your life, your welfare, your eternal destiny. And he encouraged you from prison to have the mind of Christ, to have the mind of Christ. So that means that we think like Jesus about every aspect of life. The moment you heard that you, your candidate, whether local or national,

didn't make it, or doesn't look like they're going to make it, maybe there's recounts around the country at the local level. But the minute you find that out, that should not change the way you think about life in general and your hope, the hope that you have. So Paul tells the Philippians have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. You can make a choice. You can think like an abandoned son, an abandoned daughter. You can think like somebody who's definitely going to lose the game where you can think like Jesus Christ. He goes on in that same chapter in Philippians chapter 2 and he says in verse 13, this is so good. This is so good and it's something you shouldn't forget if you are going through a real downtime in your life right now and you feel

like you're in prison. Paul says this again from prison and I'll remind you. Several times he writes from prison. He said, for it is, this is Philippians 2.13. For it is, it is. God who works in you, both to will and to work, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Now, isn't it true that so many times when we feel like we're in prison or we imagine what if I ended up in prison someday for, you know, false accusation or if I just made a big mistake and I found myself in prison, well, I would kind of think it's over, you know, that I, uh, I'm I'm not going to be able to be effective. I'm not going to be able to do anything.

I'm not going to contribute to the well-being of others in the body of Christ. What you, am I? I'm in prison. I'm a castaway, you know? Well, Paul didn't think like that. In fact, it was in chains. It was in prison that Paul said, God is working in me.

And he reminds you that God is working in you right now. Even though you're discouraged, even though you feel like you're in prison, even though you feel like you are incapable of doing what you want to do. God's at work in you right now. Think about what is God trying to do in you right now? Is he trying to get you to trust? Is he trying to get you to be faithful? Is God trying to work in you a heart of mercy and kindness and gentleness?

What is God trying to work in you right now? Have you put all of your trust in politicians? Have you put all of your trust in the things of this world, horses and chariots and leaders and the regimen, you know, of being entertained and going out to eat and so forth, and you feel like you're in prison now? Do you have to be physically free in order for God to work in you? No. No, not at all.

I remember a very good friend of mine. His name was Michael. He was a quadriplegic. He had a bad accident. He was drunk years ago, and he had a bad accident. And he ended up completely paralyzed, and he lived. And Michael came to my Bible studies for 10 years, 10 years in that wheelchair, 10 years. And in that 10 years of Bible study, Michael only list, he only missed three, is he two times? Two times he missed in 10 years. And I'll never forget what he said to me one time. He said, Jeff, he said, the accident was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

because God can work in me now. Work in me and through me, a quadriplegic. You see, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Another beautiful text, and I'll put all these in the show notes for you, is Philippians 313. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, one thing I do. He says, forgetting what lies by and straining forward to what lies ahead. Isn't that beautiful? Forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead. You know, when you're in prison, you probably have a tendency to look back. Look in the rearview mirror. Days gone by, what it used to be, the good old days, back in the day. We all say that, don't we? Oh, I remember back in the day. Well, that would be a big

temptation for Paul to rest on his laurels. Hey, I've had a good run. I've had a good run, and this is a big hiccup. And who knows, it might be the end for me. I don't know. But boy, I sure did good in the past, didn't I? Or, oh, I live in regret concerning the past. Now that I'm in prison and I can't do anything, wow, I wish I had that time again. I would have done things differently. I would have done things differently. Paul says one thing I do, forgetting. Well, lies behind. Now, obviously, you can't forget everything. So what's he saying? He's saying, I'm not going to focus on yesterday. I'm not going to focus on the what-ifs. I'm not going to focus whether I got that job. He says, I'm going to strain forward to what lies ahead. And my friend,

if you feel like you're in prison, I want you to know something. There's something ahead. There's something ahead for you. God is working in you, and there's something ahead for you. Stop. watching the news. The news does not take your eternal life into mind. The news is not concerned about your anxiety and your depression and your sense of that I'm lost. They're not your keeper. They're not your doctor. They're not your counselor. They're not your best friend. If you're struggling right now, my friend, I really encourage you. No more Fox for a while. No more CNN. No more news, Max, no more epic news. Just take a break and get the mind of Christ.

