Message Series // Finding Peace In The Craziness of Life
Message Date // October 25, 2020 (Geoff Surratt – guest speaker)
Big Idea
Life continues to be crazy in this season. There are many things we are probably longing for, and one of them is PEACE. We might be anticipating that peace will come once a COVID vaccine becomes available, or if your candidate wins the election, or if your job becomes more secure, or when your kids go back to full-time school. But the reality is that our circumstances may not ever change, or they may not change soon. In fact, there is a chance that our current circumstances may change, and the peace expected to come doesn’t. When looking at the Bible, maybe the reason we aren’t experiencing peace is that we are going about it in the wrong way. According to the Bible, peace is more likely to be experienced by changing our minds, not our circumstances.
”Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me—put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:9 (words of the Apostle Paul)
Discussion
If there were two things you could change today that would help bring some peace in the midst of all the craziness of life, what would those two things be and why?
Read Philippians 4:4-13. There are a couple paths we can take to finding peace in our lives. One of the paths we can take is to focus on changing our circumstances. The reality is that the path of changing our circumstances is the easiest of the two paths to take, but in these verses, Paul never connects finding peace with changing circumstances. Why, in the grand scheme of things, will changing our circumstances not bring us the peace we are ultimately seeking? What are the challenges to seeking peace through different circumstances?
Focus on Paul’s words in Philippians 4:8-9. The other path we can take when it comes to finding peace is to change our minds. This path is far from easy, but yet it’s the path that Paul connects to experiencing peace. Think about it. Paul is writing these words from prison. His circumstances aren’t good, yet there is a peace he is experiencing based on his mindset. Why is it that we can experience a greater peace by changing our mind? Why is this path far from easy?
Next Steps
In Philippians 4:9, Paul challenges us to take what he has learned and put it into practice. What is one next step you can take to experience peace by changing your mindset? How can your small group keep you accountable with taking this step?