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PEACE OF MIND THROUGH PRAISE
A. Introduction: We’re in the middle of a series on what the Bible says about the mind. The Bible has a lot to
say about our mind since the way we live is a direct result of what and how we think. Prov 4:23
1. As Christians, we are supposed to bring glory to God by the way we live. We are supposed to imitate
our Heavenly Father and imitate Jesus. Matt 5:16; Eph 5:1; I John 2:6; etc.
a. However, if your thinking is not in agreement with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, then
your character and actions will not accurately reflect them. Matt 5:16; Eph 5:1; I John 2:6
b. Though we have come to genuine faith in Jesus, our thinking isn’t right. All of us grew up in a
world that is in rebellion against God. And the influence of this world system shaped and molded
our thinking in ways that are contrary to God. Isa 55:8
c. Christians are specifically told that we need to be transformed through the renewing or renovating of
our mind (Rom 12:2). This means that our perspective or our view of reality (the way we see
things) must change and come into agreement with the way God sees things.
1. One of the main purposes of the Bible is to show us the way things really are according to
God. Because God is Omniscient (all-knowing) and Omnipresent (present everywhere at
once), He sees and knows all the facts about reality.
2. With the help of the Holy Spirit, our view of reality (the way we think about things) can be
progressively changed as we regularly read and think about God’s Word, the Bible. II Cor 3:18
2. Renewing or renovating our mind (changing our perspective) takes time and effort. And, part of the
challenge we face as our mind is being renewed is learning how to keep our mind focused on the Lord
a. God promises peace of mind to those who focus or fix their thoughts on Him—You will keep in
perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you (Isa 26:3, NLT). Peace of mind
means freedom from disquieting thoughts and emotions.
b. It can be difficult to keep our attention focused on the Lord because there are constant distractions—
from the everyday tasks of life we must deal with to the major troubles that come to all of us.
c. Add to this is the fact that when we encounter situations that annoy, worry, or frighten us, an
automatic process begins that makes things worse if it’s not stopped. The process works like this:
1. Your physical senses communicate information to your mind. Thoughts and emotions are
generated, and you begin to talk to yourself about what you see and how you feel about it.
2. As you talk to yourself and go over and over what you see and how you feel, more thoughts
race through your mind. The problem gets bigger and your anxiety level grows and grows.
A. You can’t stop this process from starting. But you can learn to control it by choosing what
you focus your attention on and how you talk to yourself.
B. You can get control of your mind and get your focus back on the Lord by harnessing your
mouth with praise to God–by acknowledging with the words of your mouth who He is and
what He has done, is doing, and will do. We have more to say about this tonight.
B. Last week we looked at an incident in Israel’s history as an example of people who got control of their mind
and emotions and kept their focus on God in a frightening situation by praising Him. II Chron 20:1-30
1. The southern kingdom of Israel (known as Judah) was about to be invaded by three enemy armies that
had joined forces. Terrified, the people sought God under the leadership of their king, Jehoshaphat.
a. We noted that they began their prayer for help with praise to God. They praised Him by extolling
His power and might and remembering His past help and promise of present help. II Chron 20:6-7
b. God spoke to them through a Levite named Jahaziel. The Lord told the people of Judah that the
battle was not theirs, but His. Almighty God told them to go up to the battlefield, but they would
not have to fight. Instead, they would see the Lord’s victory. II Chron 20:15-17
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c. Judah went out to meet the enemy and kept their focus on the Lord with praise to Him. The army
put praisers out in front who sang praise to God, and gave thanks to Him for His everlasting mercy
and loving kindness. When the praisers began to sing, the three enemy armies started to fight
among themselves and destroyed each other. II Chron 20:20-23
2. Note the last line of God’s message to Judah through the prophet Jahaziel: Fear not, nor be dismayed;
tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you (II Chron 20:17, Amp).
a. This phrase, “Fear not, for the Lord is with you” is repeated a number of times at critical points in
Israel’s history.