Look forward to what he's going to do in your life going forward. I've got some more scriptures I'm going to share with you, so we're going to take a break. But before we take that break, quick reminder, there are places open coming up this June. We're very optimistic. Father Mike Schmitz and I are going to Israel, and we're going to be accompanied by, oh, great, singers, great singers. The Swaffords, Andrew and Sarah Swofford, are going to be joining us. We're going to be going to Israel in June. And last year, sold out, and then COVID-19 came. And so if you want to know more about going to Israel with Father Mike Schmitz and myself coming up

this June, go to my website, jeffcavens.com. Under pilgrimages, you'll find all the information. At least get your place in line, and it's going to be good. I think a lot of people are going to be ready to go on a trip. More scriptures from Paul in prison right after this. What if this year your Advent could be different? What if you could learn how to welcome Jesus into your heart from the people who did it first? This year, Ascensions Rejoice Advent Journal invites you to experience Advent with Joseph and Mary as they await the birth of their son Jesus, the savior of the world, Together with the guided meditations found on Rejoiceprogram.com, this journal will help you to see the marriage of Mary and Joseph in a new light.

You will ponder what was in their hearts and minds as they awaited the birth of Jesus. Rejoice will help you open your heart to the peace and the joy of the Holy Family as you prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas. Visit Rejoiceprogram.com to purchase your copy today. Ah, stretch your arms. Put your hands out. Stand up. You might feel like you're in a prison, but you're not. You're not. You're not. You're not. You're free in Christ. Paul says in Galatians 5-1, it was for freedom that Christ set you free. Therefore, do not return to a yoke of bondage. Maybe the world and all the circumstances make you feel like you are, you know, in prison. You can feel like that. But we need to have the mind of Christ, and that's what Paul is trying to tell us when he wrote those four letters from prison to the Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemen. In Philippians 4, listen to what he said, verses 4 through 9, I'll put it in the show notes for you.

He said, rejoice in the Lord always. Are you serious, Paul? You're in prison, buddy. It's bread and water. no more friends around no pencil sharpeners you kidding me rejoice in the lord always he thought you might you know have a problem with that so he says again i will say rejoice yes we're to rejoice even when we feel like we're in prison or the walls are coming in rejoice in the lord rejoice about what who he is what he has done what he's done in your life what he's going to do up ahead you see he's

a good plan for you. Not a bad plan, but a good plan. So he says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do, now listen to this. Pause, pause, listen, time out. Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. You know how many times I've met people, and I've done it a few in my own life, where I have such, you know, anxiety or I'm all filled with the cares of this world and come to find out, I never even let the Lord know what my need was or my fear, my anxiety. And Paul says, rejoice in the Lord. He says, don't be anxious. You know, look at this. He doesn't say,

and I looked into the Greek here, it says, do not be anxious about, it doesn't say most things, it doesn't say some things, it doesn't say the important things, it says, do not be anxious about anything, anything. Oh, what a place of freedom. What a place of freedom. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and listen to this, and the peace of God, which, this is coming from prison, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Again, Fox, CNN, Epic News, Newsmax, all of them, they are not going to guard your heart and your mind. But Jesus will, the peace of God will, if we will rejoice, and if we will, and if we will,

will not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, that's when the peace comes into our life. It's beautiful. And he says, finally, brothers, whatever is true, you know, he's going to give you a list of what to think about if you think you're in prison. Finally, brothers, whatever's true, whatever's honorable, whatever's just, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever is commendable. If there's any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. How much time do we spend every day thinking about Philippians 4.8 there? How many, how much time do we spend, Philippians 4, 8, 9, right there?

