EP 40: Biblical Truths to Remember in a Chaos-Driven World
It’s no secret that the world we live in is a very lost and broken one at that. As Christians, it can be hard not to get caught up in it all. To help stand on guard against this chaos-driven world, here are 6 biblical truths to remember and take delight in. Praying it blesses you!
Welcome
Hey Sis, welcome to episode 40 of the Daughter of Delight podcast. I honestly cannot believe we are already this many episodes in. What’s even crazier is that the podcast will be a year old in March. I’ve got to start thinking of how we are going to celebrate this special milestone!
Review of the Month Giveaway
Speaking of special celebrations, don’t forget that I am doing a review of the month giveaway each month! This is a special way for me to celebrate and express my thanks for your support of the show! This month’s giveaway consists of one of my all-time favorite books, “Women of the Word,” by Jen Wilkin, and a Starbucks gift card. To enter for your chance to win, all you have to do is leave an iTunes rating and review by January 30. The winner will be announced on the podcast that releases the first Wednesday of February, which is February 03. I’m really excited about our monthly giveaways, especially since it’s just for my podcast listeners, and I hope you are, too!
The Gospel is For All
Anyway, thanks so much for tuning in to this week’s episode. I felt and still feel very convicted about this one because there are a lot of hard truths in it that I believe so many of us need to hear. We all know that this world is lost and broken, but there is something about the last year that has opened our eyes to just how dark it really is. And instead of walking out our days here on earth in fear, it’s so important we walk them out in faith. Before we go any further, I want to preface with the fact that I am not here to give you a step-by-step walkthrough of my personal thoughts on current events. I genuinely believe our faith should influence our way of thinking and acting--in all things--and the purpose and hope for this episode is that the Lord would use it to remind us all of this truth. It doesn’t matter what political party you are or who you voted for, the Gospel is for all. Thus, this episode is for you.
My Prayer For this Episode
Finally, I want you to know that this episode is covered in prayer. Prayer that the Lord would use it to convict us in the places of our hearts that need convicting, and that these truths--His truths--would be heard, embraced, and rejoiced in as you walk away from our time together today.
6 Biblical Truths to Remember in a Chaos-Driven World
For the purpose of today’s episode, I will be sharing 6 Biblical truths to remember as we make our way through this chaos-driven world. So many of us were hoping 2021 would be better because we thought nothing could be worse than 2020, but the truth is things may never get better. And I don’t say that to scare you! I say it to remind you that as Christians, we were never promised a life of ease. I saw a post the other day that said “I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021 because I am no longer interested after my free 7-day trial,” and it made me laugh. But the more I thought about, the more I realized just how fear-filled so many of us have become over the idea of what the future of our lives here on earth looks like. And that’s a very valid concern, but at the same time it’s important we prioritize our faith so that it’s louder than our fears. It’s important that we learn how to cultivate a Christ-centered contentment in this uncomfortable reality.
Be Driven By Christ
Sis, just because our world is driven by chaos does not mean we have to be. In fact, we are called to the exact opposite. As children of God, we are called to be led by Christ--the very source of lasting peace, comfort and joy our weary souls long for. And here’s the thing: these are good gifts we have access to at all times! The Lord does not take these things away from us. But it can certainly feel like it if we are allowing the circumstances surrounding us to dictate our emotions and where we place our trust. So, with these things in mind, let’s take a look at 6 biblical truths we can delight, rejoice and find lasting hope, peace, joy, and comfort in- today, tomorrow and all of our tomorrows.
1) Your freedom is in Christ and Christ alone.
No one controls this. No one can take this away from you--not even yourself. Recall 2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (ESV). I think it can be pretty easy for us to idolize the liberties and freedoms we have in this life instead of rejoicing in the ultimate freedom we have because of what Christ accomplished for His own on the cross. I know I have personally done it. But, dear sister, I urge us all not to do this. Jesus gives us freedom, not America or wherever it is you may be tuning in from. It may not feel like it at times, but our true liberty comes from our sovereign Savior. Let us all be more mindful of this, because at the end of the day, it’s the only freedom that matters for eternity.
2) Next up, is the biblical truth and beauty of prayer.
It is both a privilege and a necessity to pray. God created prayer for us as a means to receive access to Him at all times. Prayer is a special way for us to live in communion with God, in both the good and the bad. It’s a special way for us to “tune our hearts to sing Thy grace” and to help us walk in alignment with His will for us. Sis, the Lord hears our every prayer. He desires for us to lay whatever it may be that is weighing us down at His feet.
Encouraging Scriptures for Prayer
Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Colossians 4:2 calls us to, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”And, finally, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” These are just a few of the many, many verses on the beauty and necessity of prayer.
God Cares About What You Care About
You may feel as if you can bear it in your own strength. You may even feel too embarrassed to give it to God. But the Lord delights in carrying and relieving you of each and every one of your burdens--no matter how silly they may seem--in exchange for His lasting peace. He already knows what you’re going through or struggling with. He knows all things, always. And still, He invites us to bring what we’re carrying out into the light as we enter into His loving embrace so that He can meet us right where we’re at; so that He can comfort us in the midst of our anxious thoughts, sorrow, and grief. The Lord our God makes Himself available to us at all times. May our prayer life be a reflection of the truth that we need Thee every hour! Because we surely do, amen?