1. Isa 41:10—Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen
you, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (ESV).
2. Isa 43:1-2—Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not
overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flames shall not
consume you (ESV).
b. “Fear not, I am with you” is not a religious phrase or a cliché meant to make us feel better in difficult
times. It is a statement of reality, a description of reality, the way things really are.
1. God is Omnipresent or present everywhere at once. There is no place that God is not. God is
Omnipotent or all powerful. There’s nothing bigger or more powerful than Him.
A. When Judah faced the enemy army Jehoshaphat began his prayer to God by remembering
this reality: You (God) rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hands are
power and might, so that none is able to withstand you (II Chron 20:6, ESV).
B. King David (Jehoshaphat’s ancestor) also lived with the awareness that God was always
with Him—not because David was special, but because God is God. Ps 139:7-8—I can
never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to
heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there (NLT).
2. These two men saw reality as it truly is—God with them and for them. They knew that if God
is with you, nothing can come against you that is bigger than Him. God with you is your help
and your salvation in the midst of life’s troubles. They knew that God will get you through
until He gets you out.
A. Isa 43:2-3—When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through
the fire oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am
the Lord, your God (NLT),
B. When that becomes your view of reality, you will have peace even in the midst of life’s
greatest challenges. As you regularly read God’s Word and take time to think about the
fact that God is with you and for you, your mind is gradually renewed to this reality.
3. David was a master at praising God in the midst of trouble by acknowledging who God is and what He
does. And David was a master at looking away from distractions, past what he could see with his eyes,
to God with Him and for Him. We’ve looked at several examples in previous lessons. Note another.
a. Ps 42 was recorded by a Levite singer (one of the sons of Korah). The Levite was with David when
David was exiled from Jerusalem during his troubles with his son Absalom.
b. Notice Ps 42:5—Why are your cast down, O my inner self (my soul). And why should you moan
over me and be disquieted within me (Amp)? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the
help of his countenance (KJV); [for] the salvation of his face (MKJV).
1. The Hebrew word that is translated countenance means the face. It can be used literally, but
more often it was used figuratively as a substitute for the entire person.
2. The idea in the Hebrew in this verse is that God’s presence is salvation (marginal note, KJV).
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Note this translation: My present Salvation, and my God (Ps 42:5, Spurrell).
3. David knew that God with him and for him was the salvation (help) he needed no matter who or
what he was facing, because nothing could come against him that is bigger than God.
4. Paul expressed this same idea in his Epistle to the Romans. Paul (an eyewitness of Jesus) wrote that
nothing can separate us from the love of God, and if God is for us, nothing and no one can be against us.
In other words, God with us and for us (His presence and power) is our salvation in every situation—and
nothing or no one can separate us from His love.
a. Paul wrote: Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that
nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the
demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t
keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all
creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our
Lord (Rom 8:37-39, NLT),
b. Paul has just finished stating that God knew His people in advance and chose them to become His
sons and daughters through faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death on the Cross. Rom 8:28-30
1. God dealt with our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice, and He can now justify us (declare us no longer
guilty of sin) when we believe on Jesus. He can then glorify us or bring us into His family as
His holy sons and daughters, and restore us to what He intended us to be before we sinned.
2. Then Paul wrote: What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us,
who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us
all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also freely give us everything else (Rom 8:31-32, NLT)?
c. Paul’s point is that if God helped you with your greatest need (salvation from your sins) why would
He not help you with your lesser needs? And, in comparison to your eternal salvation, everything
else is a lesser issue.
1. This doesn’t mean that there will be no more trouble in this life. It means that nothing can
permanently harm us because we belong to God who is with us and for us.
2. Therefore, we can have peace of mind no matter what our circumstances. (We’ll address these
points more fully in upcoming lessons.)
5. This is just what Jesus said to His followers at the Last Supper the night before He was crucified. He
told them that He was soon going back to the Father, but that He would give them peace.
a. John 14:27—Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (NKJV).
