Peace that passes understanding
Category: Peace & Assurance
Key Passage: Philippians 4:6-7
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: September 22, 2025
Thinking about that song, he does care. Remember that verse over there in Hebrews? We have not a great high priest which cannot be touched. Here’s the interesting part. We think of our infirmities, but it says, cannot be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Just the feeling, infirmities, just the feeling, infirmities, just by the feeling of our, he can be touched just by your feelings.
That song told him out of grieving. It’s a biblical song. And he can be touched by your feelings of infirmities. And praise the Lord, we have a God that cares like that. Isn’t that awesome? Praise the Lord for it.
Turn over in your Bible to Philippians, the book of Philippians, chapter number four. And they had started a church in the Philippines back in the Bible time. And Paul, no, I’m joking about that. Brother Johan looks up at me, he says, what in the world, you know?
Philippians, Philippians chapter four. And we’re going to start at verse number six. Now, verse number six is a formula. You do five things. And then verse number seven, God says, you do those things. Verse number seven, this is what I’ll do for you. It’s a wonderful thing. And you’ll like what he does for you. It gives you peace. Keep your heart and mind. And so let’s, we’ll start right there, Philippians four and verse number six tonight.
I feel like you’re hungry for the Lord, the word of God, and for God to work in your heart. That’s good. I appreciate that. That’s wonderful. Let’s stand if you would please, and I’ll dispense the word of God. Never will. Amen. Pray a little for that. I’m thankful for that. Philippians four, verse number six. Let’s find the five things that we do. Here we go.
Be careful for nothing. That’s the first thing. Now you say, how in the world do I be not careful or not worry? Be careful for—how do I do that? Ellie tells me the next day. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer.
You know, I find myself worrying so much instead of praying. I start praying, I’m not worrying. I don’t want to be careful for nothing. Pray. Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer. That’s number two. In supplication, you’re supplicating, you’re bowing before him, you’re walking with him. It’s not just one way: asking, asking, asking, asking, ask—yeah, that’s prayer. But it’s more, and he walks with me, and he talks with me. You’re supplicate.
Five things: Be careful for nothing, pray about everything, supplicate, walk with God. Then he says, with Thanksgiving. That’s number four. By the way, he says, it’s hard to be thankful when you’re hurting. It doesn’t say you have to be thankful. That’s true. He didn’t say that. It says give thanks. By the way, the more you give thanks, the more apt you are to be thankful. But you give thanks. I’ll often say along there when I lost my fingers, it was a good day when I said, “Hey, Lord, thank you.” Not saying I like it, but I can still pick my nose. I got my pinky. Thank you.
We’ve got to get serious every once in a while. Bill Johan is blaming it on my mom. It’s all her fault. Yeah, it is.
Be careful for nothing. Number two. What did you do number two? What’s the number two? In prayer, yeah, prayer. Pray about everything. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer. And what’s the third thing? Yeah. What’s the fourth thing? Giving thanks. Thanksgiving. Let your request—just let him know. I don’t know if I’m right about asking. He’ll let you know if it’s not right. Let your request be made known of God. Don’t just spend all day worrying. Request, ask. Yeah? Nothing wrong with that. By the way, that supplication part of that, he’ll let you. He’ll guide you. You’ve got the Holy Spirit. He’s your prayer partner. And let your request be made known of God.
Now, you do those five things. Five things we do.
Look at verse number seven. This is what he does for you. He says, “And the peace of God.” Not your peace, my peace runs real thin. God’s never does. The peace of God. Watch this: which passeth all understanding. How can they have peace in the midst of that?
I had the privilege going solely with Brother Bill Johanin Jr. yesterday. And we had hopped off that bus, and they had painted these apartments white, and the sun was coming down. And man, that white, you know, wall was bright. And it reminded him of a book, Tortured for His Faith. A man was in Russia preaching the gospel years ago behind the Iron Curtain, and they arrested him. He was in jail. I can’t remember—seven, 13 years—just tortured. And they would make him stand in front of a white wall with bright lights, two inches from the wall. And if he closed his eyes, they would hit him. Now, he’s standing right against the wall for hours. You know how your legs, your feet swell, you’re standing all those hours. If he blinked his eyes, and you don’t know whether the hit is going to come from because they’re standing behind you. And for days like that.