3) My third reminder for us all today is that God is fully sovereign and fully good.
This means nothing is outside of His will. Nothing that takes place in this life is lost or wasted. The Word of the Lord does not return void. Job 42:2 tells us, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” God has every right to do what He wants to do, and He surely will. Regardless of whether we like it or not, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to us, the will of the Lord will always take place. God never promised that we would understand everything, and at the same time, He has not hidden what He wants and desires for His children to know, which can be found in His holy, infallible Word!
God's Perfect Providence
Sis, God will do what needs to be done in order to see His purpose through. This is not a truth that should scare you, but rather make you feel secure! Isaiah 46:10 says, “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…” (ESV). Let’s take a minute here to recall the story of Joseph. What his brothers meant for evil, God used for good! The fact that Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph into slavery was not outside of the Lord’s will. The brothers may have thought that they were ruining Joseph’s life for good, but the truth is, God used their decision to bring about a marvelous good; to use Joseph to save the world from a horrible famine. What a beautiful reminder that we are protected and preserved by the providence of our great God! Even in the midst of evil, even when everything around us seems as if it’s crashing down, God is always working to bring about a beautiful, marvelous good. And thanks be to God for that!As Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
4) Our fourth reminder for today is the second greatest command, which comes to us from Matthew 22:36-40, and says:
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”Sis, love your neighbor! God commands unity and harmony, so focus your efforts on unity, not division. We cannot force people to change with our ideologies. We just can’t. When it comes down to it, only the Spirit can spark the heart and perspective change we may be in need of. This is not our job, and I fear many of us have sought out to make it our job in order to have the last word with the hope that we could change the minds of others or make ourselves feel better for being on the “right” side and not the wrong side. As Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." The best way to do this is to put on and be driven by the mind of Christ, not the mind of our egos and pride.
Christ is the cure
Christ is the cure! Not our political party. Politics will NOT save us. It doesn’t matter if you are a conservative or a liberal--if we, as children of God, are not actively repenting and proclaiming the one true Gospel, then we have much, much worse things to worry about. Sis, when we forget that our unity is in our allegiance and commitment to Jesus Christ, we head in different directions quickly. Our unity is not based on our skin color, our political party, or whether we prefer an iPhone or an Android. It’s not based on speaking the same language or sharing the same hobbies. We’ve got to make it clear: Our oneness, our unity, is in Christ and Christ ALONE! Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Doesn’t this sound so lovely? May we all focus more on being an example of the unity and love God commands.Heed the Words of Colossians 3:13-14I want to charge you with the words of Colossians 3:13-14 today: "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
5) Our fifth reminder today is to claim the peace that is yours in Christ.
In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (ESV). Sis, take a deep breath, right now, and speak the words of Psalm 27 aloud: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” God has not only gone before you but He is with you always! The peace we have in Christ is a good gift the Father does not withhold from us. It’s available to us always. The question is, will we choose it? As it delights our Father in Heaven to be the stronghold of our lives, may it be a truth we take great delight and comfort in, too.
6) Alright, on to number 6! Remember that this lost and broken world is but our temporary home, but it’s the home God has chosen for us for the time being.
And, my goodness, what an opportunity we have to be the hands and feet of Christ Jesus while we’re here. The country you live in, the neighborhood you reside in, and the street you live on are no coincidence. The God who made the world and everything that fills it has, very intentionally, placed you right where you are. And wherever that might be, you have an invitation from God to seek God, and a commission from God to help others seek God.Philippians 3:20 reminds us of the truth that, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” If we love, follow, and serve Christ, wherever we live in this world, we know we belong somewhere else.
Focus on Unity with the Mind of Christ
My dear Sister, Jesus has come and He will come again! Nothing can change this truth! Let’s stop wasting time living divided and start focusing our efforts on being a body that seeks the mind of Christ and therefore dwells in unity. Let’s focus our efforts on bearing the image of Who we belong to rather than anything this world offers that we waste time associating ourselves with. We’ve got an opportunity to participate in holy, right, and good work for the Kingdom of God. As we prepare and wait for King Jesus, may we do just that.
There You Have It!
And there you have it, 6 biblical truths to remember in a chaos-driven world: Your freedom is in Christ and Christ alone, there is power in prayer, God is fully sovereign and fully good, love your neighbor, the peace of Christ is available to you always, and this is our temporary home. It’s my prayer for us all that we would not get so caught up in the circumstances of this life that we forget these things. May we cling to these truths with our every breath.
Thank You
Thank you so much for tuning in to today’s episode on biblical truths to remember in a chaos-driven world. I pray the Lord used it as a soothing balm to meet you and comfort you right where you are at. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please be sure to rate and review the podcast! It’s an easy and FREE way to support the podcast and help spread the word about it, and I would appreciate it more than you know. I will be announcing the winner of the review of the month on February 3, so be sure to enter for your chance to win this month’s giveaway bundle while you still can!I can’t wait to be back with you next week. In the meantime, go and share the glory. Talk with you next Wednesday!