Leading The Way

Erin: My name is Erin. I just wanted to call and voice how appreciative I am of Dr. Youssef's dedication to the Lord. I was raised a Christian in a Christian household but fell away as later in life I began to use drugs. I can honestly say that until I spent a good long stint in jail, where my only option for any kind of contact or hearing anything was to listen to Michael Youssef's sermons on the tablet because I was locked down 23 hours a day alone in my cell.

Michael just helped me to understand the Bible and my love for God in ways that I never learned as a child. I began to really feel the love of the Lord and I decided to change my life around. Today, three years later, clean and sober, I work a really strong program with God at the absolute center of everything in my life. All because I'm able to focus everything on God and thank God for everything now.

Guest (Male): Dr. Youssef would like to hear your story as well. He's always so blessed to hear how God is using his voice to reach the hearts and the lives of people all around the world. So if you'd like to share a testimony that might be used on air sometime in the future, we encourage you to call us. The number is 877-941-7934. Just follow the prompts when you get there. Again, the phone number is 877-941-7934.

And if you'd like to learn more about Leading The Way, order products, or support Dr. Youssef with your gifts toward worldwide ministry, the easiest way is to visit us online at LTW.org. That's LTW.org. Right now, join me in listening as Dr. Michael Youssef continues his series called "It's Contagious, Pass It On." Dr. Youssef is unveiling how joy is key for experiencing abundant life and living in the challenging days of 2026, and it's available for you through a closer walk with Christ. So let's listen together as Dr. Michael Youssef begins.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Because I'm a person who is always interested in words and the meaning of words, I've often questioned myself when I hear a word that's used and I keep asking myself, "What does that mean?" For example, when I call a hospital to check on a patient and they say he's in a stable condition. I scratch my head and ask what that means. Because the Oxford Dictionary defines stable as firmly fixed, not easily to be moved. And I wonder, is he not getting better or not getting worse? Is that what it means?

Another definition of the word stable is resolute, not wavering or fickle. In reality, when it comes to our spiritual lives, being stable should be the goal of every single believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reason for that is we are easily moved. If we allow our emotions to take over, we will be all over the map. But to be spiritually stable means that you are not easily shaken, that you are not easily adrift with the prevailing mood of culture, that you are not easily carried away by the waves of public opinion, so that you are not easily swept off your feet with every new fad that comes into town. That's what it means.

Spiritual stability is the burden of most, if not all, the writers in the New Testament. It is the burden of their hearts. It's a burden of the Apostle Paul; he literally talks about it in every epistle. It is the burden of Peter and James. And that is why in 1 Thessalonians 3:8, Paul said, "For now we really live when we are standing firm in the Lord." In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, he said, "So then brothers, stand firm." James in chapter one, verse eight tells us about the person who is lacking spiritual stability; he said he is double-minded and unstable in all his ways. The Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:12, "This is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it."

Why? Why should all of these New Testament writers constantly be pleading with believers to stand firm and to have spiritual stability? Because they knew, they understood, that spiritual instability would lead to spiritual burnout. And spiritual burnout would lead to discouragement, would lead to doubt and to total ineffectiveness in the ministry of Christ. And that is why I want you to turn with me now to Philippians chapter four, beginning verse one all the way to verse nine. You'll see here how we can live a stable Christian life.

And the Apostle Paul basically gives us four things. He doesn't spell them out; I'm just summarizing for you. First, in verses one to three of chapter four, he said you can achieve that stabilizing power of joy by standing firm and majoring on the majors. Secondly, in verse four, he said by always rejoicing in the Lord. And thirdly, in verse five, six, and seven, he said by praying and not complaining, or instead of complaining. And finally, verses eight and nine, by filling your mind with godly thoughts.

How do you major on the majors? By standing firm, by resolving that you're going to stand firm in the Lord. Now beloved, this is a command; it is not a suggestion. And the image that you get from this passage is that of a general who has gone into a territory and he defeated that enemy, and he had taken over that territory. And as he defeated the enemy completely and subdue them and takes over the territory, he turns around and he hands that territory that's already been conquered to the soldiers, to the officers, to his army.

And that is why this holding army, when they come and take that territory, they have confidence, not on who they are or what they have done, but they have confidence that their general has already defeated the enemy. All they need to do is to stand firm in the victory of their general. And in our case, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we stand firm because Christ has already defeated the enemy. We stand firm because he already conquered death and the grave. We stand firm because he already knocked Satan's teeth out.

We stand firm because he has defeated fear and anxiety and doubt. We stand firm because Christ already has taken over all of the territories of sin and guilt and render them ineffective. We stand firm because Christ has already obtained the victory for us. We stand firm in his power. We stand firm in his accomplishments, not ours. We stand firm in his glory. We stand firm in him leading us onward and upward. We stand firm in the path that he already has mapped out for us.

