December 1, 2024

“God’s Gift of Peace”

God's Gifts for You This Christmas – part 1

Psalm 29

To experience peace, we must know of God's strength.

1.  He is a powerful God.

2.  He is an empowering God.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

We desperately need God's strength...

• to get us through what we can’t get through on our own.

• to avoid doing what we know we shouldn’t do.

·       to do what we know we should do.

Five Steps to Receiving God's Strength

1.  Affirm God's power and presence.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,” 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 (NIV)

2.  Admit your own weakness.

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

3.  Align yourself with God's will

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

4.  Ask God for the strength you need.

“You do not have because you do not ask God. “ James 4:2c (NIV)

5.  Act out of obedience to God.

“he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 2 John 1:6 (NIV)

Key: Even when we don’t feel empowered by God, when we take action by obediently proceeding down the road that God wants us to walk, He will give us strength as strength is needed.

 (Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation second edition, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Message adapted from pastors.com