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Hello and welcome to Walk the Walk. Today's podcast is not being backed by the big brands, but by something way better. This show is sponsored by Jesus, that's right. Not checks, not corporate dollars and not fancy endorsements Just the king of kings who thought this message was worth sharing. So welcome back. I'm Tina Perry and I'm not going to pretend that I have it all together, because I do not, but I do know the one who holds it all together, and we're going to talk about that today. Today's episode comes from the book Jesus Make Me Better Journal. If you haven't gotten one, they are available on Amazon and we are going to do page 28 today.

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Life can feel chaotic and stressful. Are there areas in your life where you need the kind of peace Jesus promises? A peace that stays with you no matter what you're going through? A peace that stays with you no matter what you're going through? Most of you probably are saying that's me, or maybe that was me last week, and now that's me this week, or whatever. We're going to talk about that chaos and that feeling of wanting peace that you just can't seem to get. I'm going to paint you a little picture here Now.

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Maybe your life feels very loud, very chaotic, very noisy. Too many voices, too many obligations, too much everything and not nearly enough peace. And the hardest part is you already know the answers. You've been in church, you've read the word and you prayed, and yet you feel no peace. Here's what I've learned and the messes that I've been in and, believe me, I've been in a few messy times. There's a difference between knowing and feeling. Peace is a promise, but it doesn't always show up with a warm, fuzzy feeling like on a spa day vibes. Peace sometimes is gritty. With a warm, fuzzy feeling like on a spa day vibes. Peace sometimes is gritty. Sometimes it's choosing to trust God when your heart is pounding out of your chest and your to-do list is screaming. We're going to talk about the peace of God today and what that really means.

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What Jesus actually said about peace is that Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. That comes from John 14, 27.

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Jesus didn't say peace would always feel peaceful. Think about that. Peace doesn't always feel peaceful. He said his peace isn't like the world's. Now the world's peace looks very different.

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The world's peace depends upon circumstances. You have a quiet household, your bills are paid, everyone's healthy, no drama. Wouldn't you love to have all of those all the time, especially everyone being healthy. It seems like now, as we get older as I'm getting older, I guess we all are every second of the day, we start focusing more and more on our health and every doctor's appointment. We seem to be searching for that one thing that everybody fears. It's ongoing. Year after year. Every year, you go to your doctor for your physicals and it's the same thing. They check everything every single year to figure out are you doing better from last year to this year or are you getting worse?

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Jesus' peace shows up in spite of circumstances. It's not the absence of chaos, it's the presence of Christ in the chaos. We have peace. We have worldly peace. Before the storm, everything is good, everything is fine, but then Jesus's peace is during the storm. The storm, and, as you all know, jeff suffered a stroke a little over a year ago.

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My life was peaceful up until about 10 30 that Friday morning. Everything was going as expected. I was working, plans for the weekend were going through my mind and then it hit my world and Jeff's world turned upside down. There was no peace, there was fear. I was scared, he was scared, and no matter what. I tried to call upon the Lord, but my fear took over. It would not. Let me hear Jesus's voice.

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What do you do? What do you do? I know of people who can be calm in a tornado. They could be right in the eye of a tornado and they're calm. They're calling upon the name of the Lord. Wouldn't I love to have that kind of faith, maybe the ability to feel that peace? Because I don't know if I can always feel that kind of peace because my brain is human, my heart is human, my body is human. I can't. Maybe it's more like I can't allow, or I don't allow myself to feel it. I worry, what if, what if, what if? And then, before you know it, you've gone down this hole of what ifs and fear will do that to us.

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Here are some suggestions of what you might do when you are in a situation where the world's peace is not what you want. Breathe and whisper his name. Sometimes I don't even know what to pray, but I can whisper the word Jesus, jesus, jesus, his name carries peace. Even when I don't Put your phones down. I'm just as guilty. I'm scrolling, trying to figure out how I can end the world's problems, how I can become the political solution to this craziness that we're dealing with. I can't, and I have to remind myself all the time.

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You are not in control of any of this and, for the love of God, stay off of your phones and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Cast all your anxiety on him. These aren't magical things, but they anchor you when you go adrift. Focus your mind on the word of God. If you don't know the word of God, learn it. Shut off any other negative that tries to come into your head. That includes other people who try to be helpful but end up being more negative.

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You know God's peace is deep. It's not surface level calm like a quiet room or a cup of tea. It's soul level stillness that holds you steady when everything else feels like it's falling apart. It does feel like it's falling apart. We feel scattered, overloaded, anxious and exhausted. We need you, jesus, to calm the storm. Sometimes the storm is so unbearable that my legs can't even walk through it.

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The peace of God is supernatural. That means it only comes from him. In Philippians 4, 7, it says that means it only comes from him. In Philippians 4, 7 it says and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This means peace doesn't always make sense and I'm going to attest to this.

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When Jeff had a brain bleed years ago before this stroke it's been, I think, 2012, I remember being able to sit there and not feel fear and not be afraid. It's like why am I not as anxious as all the people around me who are trying to figure out how this happened and what's going to happen and what am I going to do and what if, and this and that? And I could just feel that calm of Jesus saying trust in me. Trusting in Jesus doesn't always mean that what you're looking for an outcome always means that it's going to be the way that you think it's going to turn out to be, but trust in him that he knows best and he will take care of us. Some people have said to me how are you still standing? And the only answer I have for that is God.

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God's peace doesn't promise a life without storms. It promises presence in the storms. It's Jesus asleep in the boat during the storm, not because the waves weren't real, but because he wasn't worried. God's peace is protective. He guards your heart from anxiety and your mind from spiraling, and your soul from despair. It's a quiet strength that says I don't have to control this, I trust the one who does. And maybe that's the most beautiful part God's peace is available to you and to me. You don't have to earn it. You just have to be willing to let go of trying to fix everything yourself and rest in the arms of the one who already has handled it.

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Let's pray, heavenly Father, right now we come to you tired, overwhelmed and maybe a little numb. We heard that you give peace, but sometimes it feels so far away. So we're not pretending today, father. We're not performing. We're just showing up in our chaos, asking you to meet us in the middle of it. Lord, still, the noise inside of our hearts and our brains speak louder than the voices inside of our hearts and our brains Speak louder than the voices of fear and pressure and doubt. Help us to release what we were never meant to carry and hold tight to the truth that you are near. We may not feel peaceful right now, but we choose to trust you. Let your peace, your real, lasting, unshakable peace, settle deep in our bones, not because life is calm, but because you are. Guard our hearts and our minds and let your presence wrap around us like a blanket and, even if the storm doesn't stop today, help us to breathe, quiet our minds, rest and believe that you are in the boat with us.

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Amen, I hope that this podcast has helped you and, if it has, maybe you can let somebody else know who you know might be going through a storm or storms. I wish that life was just like you have one storm, one and done, but that's not how it is. Sometimes life makes us go through several storms. But I thank you for being here today and I hope that you will join me again, and if you have not received or bought your journal, please do. There's a lot of questions in here that will help you to reflect on the Word of God. Thank you for joining me Until next time.