And yet, in the midst of that, he had peace. How in the world? The peace of God which passes all understanding. Pretty amazing. Peace of God. What else does he say there? “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts.” And your heart keeps him getting bitter? Keep you getting cold-hearted? Keep from being mean and hateful? Keep your hearts, in any sense, and minds keep you from going crazy. Anybody say, “I need that”? It will keep me from going crazy. Keep me from going crazier, maybe, you know. But that’s the peace of God that passes all understanding. It shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, through the grace made it available.
Now, that’s the fault. Now, we’re trying to get down to verse number eight, is where we’re heading to, all right.
Notice it starts off verse number eight, he says, “Finally, brother.” He said, let me give you a final thought on this thing about having peace and these fine things you do and God does this. Finally, let me give you a final thought on that. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
For just a bit tonight, let’s just try to focus. We’ve heard these truths and these challenges. Everybody gets challenged a little bit about my thinking, our thinking. What are we thinking about? That is so very, very key. Just a bit tonight. You’ve heard preached on this many times, I’m sure, but just a bit tonight: What are we thinking about? Let’s pray God would work and grow us in that area.
Father, Lord, would you convict where I, we need it, Lord. Challenge. And Lord, would you give us faith that we can win in the arena of our thoughts? Grow us there, Lord. Lord, if there’s a certain thing you want to say it, I want to say it, Lord. I really do. Lord, you said it twice in your word: Vain is the help of man. Lord, they don’t need me. They need you in your word, in your Spirit. Thank you, Lord, you use us. I yield to you, but you work in their hearts and our hearts, and Lord, we’ll brag on you for what you do. Lord, and Father, we’re asking for this in the name of Jesus. We pray. Amen.
Notice that last part of verse number eight there. He says, “If there be any virtue.” Now, that virtue has to do with strength. It’s more of the masculine, if you check it out in the Greek; it has to do with strength. If you have the strength to do what you know is right to do—it’s not just to men, I’m not trying to say that, it’s for everybody—but he said, look, if you’re going to have the strength to stand, if you’re going to have the strength to do what is right, if you’re going to have strength to be the lady or the man or the young person that God wants, if you’re going to have any, he says, “any virtue.” Anybody out there like to have some virtue? This old world needs virtuous people.
And the Bible says, “If there be any virtue.” It doesn’t say anything about how strong you are in your own mind, or how talented you are, or how long you’ve been a Christian. He says, “If there be any virtue, think on these things.” Then he says, “If there be any praise.” Isn’t it wonderful to be around a praising Christian? I like that. I like it if I get the chance to work. I used to work in the secular world, you know, for years. And if I got to be around a Christian, that’s nice in the secular world. But if you get around to be around a praising Christian, you’re like, “Wow, that’s encouraging.” And he says, “If there be any praise.” Wow, any praise. Think on these things.
Now, you know these things, but let me just say this: The strongest Christian in all the world, if they’re not thinking right, they’re not going to be winning. We have got to work at our thinking. Our thinking controls so much.
Look over in Lamentations chapter number three, if you would please. Lamentations chapter number three. This is when God had sent judgment to Jerusalem. And the book of Lamentations is Jeremiah. He’s lamenting about the destruction that God had sent and allowed to happen in Jerusalem. And he’s standing there in Jerusalem, and he’s seeing all the ruin, the dead bodies, the smoldering, the ruins of the battle, and just houses torn apart. And it’s just sad, and he’s lamenting what all the judgment had come on Jerusalem.
And I want you to notice this: Lamentations chapter number three, but just look at verse number 18. Lamentations 3 and verse number 18 of God’s word. You there tonight? Amen?
Look at this thing. Lamentations 3, verse number 18. And I said, this is Jeremiah, and I said, “My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.” Wow. This guy is depressed. He’s discouraged. He’s weary and well-doing. He said, “Man, I got no hope. All the hope from the Lord is gone.” I mean, just, it’s a sad commentary. And I said, “My strength”—that’s depression—“and my hope has perished from the Lord,” remembering. That’s very important. Remembering. What is your thinking about? Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. That’s what he’s thinking about. And he’s depressed, he’s discouraged. He’s got no strength left. We just don’t get up in the morning, got no energy to do anything. That’s where he’s at. And what is he thinking about? His affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Verse number 20: “My soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in me.” That’s a sad state for God’s people to be in, where Jeremiah was. God didn’t come down and send an angel to fly over the city; he didn’t clean up all the rubble. That didn’t change. There were still ashes. There were still dead bodies. There were still rubble everywhere. It was still a sad commentary. But the only thing that changes is what he thinks about changes. Watch the change in Jeremiah. It’s amazing. He’s depressed and discouraged.
