Telling the Truth

Guest (Male): Today on Telling the Truth, Stuart Briscoe shares how you can enjoy God's peace when you firmly believe God's promises. But first, if you've been feeling overwhelmed lately, like your mind just won't slow down, you're not alone. A lot of people today are carrying anxiety, uncertainty, and questions they don't know where to take.

That's why Telling the Truth is sharing biblical teaching in digital spaces, so people can encounter God's truth right in those moments, right where they are. As we approach the end of the financial year, your support is critical to keep this ministry going. Right now, your gift will be doubled through an $82,000 matching grant, helping reach more people searching for peace and direction.

As our thanks, we'll send you Stuart Briscoe's book, A Peace of My Mind, a resource designed to help you experience God's steady pace when life feels unsettled. Call 262-788-4648 to have your gift doubled by the match, or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's Stuart Briscoe with his message, "How Can I Find Peace of Mind?"

Stuart Briscoe: I plead with you Euodia and I plead with you Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. And I will say it again: Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

The interesting thing about this passage of scripture that deals with such immense spiritual principles is that he wrote it because he's dealing with a couple of women who can't stand each other in the church in Philippi. Now, they're wonderful gals, these women. They have been fellow workers of his. They have contended at his side in the cause of the gospel. They are wonderful, active, powerful women in the church in Philippi.

There's only one problem: while Paul's there, they're great. As soon as he's gone, they turn all their energies onto ripping on each other. They hate each other's guts. Paul says to them, "Now, listen ladies, we're going to have to do something about this because you're causing all kinds of a problem. People are taking sides. We've got a potential division in the church. We've got to do something about this."

The first thing you ladies have got to do is this: you have got to remember that you've taken your stand firmly in the Lord. And that being the case, you're citizens of heaven, and citizens of heaven don't behave like that. Not only that, you have got to understand that the Lord himself is powerful enough to bring everything under his control. So whatever it is that is bugging you, if you commit it to him instead of trying to fix it yourselves, you'd begin to discover some peace of mind.

Not only that, you'll notice that Paul says a very interesting thing at the end of verse three about all these workers in the church in Philippi. He says their names are in the Book of Life. Now, anybody who understands that their name is in the Book of Life rejoices in the Lord, and that creates peace of mind. Let me explain what I mean.

I talk to you from the Book of Revelation. I remind you that scripture says that one day the dead, small and great, will stand before the great white throne, and God, the eternal Creator and upholder of all things, in righteousness and justice will judge all people. The dead, small and great, will stand before him.

The scripture also goes on to tell us that he will open the records of the lives that we've lived, and as we already know that we've all come short of his glory and we're condemned already, we know that the judgment is passed in advance. We know that we've come short. That's a very gloomy picture of us standing before the judgment seat of God.

But then the great ray of hope comes in this: it then says that another book will be opened. And the other book that will be opened is called the Book of Life. And the Book of Life records the names of those people whose deeds and whose lives have been unsatisfactory, but who've admitted it, repented of it, been forgiven of it, and have aligned themselves with the saving lordship of Jesus Christ. Their names are written in the Book of Life.

Now, anybody who understands that they're a sinner saved by grace and that when they stand before the great judgment, the one thing that matters is that their name will be found in the Book of Life, and that means that they qualify for life eternal—anybody who knows that is a person who has considerable peace of mind because they know where they're going when they die. They know where they're going when they die.

Verse four: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." The thing to remember about this statement is this: that the apostle Paul is writing this in prison under the Emperor Nero, under sentence of death with his execution imminent. Remember that. Those are the circumstances under which he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice."

You say, "How in the world can he do that?" Well, he goes on to say this: "The Lord is near." So I can imagine that Paul is sitting in his cell, and he hears the footsteps of the guard coming along the dank corridors of his prison. And he hears the rusty key turn in the rusty lock, and he hears the door grating open, and he says to himself, "Here comes my jailer. Maybe today he'll be my executioner. Well, let's rejoice in the Lord anyways."

