Keith Battle - The Journey to Peace - Part 4

All right, we’re going to conclude this series, «The Journey to Peace,» today. As a reminder for some and news for others, we do have an app called the «Des Zion Church App,» which you can download for free. Even though the series is ending today, there is still content on that app related to this series that can teach you. It includes videos, topics, scriptures, and points—lots of important information that you can continue to utilize throughout the weeks, months, and years ahead. So, make sure you gain access to that.

Now, if you are physically able to stand without harming yourself, no pressure—please join us in our tradition of standing for the reading of the Word. I’m going to refer to our foundational scripture, which is Philippians 4:6-7. Amen? Amen. I hope y’all got some help for me today, right? This section, I’mma stay right here the whole time. Amen. Go where you want to be celebrated, not where you’re tolerated.

Verse six says, «Don’t worry about anything. Don’t worry, don’t worry about it, sweetheart; just pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.» And the peace of God, which surpasses and exceeds anything we can understand, will guard your heart and mind as you abide, live in Christ Jesus. You got it. You may be seated.

I want to talk today about protecting your peace. Now, y’all know we are behind schedule, so don’t mess with me—protecting your peace. The Bible says that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, protects our hearts and minds. It is crucial to safeguard those areas because they are where worry is either fed or deprived. It is either rebuked or celebrated in our hearts and minds. So, God’s peace is protecting our hearts and minds, but at the same time, we must protect that peace. Because God doesn’t just want you to learn this journey towards peace; He wants you to live in peace. Peace should be your norm in life; it can’t just be a temporary state.

How do you learn to live in peace? You’ve got to protect it. But how can I protect my peace, Pastor? Let me illustrate it like this: Whenever you have a sin or a bad habit in your life that you’re trying to change—and we’ve learned and been reminded in this series that worry is a sin and a bad habit—you must first avoid things that feed it. That’s right. Then, you overcome it by feeding it with positive things that cause it to die. For example, if you have a habit of unhealthy eating and want to eat healthy, one of the first things you must do is remove all the unhealthy food from your house. Go into the cupboards—do they still call them cupboards, or cabinets, or pantry? —and into the refrigerator and freezer, and get the junk out. You can’t keep anything in there for moments of weakness. You know, «I’ll just keep this in here for when I need it.» No, you’ve got to remove all bad habits out of the house. Then, you’ve got to put good stuff in the house. Hopefully, those patterns will help you move away from the bad habit. Are you with me?

If you’re someone trying to achieve sobriety from drugs or alcohol, one thing you must do is get away from environments, people, and opportunities that lead you to get high or drunk. You must surround yourself with a supportive community of like-minded people who also want to live sober. That’s how that works.

If you want to live a life of sexual integrity, you need to remove yourself from people, places, websites, and pictures online that trigger you. Don’t follow people just because of their appearance or whatever triggers you. You have to get those things out and put good influences in. Watch this: you cannot be around what takes you down. Oh, what did I just say? You cannot be around what takes you down.

If you’re trying to be healthy in your medical life, you need to get away from things that make you sick and surround yourself with things that make you well. The same is true with worry. Since worry is a bad habit and it’s a sin, the way you overcome it is by first staying away from things that trigger your worry because you can’t be around what brings you down. Then you must also add things into your life, like trusting God and praying.