Imagine God hands you a gift: His Peace. In return, He asks you to give Him your worries and concerns. That may seem crazy, but that’s exactly what God wants from you.
- My dad was the master of exchanges and kept good records
- He could get exchanges far beyond the normal return period
- He would make his case, present his sales receipt and get an exchange
- We have all exchanged purchases
- Damaged
- Wrong size
- No longer needed
- See something better
- God wants us to exchange our worries for peace. His Peace
1 Peter 5:6-10 NIV6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
- Luke 14:11 NIV For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
- Proverbs 16:18 NIV Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
- Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.
- Psalms 55:22 NIV Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
- 1 Peter 1:13 NIV Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
- James 4:7 NIV Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.