How in the world could he do that? Is he living in denial? No. He says, "This may well be my executioner, but the executioner doesn't know this, but I know this: the Lord is near. The Lord is near." And that executioner can't do a thing to me outside God's eternal purposes for me. So I'll rejoice in the Lord, and I'll let the executioner do his best or do his worst.

Now, do I honestly believe that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life? I can rejoice. Do I honestly believe that the Lord at all times is near? Then I can rejoice. And I ought to believe that because this is what he said: "I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." We rejoice in the Lord and discover peace of mind.

But now what he's saying to these two ladies, Euodia and Syntyche: "Look, obviously these things that you're getting all upset about are worrisome to you. Obviously, you're anxious about them. But you're not handling them properly. If you are trying to fix this problem on your own, instead of saying to yourselves, 'We'll put it in the light of eternity, we'll put it in the light of the kingdom, and we'll put it in the light of we're citizens of heaven, and we'll put it in the light of the Lord is able to subdue everything to himself, and we will simply look at it in the light of the fact that the Lord is near,' then we'll begin to relate our problems in a manner that will allow us to rejoice in him."

The problem, of course, is this: that sometimes we know all this, and we relate it all to him, and then we take it all back again. There's a lovely story about old Mistress Smith who was going to market in England one day many years ago. She's carrying a great basket full of all kinds of produce that she's grown in her market garden. And along comes the Squire.

Squire Jones is sitting in his little pony and trap, and he's bouncing along the road, and he sees the little lady with her great basket of produce. And so he says, "Would you like a ride to market, my good woman?" And she said, "Oh, Squire, I certainly would." So she clambers up, and she sits there in the little pony and trap, and he whips up the pony and off they go trotting, and she holds her great big basket of produce on her knee. He says, "Oh, Mistress, put the basket down. You don't need to carry the burden." And she said, "Oh no, Squire, I want to keep as much weight as possible off the horse."

Think about it. How much weight is she keeping off the horse by carrying the burden herself? None. And what happens when we say we know all this and we relate all this and then we take it all back? How much labor, how much weight do we keep off the Lord? None. And how much burden do we continue to carry ourselves? All of it.

You see, what these two ladies have got to do is to remember that you rightly relate these things to the Lord and you leave them there. You leave them there. Otherwise, you'll find that gnawing anxiety and that gnawing worry and eventually the panic attacks will take over. That's the second smooth stone.

Guest (Male): That's Stuart Briscoe on today's Telling the Truth. He's headed right back with more biblical insight to help you trust firmly in God's promises. But before we dive back in, there's a growing hunger for truth in our world today, and more people than ever are searching for real answers. That's why as Telling the Truth prepares to close out another financial year, your support matters so much.

Your support helps take the trusted teaching of Stuart and Jill Briscoe and place it into digital spaces where people are already looking for hope. And right now, an $82,000 matching grant will double your gift, expanding that reach even further in the months ahead. When you give, we'll say thanks by sending you A Peace of My Mind, a powerful resource from Stuart that shows you how to experience God's perfect peace, even in uncertain and challenging times.

So call today to request your copy when you have your gift doubled by the match: 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. For many, our smartphones have become our social connection, but we want to help you make a spiritual connection with the Telling the Truth mobile app. You can listen to daily programs, engage in Bible reading plans, journal, and share your thoughts and prayers on the community wall. Get the Telling the Truth app through your App Store or log on to tellingthetruth.org/mobile. Remember, you can also give to support Telling the Truth on our mobile app. Now, here's Stuart with more for you.

Stuart Briscoe: Here's the third smooth stone. We experience peace of mind as we handle anxieties properly. Verse six: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Now, that is a superlative promise.

But notice that the promise is predicated on certain things that we're required to do. Do not be anxious about anything. Now, that has caused some eyebrows to be raised. And I think we need to balance this statement out and make sure that we understand what it is saying and what it is not saying.

In chapter two and verse 20 of Philippians, this is what it says: Paul is speaking very warmly of Timothy, and he says, "I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare." Now, the word translated "interest" there is the same as the word translated "anxious" in chapter four verse six. There is a place for genuine concern for people. There is a place for sensible prudence.