Verse number 21: “This, I recall to my mind.” It doesn’t say the condition changed, but he said, “This, I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. I started thinking about this, and I had hope. He had no hope before. The condition of the land didn’t change. Nothing around him changed besides his thinking changed. All of a sudden, I got some hope. Your thinking is vital.
Verse number 22: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not.” He stopped worrying about all his affliction. By the way, how bad I got it—oh, poor me. He stopped thinking about all that. He said, if it wasn’t for the mercies of God, we’d be completely wiped out. By the way, I don’t care how bad it is in your life, there’s always something good you can think about. By the way, you’re a born-again Christian, you’re going to heaven—that’s something good to think about. Everybody’s got something good to think about. And Jeremiah started thinking about this thing. He said, the honest, simple truth is we ought to be completely wiped out if it wasn’t for the mercies of God. We’d be gone all the way off the map. That’s what he started thinking about, and he has hope.
Look at the rest of the thing here. Verse number 23: “They are new.” His compassion fails not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. We talk about that verse a lot. That’s a wonderful verse. But it came when everything was bad, but this man settled on getting my thinking right. And he said, praise the Lord, his compassion is new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.
He goes on: “The Lord is my portion.” Before he was talking about all my affliction, poor Jeremiah. Now he changes his thinking, and he’s over here: “The Lord is my portion.” By the way, if you’ve got the Lord, everything’s going to be all right. Amen. “The Lord is my portion,” saith my soul, “therefore will I hope in him.” Wonderful verses coming up: “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Man, he said, he’s got some fire back in his bones now. It’s good for young people just to work.
But, friend, I’m saying the thing that changed was this: thinking. If you’re going to have virtue, if you’re going to have praise—nobody likes to be around a miserable person. Someone asked the wife, and she said, “Hey, did you wake up or out here this morning?” She said, “No, I let him sleep.” Nobody likes to be around a grouch all the time. I mean, friend, but the difference is our thinking. It’s key, friend. Everybody’s got bad stuff to think on, but everybody’s got something good to think on if they work at it. And it starts with: Are you aware? Am I aware of what I’m thinking about? Next time you’re down, down, down, start—what am I thinking on? What’s my mind been dwelling on? Where’s my mind going to? What have I been feeding into my mind? Your thinking is so key.
“If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.” Be willing to engage in the battle for your mind. If you just give up the fight and let your mind go where it wants—put it in neutral—I guarantee you, friend, it’s just like my mind: it’s going to go to negative, bad, woe is me, problems, everything bad. Come on now. Do you all like me? Yeah. So we have to work at this thing.
But let’s get back to this over here, Philippians 4. He noticed something about it. He does not say in Philippians 4 what not to think about. If I say, “I’m not going to think about that speaker right there,” I’m not—I’m not going to think about, I’m not going to think about that black speaker over there with a cord hanging out and hanging out, I’m not going to think about that. The more I say all that, you know what I’m thinking about? That’s a speaker right there. Especially if something bothers you. This light was out, Brother Robert’s light. He wasn’t living right or something, I don’t know. The power was out, you know. I’m teasing. I call it Brother Roberts, but his light was out, you know, and it was bothering me. And if I say, “I’m not going to think about that light,” I’m not going to think about that light. I’m not going to think about that light, man. The more I say it, the more it bothers me, more, more, more.
So the Bible doesn’t say not to think about all these things. Because the more you say, “I’m not going to think,” you think on that. So God says, “Hey, I tell you what: think on these things.” What happens? You get a bad song in your head. Some song you’ve known 30 years ago, and you go to the grocery store, and they’re playing that song, and you leave there, and it’s stuck in your head. You know how you get rid of it? Don’t say, “I’m not going to think of that. I’m not going to think of it.” The way you get rid of it is you sing a good song. Holy Spirit, tell me what song. Give me a good song. And you start singing a good song, and before you know it, you forgot about that old song. And so God tells us what to think on to keep us from thinking about the things we ought not be thinking about. So very, very important.
Now, he says this at the very end, verse number eight. What are the last four words of verse number eight? Think on these things.
