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STAY FOCUSED ON PEACE · THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Welcome into our podcast this morning here on This is
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: the Life. So glad you could join us. This morning
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: when I got up, my eyes seemed to take just
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  Speaker 1: a little bit longer to come into focus than they
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: usually do. And as I was getting ready for this
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  Speaker 1: morning's devotion, I kind of began to think about that
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: and how our eyes and how they focus is in
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  Speaker 1: direct proportion to how we see things and particularly how
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  Speaker 1: clearly we're able to see things. And so as I
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  Speaker 1: sat down before the Lord, I began to think about
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  Speaker 1: that spiritually as well, that Our spiritual eyesight is in
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  Speaker 1: direct proportion to what we're focused on. And sometimes we
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  Speaker 1: can get completely out of focus on what's really important
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  Speaker 1: or begin to focus on the wrong things entirely, which
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  Speaker 1: impacts our day, impacts our decisions, impacts so many different things.
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  Speaker 1: And the Lord's Spirit took me to Isaiah chapter 26
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  Speaker 1: and verse number three this morning. This is that will
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  Speaker 1: keep him in perfect peace. whose mind is stayed on Thee,
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  Speaker 1: because He trusts in Thee. For many these days right
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  Speaker 1: now in which we live in, perhaps it's you this morning,
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  Speaker 1: your feet barely touch the floor in the morning before
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  Speaker 1: your mind begins to travel into a future that you
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  Speaker 1: can't even possibly predict. Maybe you imagine troubles that hadn't
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  Speaker 1: even arrived yet, outcomes that may never exist. And what
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  Speaker 1: happens is before the day has been able to offer anything,
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  Speaker 1: you've already filled it with concerns and worry. Is that
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  Speaker 1: you this morning? If it is, you're not alone. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: while we're doing all those things, the coffee's growing cold,
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  Speaker 1: maybe someone's there with you and they're just sitting nearby
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  Speaker 1: and another day is waiting for you to live and
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  Speaker 1: live abundantly because that's what Christ came for. is that
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  Speaker 1: not only would we have life, but we would have
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  Speaker 1: it more abundantly. And it's hard to do that when
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  Speaker 1: our eyes, spiritually and physically, are completely out of focus.
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  Speaker 1: And worry, worry has a way of making us overlook
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  Speaker 1: what is here because we are so occupied with what
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  Speaker 1: might be coming. I understand, I understand how easily that
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  Speaker 1: can happen, especially in these uncertain times. They give our
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  Speaker 1: imagination plenty of material to form opinions and scenarios, don't they?
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  Speaker 1: But when you put your imagination into the hands of fear,
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  Speaker 1: let me tell you what happens. It can paint a
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  Speaker 1: picture that leaves very little room for faith and trust
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  Speaker 1: in God. Isaiah here gives us somewhere better to place
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  Speaker 1: our thoughts. It says, whose mind is stayed on thee.
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  Speaker 1: A mind stayed, which means focused or fixed on God.
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  Speaker 1: That's an anchor. You still may feel things pulling you
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  Speaker 1: with the troubling news and the unanswered questions and all
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  Speaker 1: the scenarios. But you always have somewhere steady to return to.
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  Speaker 1: Because your eyes and your focus and all of it
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  Speaker 1: is set and fixed on what will not move and
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  Speaker 1: what is certain. God's Word prepares us for days that
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  Speaker 1: we are living in. Throughout the Old Testament and the
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  Speaker 1: New Testament, we read about troubled nations, fearful hearts, deception, hardships,
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  Speaker 1: and a lot of uncertainty. But we also read about
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  Speaker 1: God's presence, His promises, and His unfailing care for His people.
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  Speaker 1: And none of this has ever caught God unprepared. This
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  Speaker 1: podcast has always been about helping us keep our focus
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  Speaker 1: on what we know to be true God is faithful.
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  Speaker 1: His word is trustworthy. Jesus is our Savior. His grace
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  Speaker 1: is sufficient in times of trouble. Those truths deserve more
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  Speaker 1: space in our minds than all the things we suspect
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  Speaker 1: might happen down the road. How we begin our day
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  Speaker 1: matters deeply to me. That's why I do these devotions
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  Speaker 1: each and every morning, not once a week, not once
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  Speaker 1: a month, as much as I can every single day. Why?
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  Speaker 1: Because it's important. Nowhere in Scripture does God ever command
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  Speaker 1: us to wake up worrying, to rehearse every frightening possibility
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  Speaker 1: that might happen, or to speculate about things that we
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  Speaker 1: could not fully understand. But He does invite us to pray,
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  Speaker 1: to trust, and to fix our hearts, our minds, our souls,
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  Speaker 1: and yes, our eyes on Him. We can be informed
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  Speaker 1: and still have peace. We can acknowledge hard things and
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  Speaker 1: still notice the beauty that's around us every day. Trust
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  Speaker 1: gives us the freedom to live the day God has
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  Speaker 1: placed in our hands while leaving tomorrow's problems in His hands.
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  Speaker 1: So this morning, to This Is The Life Podcast family,
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  Speaker 1: to our Morning Moments with Jesus family, Before you let
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  Speaker 1: the world tell you what to fear and what to
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  Speaker 1: worry about, give God your attention. Read His Word. Thank
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  Speaker 1: Him for something that's close enough for you to touch
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Bring Him the concern that keeps returning to you.
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  Speaker 1: And these days will soon pass. We know that to
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  Speaker 1: be true. This isn't the only turbulent time in the
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  Speaker 1: history of the world. These days will soon pass away.
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  Speaker 1: But God and His Word They shall endure forever. So
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  Speaker 1: today you be safe. You be strong. And you be blessed.
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  Speaker 1: And you stay focused on peace. The peace God leaves,
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  Speaker 1: not the one the world offers. It comes and goes.
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  Speaker 1: God's peace remains. Lord, we will see you back here
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  Speaker 1: again tomorrow. And until then, I sure hope you have
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  Speaker 1: a great day.