He is not saying, "Oh, don't worry about people, don't be concerned about people, and don't be prudent, and don't be careful." He's not saying that at all. It would be very, very unwise not to be concerned about people who give you legitimate concern. It is out of order to allow those concerns to obsess you.

By the same token, it is prudence to take care as to what you're doing in dangerous situations. It is not appropriate for you to say, "I refuse to go into dangerous situations." Years ago I was in Mozambique, right on the borders of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It was an area that had been the scene of fighting between the regimes of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Mozambique, of course, was Marxist, and Zimbabwe very right-wing, and they were deadly enemies and constant fighting there.

The conflict had been over just a few weeks before we went there, and I was out there with World Relief Fund looking at where they were drilling wells for some of the people who were living in desperately impoverished situations. But they'd reminded us: be very careful because this area is infested with landmines. Now, some people would say, "Landmine? I'm not going close there."

Other people would say, "I'll commit this situation to the Lord and I'll be prudent." So were we prudent? Yes, we were prudent. You see, they had said the best way to make sure you don't step on a landmine is: don't put your feet anywhere except where you can see a footmark. And so that's what we did. And we walked very carefully in that area, putting our feet where there were already footmarks. That's prudence. That's being smart.

That is doing the sort of things that you do. What you don't allow to happen is to be so covered with anxiety that you say, "Oh, I could never go to Mozambique. Oh, I could never go into a place like that." Because there is a Lord, and you committed your life to him. And there is a day and there will be a time when he will take you to be with himself, and it may be one way or it may be the other.

So we balance this thing out. Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything. What? In everything, by prayer, petition, thanksgiving, present your request to God. Now, the four words there, I don't have time to get into them; each of them is important. You see, they describe how we relate our concerns to the Lord.

Number one, we do it in prayer, and the word here means prayer that is worshipful, prayer that is submissive, prayer that is subject to God's sovereign will and purpose. The second word is prayer that is dependent, prayer that says there is no way that I can solve this problem, Lord, I am dependent on your intervention.

The third word is thankful. Prayer that is thankful does not mean, "God, I thank you for these ghastly circumstances." It means, "God, I thank you that you are God in these ghastly circumstances." And the fourth word is prayer that is specific. You don't just talk in broad generalities; you bring your petitions and your concerns one by one, and you commit them to him humbly, worshipfully, submissively, dependently, thankfully, specifically.

And God will take over. Now, if you continue to hold on to those concerns, they're your concerns, and you're responsible. If you commit those concerns to him, they're his concerns and his responsibility. Let me ask you a question: Who would you rather have in charge of your worries? You or him?

You continue to hold them, you've every reason to continue to worry about it because you really will probably mess it up. You relate them to him and trust him in them, you can have a certain degree of peace of mind because he won't mess up. And the promise is this: the promise is that you will experience the peace of God which transcends all understanding, and it will be like a fort built around your body, protecting you.

Here's the fourth smooth stone. We experience peace of mind as we focus our minds on essentials. Notice what Paul says in verse eight: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, fix your mind on these things." The problem is this: when we have the anxiety-inducing situations, we fix our mind on them.

If we are, however, thinking in terms of who the Lord is in this situation, then we know that he is the one from whom that which is noble and right and true and pure and lovely and admirable will emanate. And we fix our minds not on the garbage; we fix our minds on him.

And the fifth smooth stone is we experience peace of mind as we put into practice what we know. Verse nine: "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put into practice." You say, "And then what will happen?" And then the God of peace will be with you. The God of order, the God who speaks and says, "I'm in charge here. May not look like it. Trust me. Learn of me. Go in the way I direct you." And I promise you something: the peace of God that passes all understanding will garrison your heart and mind.

So how do we find peace of mind? We find peace of mind as we stand firm in the Lord. We find peace of mind as we rejoice in the Lord. We find peace of mind as we handle anxieties properly. We find peace of mind as we focus our minds on essentials. We find peace of mind as we put into practice those things which God has told us. And we live in dependent obedience upon him, expecting him to work. Peace be with you. Let's pray.

