Joseph Prince - A Reminder For Your Anxious Heart
This excerpt is from: Secrets of The Peace Offering (29 Aug 2021)
Many a times, we fail to realize that peace is not something that we obtain because we have put ourselves in a special posture. Or we have meditated long enough. We go to the countryside or by the beach and we just do deep breathing. It is not something that you do. It is something that you receive. Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you". Peace. Shalom.
Now He would have spoken Aramaic or Hebrew to His disciples. He would have said this: "Shalom I leave with you, I bequeath to you. I give to you. Shalom, I'll give you. Shalom. My shalom, My peace. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. It's not just any peace. It is My peace. That peace that you saw Me operating in these three and a half years. That peace that you saw Me operating in. In ministering that wellbeing and wholeness to those who were sick, to those who were broken for those who were infirmed. That same peace that you saw when I touched the leper and he was cleansed. That same peace you saw Me. I was in that peace when I was sleeping in that boat, in the midst of the storm. And you guys had to wake Me up. That peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you".
Now, this is the only thing He asks of you. To receive it, to enjoy it, He says: "Let not your heart be troubled". The peace is given by Him. But the way you enjoy that peace is... He tells you only one thing: "Let not. I cannot let not your heart be troubled for you. And your pastor cannot do that for you". Your spouse cannot do that for you. Your children cannot do that for you. No one can do that for you, but yourself. Jesus is talking to you and He says: "Let not. You let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid". Amen. In fact it would be great for you to once a while, to make it like a game. Amen. I know it might sound a bit irreverent but honestly, the things of God are easy. It's not hard! When I say "a game", I'm saying make it easy because Jesus says: "My yoke is easy and My burden is light". Sometimes we live with the impression. Amen.
I remember I have this impression growing up in in church that Christian life is hard but my Bible says: "The way of the transgressors is hard". Jesus said: "My yoke is easy. My burden is light". Notice those two words: "Easy" and "light". "My yoke is easy. My burden is light". Easy, light. Light, easy. Think about those words! Hallelujah! Amen. And throughout this week, if you can. Make it like a game, make it easy for you. Amen. Every time something comes to provoke your heart into fear or anxiety, or maybe you are watching the news and you find your heart getting troubled. Straight away, tell yourself: "Let not your heart be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled". Talk to yourself. "Let not your heart be troubled". Amen. Don't let your heart be troubled. "No, I will not let my heart be troubled. That's my responsibility". Amen. "Don't let your heart be troubled". Jesus says. "Neither let it be afraid. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid". It's one thing to be troubled, it's another thing to be afraid.
Many a times, when trouble comes, alright, we are troubled and then we succumb to the fear and then further on to panic attacks and the worst form of stress. You know, chronic stress is dangerous because you release something, in the adrenal glands, you release something called cortisol. And cortisol will release sugar in your bloodstream for fight or flight. Amen. The sugar is supposed to help you fight or flight. But what happens if you're chronically stressed? You're perpetually stressed? Even when the danger is over. Now, a certain amount of stress is good. Amen. A certain amount of exercise when you are stressed is okay. Perfectly okay! You need the energy. You need that boost from your sugar in the blood but anything further than that, after the danger is over, after your exercise, you should not be troubled, you should not be stressed because chronic stress will keep on releasing that sugar in your bloodstream.
And that's how people may have problems with diabetes and other forms of sickness and disease. It is proven already, medically, scientifically, it's proven that chronic stress can produce all kinds of disease and conditions in your body that you don't want. Amen. But praise be to God, the antidote to this is peace. Shalom. Amen. So receive that shalom, even right now as you're watching this. Jesus says to you: "Peace I leave with you. I bequeath to you. My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid". So from now on, tell yourself throughout this week: "I'm going to do this. Every time my heart is troubled, my heart is anxious. I will say this under my breath: ‘Let not your heart be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled.’" Amen. Praise the Lord!
So as we're studying the offerings of Leviticus, we're actually looking at Christ and the more you look at the Lord Jesus, the Bible says that in these last days, even though we know we are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, all the prophets of old and all the patriarchs and all the people that have gone on before, they are now in heaven, they are cheering us on! The Olympics just finished! We are now in an Olympics and we are being cheered on by the crowd, the onlookers in heaven and they are cheering us on. Hallelujah! And the Bible says: "looking unto Jesus". And the word "looking" is a very unique Greek word. That it's not just a simple word for "looking". It is looking away from everything else that will distract, unto Jesus, looking away from everything else, that we look for, for solution or for answers, we look away from all that is of man and look unto Jesus. Amen.
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith". He is the author and finisher of faith. The word "our" is not there. It is in the italics actually. "The author and finisher of faith". The chapter before that, Hebrews 11, talks about the great hall of faith and all the heroes of faith in the great hall of faith in Hebrews 11. But here in Hebrews 12, it tells us: "looking unto Jesus". We look away even from other men of faith. Even as wonderful as they are, we look to Jesus alone because only He is the author and the finisher. And the word "finisher" is the completer of faith. No one has faith the way Jesus has. Amen. And to look to Jesus, it's actually faith in action! Hallelujah! So look away from everything else unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith and you'll find your faith springs eternal! Hallelujah! And you're operating in faith without even realizing it.
So the more we see Jesus, whether it is in the Word or we see Jesus in worship, as the Holy Spirit paints that vision of Jesus, the hazon vision in our hearts, "we are being transformed into His same image, from glory to glory even by the Spirit of the Lord". Isn't that great? Isn't that good news? We all want to be transformed into the image of Jesus. Amen. Think about it! That's what it means: "As He is, so are we in this world". But you say: "But I look at myself, and I'm nowhere close. I still have all these negative, pessimistic thoughts and I still have bitterness and resentment, impatience and I’m very touchy and sensitive. I still have my mood swings and things like that. I'm nowhere close to Jesus". But my friend, God is saying: "All that are just lies and when you feel these sinful tendencies and emotions and thoughts but they're not you. They don't define you".
You are defined by that man at the Father's right hand. That's who you are and the more we see that, people, and the more we unveil that to the people, we are being transformed. Not by trying, not by pulling ourselves by our bootstraps, not by willpower. No, we are transformed by beholding Jesus! Hallelujah! And who transforms us as we behold Jesus? The Spirit of the Lord. "we are transformed, with unveiled face, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory even by the Spirit of the Lord". And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But there is an enemy out there that wants to steal this word from your heart. One, two days after you hear this preaching, you'll have to meditate on it again or hear it again because why? There's an enemy out there who does not want you to listen to truths like this, where you are being pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ and the moment you do that, you are out of yourself, my friend!
There's nothing more miserable than to be self-occupied, occupied with your thoughts, with your shortcomings, with your failures, okay? And sometimes we are occupied with our accomplishments and it doesn't satisfy because the more proud we are, we always fall. Yes, "Pride goes before a fall". the Bible says. And whether you're proud or you're feeling inferior or you're feeling superior, it's still self-occupation but when you're occupied with Christ, you are being transformed into His image. Amen. There is a glory on your face. There's a glory on your life that you are unconscious of. Like Moses, he wist not that his face shone but others can see it. As you behold Jesus. Amen. Praise the Lord.