And that is why Paul goes on to say to us to stand firm. Then he immediately go into rebuking two ladies in the church of Philippi. These two ladies in that church of Philippi, they were fighting over minor issues. I promise you, if they were fighting over major doctrinal issues that has to do with the gospel of Christ, that has to do with biblical truth, Paul would have taken sides. He would have said, "You're wrong, you're right." But he doesn't. He clearly thinks that these were issues that were simply a difference of opinion. They're not important.

Beloved, listen to me. One of the saddest things is when two brothers in Christ or two sisters in Christ go into battle with each other over what? A difference of opinion. Has nothing to do with the gospel, has nothing to do with salvation, has nothing to do with biblical truth. One of the saddest things is when believers get hung up on style rather than substance. And you know what? Satan loves it. He loves it. In a time when we are facing the most horrendous attack by the forces of evil, the last thing we need to do is to get bent out of shape over personalities and feelings.

That's what Paul's argument is here. And that is why he tells those two precious ladies in the church in Philippi, he says agree in the Lord. He's saying don't be divided over opinion, but agree on the Lord because that's who we can agree on. Instead of insisting on my way or "I'm right," submit to one another on those issues that are really not important. Submission to spiritual authority is a dirty word in these postmodern times. It really is. And yet the Bible from cover to cover talk about submission to spiritual authority.

And that is why Paul tells them actually to submit to his yoke-fellow, the pastor that he set up in the church in Philippi, most likely Epaphroditus, whom he appointed as an overseer, as a spiritual authority in the church. Why? Because the call of the church of Jesus Christ is not to get stuck in the minor issues of life, but it is to minister to one another, to restore the fallen, to encourage the weak and the faint-hearted. It is to be about the Father's business. It's to go about serving one another instead of insisting on my way.

Paul knew that the one thing that would steal the joy of the believer is the stubborn insistence on their opinion. He knew that. It’s one thing that will steal you joy as fast as you can count. And when the joy is missing, believers become destabilized. And when you become destabilized, whether in the life of an individual Christian or Christian home or Christian community, when destabilization takes place in your life, you open the door wide for Satan to come in and set up his beachhead. Trust me, I know of what I'm talking about.

We often talk about satanic attack, but you know that most believers actually open the door for Satan to come and attack them by foolishly not understanding how to major on the majors and minor on the minors. Because this is going to produce believers who are bitter and vengeful and critical and hostile and unforgiving and prideful. And Paul understood that unless a decisive action is taken quickly, the Philippian church is going to get disintegrated into hostile factions.

And that is why twice he says, "I urge you. I urge you." He is pleading with them. So what is the answer? Resolve to live in harmony in the Lord. Major on the majors and minor on the minors. The way human nature is is that we forget that we stand on Christ's victory. We really do. We become divided instead of seeking peace and reconciliation. We get on the bandwagon to take sides and thus we get sidetracked from the call of the gospel. Stand firm by majoring on the majors.

Secondly, rejoice always in the Lord. This whole epistle is the epistle of joy and rejoicing. He's building up the entire epistle to come to verse two of chapter four to say, "Let these two ladies be reconciled." That's the whole purpose of writing the epistle. Some people think that they are rejoicing in the Lord when they are on emotional high, spiritual steroids. They're rejoicing. Some people think that when you have this ecstatic feelings, you're rejoicing. No, beloved, not at all.

At times when I'm rejoicing in the Lord, I'm sitting in silence and tears are staining my face. When you're rejoicing in the Lord, sometimes when you become so overwhelmed with gratitude to God that you are speechless. You can't say anything. That you are delighting yourself in the Lord even when everything is blowing at your face. You are rejoicing in the Lord even when your circumstances stink. But you are rejoicing in the Lord.

You say, "Well Michael, how come?" Because when all of your sufficiency is in Christ, you're not going to be a gossip, you're not going to be a backbiter, you're not going to be a conceited person, you're not going to be filled with pride, you're not going to be a stingy person with the work of God, you're not going to be bitter in spirit. When the Lord is all your sufficiency, you will always again and again and again rejoice. You say, "How do I experience the sufficiency of the Lord?" There is no other way other than sitting down and spending time with him, time to know him, time to know his character, time to know his word, time to know his promises, time to know his desire and his will for you.

Joy stabilizes our life when we stand firm and major on the majors. Secondly, when we always rejoice in the Lord. And thirdly, by praying instead of complaining. I want you to look with me, please, verses five, six, and seven because there's a contrast here. When he said, "Let your gentleness be evident," he's not saying let's all become wimps or let's all become milk toasts. See, many people confuse gentleness with wimpiness. Now remember, he is continuing this theme that he is going through.