There are six categories. The way Strong’s Concordance, excuse me, defines this word “think”—if you look up the Greek word for think—it says to take inventory. And so the things that are in these six categories, I take inventory of those things in my life in these six categories. How many of you have work at your workplace? You had inventory one time of year? Anybody? You got that? Some of you do. You do inventory, and that can be a long, boring job sometimes. You have to find out what you do and don’t have.
He says, now look, this is what you do: You take inventory of what you have that falls in these six categories. Now, let’s briefly just look over these categories here. Number one, he says, “Whatsoever things are true.” You know they say this: 85 to 90% of the things we worry about never happen. Some people say that 95% of the things we worry about never happen. So if it never happens, is it true? But we spend all our time thinking about it. Our minds just go there forever. He said, no, no, don’t spend all your time worrying or thinking about things that may happen. Find out what’s true. The truth is I’m a child of God. The truth is every time I face a financial problem, he’s always provided. Think about truth.
Whatsoever things are true. What’s the next thing? Whatsoever things are honest. Now, he’s not saying the same thing twice. “Honest” there has to do with honorable. Whatsoever things are worthy of honor. Are those thoughts worthy of honor? Okay, I’m going to think on that right there. You’re taking inventory of these six categories.
What’s the next thing? Whatsoever things are just. Justice has to do with impartial. Hey, you have a few words with someone at work, someone at church, your spouse, your child, and all you think about is your side of the story. Friend, I guarantee you they’ve got a side too. If all you’re thinking about is your side, probably you’re not just. It’s impartial. You take both sides into account. Have you listened to their side? Have you prayed, “Lord, let me see their side? Let me see the other side?” Friend, I guarantee you if they’re arguing with you, they have a side. Am I just? Am I impartial? Are you just all about how guilty you are? This is the proof of the pudding. We’re all like this. Show that picture of those men taken at Victor Baptist Church the other night. Everybody else in the picture, they’re going to zoom in on themselves to see how they look. Come on now. That’s just why we are.
And he said, “Now wait a second. Watch over the things that are just.” Just don’t think about your side of the story. I want you to be just in your thought process and try to see everyone. Listen to their side. What would a stranger say about it? What would they say? Just. Whatsoever things are just?
Let’s keep going. What’s the next thing? Whatsoever things are pure—clean, innocent. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Sometimes I don’t see him very good. I feel like it’s so distant, and I pray, “Lord, give me a pure heart.” My heart’s not right. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Think on pure thoughts. Pure. Will that take care of a lot of things on TV? Yeah?
Then what’s the next thing? Whatsoever things are lovely. It has to do with friendly. Have your thoughts about other people been friendly lately? Yeah, I’ve been thinking about them. I want to put ice picks in their eyeballs, you know. Not too lovely, you know. Whatsoever things are lovely, friendly? They’re kind. They’re thinking about others in a good way.
What’s the last thing? Whatsoever things are of good report? Have a good reputation, if you will. Are you drawn to the bad? Are you drawn to the good? He said, “Whatsoever things are of good report.” Now, he says, if there’s going to be virtue, if there’s going to be praise, you’ve got to think on those things.
Now, let me give you just a couple thoughts on that line. All right, we’re going to conclude this thing out. We’re going to go home. No Moes tonight. No “Welcome to Moe’s,” too late at night, but we can go by McDonald’s and get a caramel sundae. Somebody say amen right there, you know. But a couple thoughts, couple of points. Here it is. They’re going to go quick on these things.
Number one: Work at putting good stuff in your mind. Work at that. Read good books. I was telling Brother Bill that we were out yesterday. He’s so good at listening to good preaching during the week, and I need to work at that. I’m going to try to get back at that. Just trying to put good thoughts. Man, be in the book every day, every day, whether it be in the morning or night, whatever. Get in the book, get in the book, get in the book. Get in the book.
They used to say this in the computer industry—I don’t think they really say it anymore, I don’t know; some of you computer experts can tell me here—but they used to say in the beginning days, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Same thing in your mind. It is a much more advanced computer. Put good stuff in there. I want to think on good thoughts. I need to get some good things. I’ve added this to my devotion time recently. I’ll read just a little bit of Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. After I’ve been reading my Bible, I read just a couple pages of Hudson Taylor. I like biographies or autobiographies of great Christians, and that’s been good for me. Get my mind—just putting good stuff in your mind, working at that thing, and trying to get good things. Don’t make it harder than it is by battling the bad things you put in your mind.