1. The word peace is used in several ways in regard to the gift of peace that Jesus gives us.
Through His death on the Cross, Jesus brought peace between God and man. All who believe
on Him are restored to right, harmonious (peaceful) relationship with God. Rom 5:1-2
2. Part of this harmonious relationship is the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are
reconciled to God and stand in His grace and knowing that He is with you and for you.
b. Jesus told them that the peace He gives is different than what the world gives. The world gives
peace of mind when everything looks and feels good. But that peace comes and goes, depending
on what we see and feel, depending on our circumstances.
1. The peace that Jesus gives is the peace He had, a peace that passes understanding, the assurance
that despite how things look and feel, all will be well because God is with you and for you.
A. Remember that Jesus is God become fully man without ceasing to be fully God—One
Person, two natures, human and Divine. Jesus limited Himself to all the limitations that
humans experience, and as a man Jesus, was dependent on the Father to provide for Him.
B. Jesus was never worried or anxious about anything. He knew that His Father loved Him,
was with Him, heard and answered His prayers, never left Him alone, and always provided
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for Him. Matt 26:53; John 5:20; John 11:41; John 16:32; etc.
2. Even at the moment of His death, Jesus’ trust was in His Father who was with Him and for Him.
A. Luke 23:46—Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with
those words he breathed his last (NLT).
B. As a man facing death, Jesus knew that even death at the hands of wicked men influenced
by Satan is not bigger than Almighty God who was with Him and for Him. The same is
true for us because of what Jesus has done for us through His death and resurrection.
c. Later in the evening, Jesus told His followers that the peace He gives comes through His word—
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace (John 16:33a, NKJV).
1. God’s Word brings us peace because it shows us the way things really are. Through His Word,
the Lord tells us about unseen realities—God with us and for us, Almighty God who is our
salvation and sufficiency.
2. God with us and for us doesn’t mean that we’ll have no more trouble. Jesus went on to say:
In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer—
take courage. Be confident, certain, undaunted—for I have overcome the world. —I have
deprived it of power to harm, have conquered it [for your] (John 16:33b, Amp).
1. Yes, things can and do hurt us now. We suffer loss and pain in this fallen, broken world.
But this is reality: Nothing can come against you that is bigger than God who is with you
and for you. Everything you see is temporary and subject to change by God’s power
either in this life or the life to come. God is able to cause everything to serve His ultimate
purpose of good for His people, and He will get you through until He gets you out.
2. Jesus’ resurrection is proof of this. Through His death and resurrection He has deprived
this world of its power to permanently harm us (more in this in future lessons).
6. That same night Jesus told His followers that they must do something to have His peace of mind. He
said: Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid—stop allowing yourself to be agitated and
disturbed (John 14:27, Amp).
a. Because of the distractions from what we see and feel, and the automatic process in our mind and
emotions that begins when we encounter trouble, we have to make ourselves focus on the Lord.
b. Praise to God for who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do helps us focus on the fact
that He is with us and for us. He is our salvation and He will get us through whatever we are facing.
C. Conclusion: Paul also said that we must do something with our mind if we want to experience God’s peace,
the assurance that despite how things look and feel, all is and will be well because God is with us and for us.
1. Paul wrote: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and
thank him for all he has done. If you do this you will experience God’s peace which is far more
wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live
in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7. NLT). (This is what Jehoshaphat and David did.)
2. Notice that Paul goes on to instruct Christians to do something with their mind: And now dear friends,
let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and
right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent
and worthy of praise (Phil 4:8, NLT).
a. Much of what we think and talk about doesn’t meet any of these qualifications, let alone all of
them. The Greek word translated fix your thoughts means to take an inventory.
b. If we will “take an inventory” and praise God for who He is and what He has done, is doing and will
do, then our thoughts will be fixed on Him. And in the midst of life’s hardships we can have peace
of mind because we know that God is with us and for us. Much more next week!!