All these things, you know, things that are true and honorable and just and pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise. Are these the things we're thinking about? or are you constantly thinking about President Trump, Biden, Giuliani, thinking about COVID, Fauci, discussing this endlessly with your friends? No wonder we feel the way we do. Change your thoughts. Change your mind. Think the thoughts of God.

I don't hear Paul ever complaining about leadership out there. It's like he takes it and he understands it and he knows what to do. He knows what to do in the midst of this prison that he's experiencing. And listen to this. This is, oh my gosh, this is a guy coming. This is a guy speaking from prison. Listen to this. Philippians 413.

I'll give you this one too. Paul says, and when I read this, I'm just going to be honest with you. Knowing that he was in prison, I want to respond to him. Say what? He says, I can do all things. through him who strengthens me. Say what? Paul, you're in prison.

Yeah, I know. But these bars don't stop me. This boxed room doesn't stop me. COVID-19 doesn't stop me. Election results don't stop me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Isn't that beautiful? That is so good.

And then you move over to Colossians. And he says to the Colossians in chapter 3 and verses 1 and 2, If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, set your minds on things that are above, not on the things of the earth. So there's some good advice to you if you're feeling like this is Paul says, hey, maybe you got your mind to set on the things of the earth here. You need to have your mind set on things that are above. mean. It means his kingdom, his will, his worldview, eternal things, eternal things. That's what we are to be thinking about. Those eternal things are people. And it is justice and it's love and compassion and doing his will. These are the things above. You can't control the world. And if you can't control

the world and you can't control COVID and you can't control election results and all the rest, then don't act like it's your fault. Don't act like, well, I should have controlled this. No, I can't control all of that, but I can control my mind in what I'm going to think about. And that's what Paul is getting at there in Colossians 3, 1 and 2. And he also wrote, look at this, he wrote Ephesians from prison. He says in Ephesians 1.18, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? That can happen in prison. Have your eyes, the eyes of your heart, enlightened, and begin to dwell on the riches of his glorious inheritance. You are

a member of the household of God. You're a daughter of God, the most high. You're a son of the creator of the universe, and he has given you a rich, glorious inheritance. It goes on forever and ever and ever. Why would we let the things of this world so get us down that we forget about the glorious riches of the inheritance and the inheritance that we have in the saints? And then Paul says in Ephesians 320, this is so good, now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. One translation, I love it, it says that God can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine. Now I imagine, you've been imagining about what God could do.

for you in the midst of this difficult time. I got news for you. He can do more. He can do more. Now, to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. That should put a smile on your face. That should give you a reason to hope. That expands the horizon of opportunity in life, even if you feel so constrained. You see, a lot of wisdom comes from Paul, and it comes from a place of being in prison. And I hope that these scriptures have been a blessing to you, and I hope that you can run with them, meditate on them. If you want them, you just text me. One word, Jeff Kavins, and you can text it to 33777. You'll get these scriptures and all the scriptures in the future, and I use a lot of scripture. Just this morning,

Emily and I had an hour and a half in Scripture just this morning, you know, meditating and talking about the gospel of the day. Beautiful, beautiful. All right, my friend, I want you to know I love you. I'm going to pray for you now. And let me know, has this been an encouragement to you? Is this been an encouragement to you this week? You can get a hold of me via email. It's in the show notes, too, all that information to contact me. If you're interested in going to Israel with Father Mike Schmitz and myself, Israel, June of 2021. And you can go to my website, jeffcavens.com, and get that information. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I love you, and I thank you

for giving us life. I thank you, Lord, that even though we may feel that we are in prison, we are free in you. And you have taught us a new way of looking at life, your kingdom, your will. That's what we should be focusing on. We give you all of our cares today, Lord, and we pray. you and give you glory. We rejoice in your goodness. In Jesus' name, amen. Have a good week, my friends. God bless.