And there’s clickbait out there. You understand what I’m saying? Man, there’s clickbait out there, and they’re geared and wired. They worked at it for years. They spent millions of dollars getting you clicking on that stinking thing that’s supposed to be decent or whatever, and it goes out and left field, gets your mind on crazy junk, and it’s working. No, no, I don’t want to battle that. So put good things in.
Number two: Just a couple points here, we’re done. Don’t hang around complainers or gossipers. Look over, if you will, in Proverbs chapter number 13. Proverbs chapter number 13. Go to them and say, “Hey, I’m going to try to—I don’t want to talk anymore about people. I’m working at this thing, complaining and gossiping. Hey, help me out.” And when they start going that way, I say, “I’m sorry, I’m trying not to do that. Hey, let’s work at it together.” If they’re sincere, they’ll work with you. If they’re not, you may not want to hang around them.
But look what it says of him, Proverbs 13:20. “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Work in it. If you and your spouse have gotten in a slump, don’t divorce him. I’m not saying that. Okay? Hey, let’s work at this. Let’s try not to complain or gossip. Let’s just get out of this slump and work at it together. Why? You’re trying to get your thoughts better.
Number three: Realize you will battle Satan in this arena. You will. Satan battles. Acts 5, Peter talking to Ananias, “Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” The devil put that in there.
Look, if you go over in Corinthians, real quickly here, 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 10. We’ve got to hurry along here. 2nd Corinthians chapter number 10. Just concluding thoughts on this thing of our thoughts. 2nd Corinthians chapter 10, look in verse number three. By the way, before we start reading, who is our adversary? The devil, Satan. Yeah, he’s our adversary. So we’re in a battle against the devil. Watch what he says in verse number three: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations [that’s your thoughts], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
You’re not necessarily responsible for every thought that comes in there because the devil can put that in there, but as soon as it comes in there, boom, you’re responsible for it. You’ll be tempted to hang on to it, or you say, “Boom, it’s out of here.” Bringing into captivity every thought—see, that’s when you’re responsible for. But you’re going to battle. You’re going to battle. Satan knows he’s battling for this space right here and your heart. He’s battling, and you’re going to have to battle Satan with your thoughts. It’s going to be a battle. Don’t shy away from it. Don’t ignore it. It’s going to happen.
We were talking to the guy that preached with me the other day about spiritual warfare, and we were saying, whether they’re willing to face it or not, they’re going to be in spiritual warfare. It’s going to happen. You might as well learn about it, learn to be willing to fight in spiritual warfare, because it’s just going to happen. And in your mind, you’re going to have to be willing to fight the devil with your thoughts.
Number one, we said: Work at putting good stuff in your mind. Number two: Don’t hang around complainers or gossipers. Number three: Realize you will battle Satan in this arena. Number four: Memorize Scripture. It’s the only offensive weapon you have. Ephesians 6, helmet of salvation—typically you don’t take the helmet off and beat people with it. Shield of faith, you can, but typically you’re not hitting people with it. Your breastplate of righteousness, that’s defensive. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God—that’s defensive. The shoes, the preparation of the gospel of peace—all those are defensive. The only really offensive weapon is the sword, the Bible, Scripture. So memorizing—get it in your brain. “My word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). “The law of his God was in his heart” (Psalm 40:8). Joshua 1:8, you know the verses. Meditating—you can’t meditate on the Bible unless you’ve got some of it memorized. Telling you there’s so much value to memorize in the Bible. I have been lacking a little bit in that area here recently. And recently I’ve stepped it back up. Man, I’ve been—what in the world? Why did I let my guard down a little bit, not memorizing Bible? It’s so good. Memorized Bible. I’ve got three to five cards. I’m not saying I’ve got them all memorized, but I’m working at it, man. John 6:35: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger; and he that believeth on me shall not thirst.” That’s the verse. But just work at it. Whatever system you use, memorize some Bible. It’s so very important if you’re going to have good thoughts. Man, use your weapon: Scripture, memorize Scripture.
Number five: Bridle your tongue. Bridle your tongue. Look over real quick at 1 Peter chapter 3. This is such a good verse. First Peter chapter 3. It starts off, “He that will love life…” I think the first time I preached on it, I had a dog—I don’t know if it’s Dixie or a dog before—but I was letting him ride in the back of my truck. I could look in the side mirror, and I look back there, and he would have his head out the side of that truck, the wind blowing, and his lips and jaws would get flapping in the wind. He was just loving life. And I would like to be just loving life.
