The Shoes of Peace and The Shield of Faith

The Shoes of PeaceandThe Shield of Faith Sue Bohlin October 8, 2002

Shoes of Peace • Goin’ barefoot? I don’t THINK so! • Roman shoes studded with sharp nails • Protected from rough terrain and sticks • Ability to stand firm when doing battle

Shoes of Peace • Peace: the possession of adequate resources • “Enough” • Gives emotional and spiritual stability • “Inviting God into our emotions” story

Shoes of Peace • Spirit of lust story • What steals your peace? • Anger • Bitterness • Unforgiveness • Fear

Unresolved Anger 1. Tell God why you’re mad 2. Give your anger to Him. 3. If you can’t let go of it, ask Him for help. 4. Forgive the person who hurt you and/or made you angry.

Bitterness • Bitterness: 1. Causing a sharply unpleasant, painful, or stinging sensation; harsh. 2. Difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear. 3. Coming from or showing strong animosity. 4. Marked by resentment or cynicism. • “Spirit of bitterness” story

Bitterness 1. Acknowledge you have allowed a root of bitterness to grow. 2. Remember that God is sovereign. 3. Accept that nothing happens to you without God’s permission. 4. Choose to trust that He will cause all things to work together for good 5. Let go of the bitterness and ask the Lord to pull it out by the root.

Unforgiveness 1. Acknowledge your sin of unforgiveness 2. Tell God everything about what the other person did to you 3. Transfer responsibility for their sin from yourself to Jesus 4. Choose to let go and release the other person into Jesus’ hand. (Take the handcuffs off you and onto Jesus!)

Fear • 20% jump in anti-anxiety meds after 9-11 • Choose Wednesdays • God doesn’t give grace for our imaginations, only for reality • Don’t look at the wind and the waves; look at Jesus • Hide fear-busting scriptures in your heart and recite them OUT LOUD

Fear-Busters • So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) • For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. (2 Tim 1:7) • There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)

Fear-Busters Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Fear-Busters Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message)

Fear-Busters • …Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) • Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee (Isaiah 26:3)

Christ our Peace “I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught.” (John 14:27, The Message)

Christ our Peace “I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world.” (John 16:33, The Message)

Guided by Peace • Let the peace of Christ rule (act as umpire) in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Colossians 3:15) • Go where the peace is • We experience peace in proportion to the room we give the Holy Spirit.

Jeff Kinkade's 4-Point “Peace-Getter-Backer” Program 1. “Scripture is an enormous help. I love the narrative portion of the Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, that help me gain perspective on the issues I'm facing. I see in those passages the power of God as well as the perspective of God. 2. I pour out my heart to God and that seems to help. I try to hold nothing back. I tell him exactly what I'm anxious about but then I try to follow David's lead in the psalms and end in praise.

Jeff Kinkade's 4-Point “Peace-Getter-Backer” Program 3. I need to be reminded from time to time that I am the apple of his eye. Whatever I'm going through, He's got his eye on me and He won't let me go through it alone. 4. I talk it out with people I love and respect and that seems to help too. Silence is like the night time. Everything looks worse at night, and everything feels worse when I bottle it up. I need another perspective often.”

Shield of Faith • Word derived from “door” • Layers of leather soaked in water before a battle • Arrows were dipped in pitch and ignited • Wet shields quenched flames and kept fire from spreading

Shield of Faith • Faith: taking God at His word • Shield of faith is JESUS HIMSELF, who stands between Satan and us • I TRUST IN GOD! I’m safe in Jesus! • You are my hiding place and my shield (Psalm 119:114) • God is a shield to those who take refuge in Him (Proverbs 30:5)

Shield of Faith • My life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3) • Matthew 4: Jesus uses the shield of faith against Satan’s fiery arrows of temptation • Anita: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper!” (Isaiah 54:17) • Sue: son with nightmares • Renouncing the spirit of death

Shield of Faith • “Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. Satan, you have no place here. In Jesus’ name you have to leave.” • “The blood of Jesus Christ covers me!” • Speak your faith out loud: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Revelation 12:11)

The Shoes of Peace and The Shield of Faith