I'm going to pray a simple prayer right now for somebody who says, "I don't know that I've ever made my peace with God. I don't know that I've ever come repentantly to him so that my name is in the Book of Life. I wouldn't regard myself as a citizen of heaven. I don't honestly think that he's established his kingdom in my life. I've never come repentantly, believingly to him, made that decision that is so important." Now, I'll pray the prayer for you. You could make it your own.

Lord, when I look at my life, there is a sense of disorder, a sense of something not quite right about it. Sometimes it really fills me with concern, and other times I don't even think about it. But when I'm serious, I know it's there. And what I'm hearing is this: that I haven't ordered my life according to the orders of an orderly God. Therefore, I'm experiencing disorder. Things are out of whack; they're out of shape.

And I recognize that I need to come back to you and I need to acknowledge what I've done and what I haven't been and ask for your forgiveness. And I need to intentionally and intelligently submit myself to your gracious saving lordship. And as best I know my own heart, that's what I do in this prayer now. And I ask that you forgive me, and I ask that you take that indelible ink and write my name in the Book of Life. And I ask that you make me a citizen of heaven, and I ask that you help me to begin to live as if I'm a temporary resident here. And I ask that I might begin to discover the peace of mind that that brings. In the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.

Guest (Male): That's Stuart Briscoe on today's Telling the Truth. What if your generosity today helped place biblical truth in front of someone at the exact moment they need it most? That's what's happening every day through Telling the Truth. Through social media, our Telling the Truth website, and other digital platforms, people are encountering God's Word, many for the very first time, right where they are.

And more people than ever are searching for the kind of peace that can only be found through life in Christ. That's why as we approach the end of the financial year, it's so important that we finish strong because your support can help us reach even more people with biblical truth in the coming year.

The great news is that a group of generous friends has offered an $82,000 matching grant, doubling your gift to expand the outreach even further in the months ahead. Now is a powerful time for you to step in and help keep God's Word going out to the people who need it most. And as our thanks, we'd love to send you Stuart Briscoe's book, A Peace of My Mind, to encourage you with the promise of God's peace in whatever you're facing today. Just call 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Now, let's talk with Stuart. Stuart, June is the end of our financial year. What does that mean for the broadcast ministry?

Stuart Briscoe: Well, friend, on June the 30th we'll reach the end of our financial year, which is account-speak for closing the books. We're closing the books on last year's outreach and ramping up for the exciting opportunities God has for us in the year ahead. And in order to make the most of those opportunities to reach more people with his truth, it's critical that we finish the financial year well.

So today I'm asking you to prayerfully consider making a donation by June the 30th to help us step into the upcoming year on solid financial ground. Truthfully, it's only because of your support that we're able to help people around the world experience the fullness of life in Jesus Christ. There are people like Tanya, who recently wrote us:

"I'm sitting in an empty room and I'm crying. My drug-addicted son sold everything we have. But that is not why I'm crying. I just listened to you tell the story of Esther and was reminded how God intervened in my life just as he had in hers. He led me from a place of total darkness into his wonderful light. Now I pray on my son's behalf, and when he's sober, he listens to your broadcasts. I can see hope being revived in his eyes. God is working on his heart. Praise God."

That's what I'm asking you to support with your gift by June the 30th. And to help us reach more people like Tanya in the year ahead, some dear friends of the ministry have offered a generous matching grant to help us finish this financial year strongly. So I'm asking you to consider making a generous donation by the last day of our financial year on June the 30th, knowing that your gift will be instantly doubled. Together, you and I can help even more people like Tanya and her son find light and hope in the year ahead.

Guest (Male): Before we go, here's something important to remember: your support this month can help Telling the Truth reach even more people in the coming year. Right now your gift will be doubled through an $82,000 matching grant, helping extend biblical teaching to people around the world through digital platforms.

And as our thanks, we'd love to send you Stuart Briscoe's book, A Peace of My Mind, to encourage you with the promise of God's peace in whatever you're facing today. Just please request your copy when you call 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Thanks for joining us for today's program. Come back soon for more teaching from Stuart and Jill Briscoe to help you experience life in Christ. See you next time on Telling the Truth.