And the Bible tells me how to do it, 1 Peter 3:10: “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.” James 1:26: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” What do they say with an act? They said, “We can’t help but speak the things that we’ve seen and heard.” The more you talk about that, the more you hear it, and the more it grows in your mind. You’re going to have to put a “whoa, Nelly” on your tongue, all of us. “Well, I just speak what I think.” Well, poor spouse, you know you have. Or people around you. Poor you, you’re not going to be able to win. You’ve got to bridle that tongue.
Last thing. Last thing, just some points about our thoughts. Number one: Work at putting good stuff in your mind. Number two: Don’t hang around complainers or gossipers. Number three: Realize you will battle Satan in this arena. Number four: Memorize Scripture. Number five: Bridle your tongue.
Last thing: Pray about it. Pray about it. “Lord, help me to win. Help me to win.” Hudson Taylor, I mentioned I’ve been reading one of his biographies. His older kids were in China, of course, and it was hot summers and cold winters, and their health was just failing. So he had to send his children back over to England. His wife had another child. And when the child was maybe—they’d already buried one—the child was maybe about a month old, very young. That child died. Then a while after that, his wife died. And he had memorized that “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14). And he said those months were so—and then he was sick during that time, he had to kind of be isolated—and he said it must have been just so many times throughout the day he said, “Hey, Lord, you said I’ll never thirst. I need some help.” And he said over and over again, “Lord, all right, he’d give him a drink, if you will.” And he just said over and over, “You said I won’t thirst.” But he just prayed throughout the day. That was the promise. He had a hearing that gave him faith to make it through the time. You said, “I’ll never,” and he just prayed all the time.
And your thoughts are so key. And Satan, he’ll get your mind just going to left field and going to negative and all the bad. And it’s a way of life, but you can overcome that. But one of the keys is pray. All day, “Lord, help me get my mind back right. Give me something good to think about.” Write down good thoughts. Take an inventory. Write them all down, and I’m going to think on: “If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Heads bowed, eyes closed. And we all battle it. We all do. None of us are perfect at it. But work at it. Lord, I’m willing to be aware of what I’m thinking of. I’m willing to battle that and obey the word there. I’m going to think. I’m going to do my best. Take inventory of these six categories. I’m going to think on those things.
Would you please stand right where you are? We’re going to have a word of prayer. You’ll be obedient as the Lord guides you. Father, help us. Help me, Lord. We don’t know how important our thoughts are. Help us, Lord. Set our affections on things above and look to you and get our minds right. Help us to think on these things. Give us faith, Father, that we can win. And Lord, we’ll thank you and praise you for what you do in Jesus, and we pray. Amen.
Would you just come? Lord, help me think on the right thing. All of us matter. By the way, if you try to do something for God, I guarantee you that the next thing, heaven’s going to put some bad thoughts in your mind. You’ve got to battle it. It’s a battle. Think on if there be any virtue, strength in your life, if there be any praise—a praising Christian. Think on these things. Find the friends, say, “Hey, let’s call,” and at least five, seven, ten minutes of the conversation is going to be about the Bible because I’m trying to get my thoughts on good things. Memorize Scripture. I need to restrict my screen time.
Some are happy. Some are down on the mouth and blue and mad and mean and all that’s that. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a happy Christian. I don’t want to be old. I’m going to be happy. It’s all about what you’re thinking about. And I’m far from perfect in attitude for it, but it’s a battle. And it’s always just a good reset. All right, got to give me something to think about. We all have to work at it and think on these things. So very, very important. God bless you. You’re in church. Man, some of you are in church Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, so on this morning, tonight. And you’re like Moses, you know, the Pharaoh: “Let my people go.” You know, come on, let’s get out of here. Glad you’re in church, every single person, and thrilled you are here. Praise the Lord for you. What a blessing. And I see Joshua and Giselle back there. Man, got those kids in church. That’s the way that ought to be. That’s awesome. Praise the Lord. Great job back there, enjoying their new place. I like that. That’s a blessing. Amen for it. Brother Joshua, would you dismiss us with a word of prayer, please, brother?
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂Passeth all understanding＂ - Sunday PM 09⧸21⧸2025 [S1pwJbDRoGo]