What is that theme? Of bending where it doesn't matter. And that's what gentleness is all about. Don't be inflexible in the matters of opinions. That's what gentleness is all about. Being gracious in the issues that have nothing to do with the gospel. That will ultimately cause you to rejoice. Why? Because you are imitating Christ. You really are. So instead of stubbornly determining that your opinion is the right one, pray. That's what Paul is saying here. Pray. Call upon the Lord.

There is no greater assurance of spiritual stability in your life than being confident that the Lord is near. By the way, he's not talking about the second coming of Christ, meaning his return is near. He is talking about the Lord's nearness with us in every day, every moment, that he's near us. And that's what he's saying; just remember that. Because when we can't see the Lord with our physical eyes, we tend to forget that he is right there. He's in the middle of that argument. He's in the middle of that debate. He's in the middle of all that.

We tend to forget that he's closer to us than our skin. When we know that the Lord is literally sitting next to you, that he is right here, so near, closer to us than our skin, you and I are not going to be obstinate. We're not going to be obnoxious. We're not going to be anxious. We're not going to be worried. Let gentleness be evident to all. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to who? God.

You know what most Christians do? They reverse the Apostle Paul's formula. They really, really do; most Christians do. They let everybody else in the world know about their needs and not the only one that they should go to. We complain to everyone who would listen instead of going to the only one who can meet our needs. We tell everybody about our victimness instead of going to the only one who can do something about it.

Now let me give you a Youssef interpretation, not a translation. It's an interpretation. Kind of put it in everyday language. Here's what Paul is saying: Be gracious to people, but pound as hard as you like on the doors of heaven. That's what he's saying. Most people like to be polite toward God, but then they'll tell everybody everything. Reverse the formula. He is saying be stable in your dealing with people, but get out of balance when you are dealing with God.

For he's the only one who has the cure for our anxiety. He's the only one who has peace to a distorted spirit. He's the only one who has power to change us and to change others. He's the only one who can supersede all of the human powers, all of the human plans, and all of the human schemes. He's the only one who can open doors that nobody can shut and he can shut doors that nobody can open. He's the only one who stands guard, puts a garrison around your mind and around your heart even in the midst of trouble to give you peace.

That's what he's saying. The stabilizing joy comes from standing firm and majoring on the majors. The stabilizing joy comes from always rejoicing in the Lord. And thirdly, the stabilizing joy comes from praying and not complaining. Fourthly, he said the stabilizing joy comes from filling your mind with godly thoughts. I'm sure for a patient to be stabilized, even, he's got a lot of medication, a lot of nutrition, a lot of stuff that the doctors have to do in order to get him to that stable condition. And the same thing with us spiritually.

You've heard the computer term that says "garbage in, garbage out." That's who we are. It says you are what you eat. I can tell you biblical truth: you are what you think. What you think, what fills your mind on a daily basis. Whatever fills your mind is going to come out in your life, is going to come out in your behavior sooner or later. If you are constantly filling your mind with lustful thoughts, your behavior will reflect that in your life.

If you fill your mind with angry thoughts, revengeful thoughts, sooner or later, you're going to be an angry person. If you sit in front of the computer and watch all of this pornographic stuff, sooner or later, your behavior reflects the garbage that you're watching. If you read sleazy books all the time and sleazy magazines, expect that that's going to be reflected in your life. If you fill your mind with the feeling of victim mentality, you will live in self-pity. "Oh poor me, poor me."

If you try to count all the great things you did for God and all the favors that you gave God, all the things you did for God, you can count on being an ungrateful person. No gratitude. And that is why verse eight, Paul said, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute."

If you fill your mind with godly thoughts, with God-honoring thoughts, if you fill your mind with Christ-centered thoughts, if you fill your mind with Christlikeness, if you say, "Lord, I want to fill my mind of how I reflect you in my life," that's exactly what your life is going to reflect. Proverbs 23:7 says, "Whatever a man thinks, he is." You're what you think.

And so, my beloved friends, it comes as no surprise to any of you that we live in a culture where people no longer ask, "What is the truth? What is the truth?" So many decades of relativism and the truth is what you make it, the truth is what you believe, the truth is how you feel, have now taken hold.

And yet in reality, for the joy of the Lord to reign supreme in our lives, for stability to fill our lives, we need to fill our minds with Christ-centered thoughts. Measure every thought you have with the word of God. And the God whose character is peace, the God whose property is serenity, the God whose name is Jehovah Shalom, the God whose nature is peaceful, will give you supernatural peace which will give you strength and will give you tranquility and will give you contentment even in the toughest of times. And that will produce a stabilizing condition.

Guest (Male): I sure hope you've been encouraged by today's episode of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Remember, you can listen again to today's message or the entire "It's Contagious, Pass It On" series when you visit LTW.org. You can also subscribe to Leading The Way's podcast or download the recently updated app.

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