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Sometimes life is very hard, and the biblical command to have Christ's peace seems impossible. This week, John Bailey and Mark Renfroe discuss how the Spirit groans within us during our trials and how this is key to having overcoming peace. Some people think peace can only happen when life is easy or fun, and some Christians dismiss the true anguish that life can bring, but those with true peace have found a way to acknowledge hardship and yet center themselves around God.
Key Points from the Podcast
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Mark Renfroe shares about his recent trip to Indonesia where World Challenge is working with local partners to share the gospel with unreached people groups.
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In Philippians, Paul exhorts Christians to rejoice in the Lord always, not be anxious about anything, pray and thank God, and set our minds on things that are true, honorable, just pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
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You can have peace for future victory in your present trial when you look back at God’s past faithfulness.
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Acting out of anxiety will not bring you closer to God, because worry is centered around you, while peace is centered around God.
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When you are focused on your issues, you may be distracted from hearing what God wants to say about your situation.
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We can find calm and clarity amidst chaos when we remember we are in Christ, appropriate our authority to take every thought captive, and reflect on God’s goodness and sovereignty.
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In our weakness, God’s power is perfected. It is in our weaknesses that we most often turn to God.
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Take time to memorize scripture and hide God’s Word in your heart. It is the sword with which we are to fight off the enemy’s attacks.
Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast
Philippians 4:4–8; Romans 8:26; Galatians 5:22–23; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 2:6; Romans 10:17
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
About John Bailey
Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.
About Mark Renfroe
Mark married his college sweetheart, Amy, with whom he has four adult children—one girl and three boys. The Renfroes have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. They served in the Arab community of San Francisco for four years before becoming foreign missionaries in 1995. Mark was asked to serve as the Area Director for Assemblies of God World Missions in 2007. As part of his role, he led missionaries and interfaced with national church leaders in the 18 countries of the Arab World. In 2017, Mark created Reaching Africa’s Muslims, an initiative to mobilize, equip, and deploy indigenous African missionaries to reach Muslims on the continent. Mark has graduate degrees in Intercultural Studies and Executive Leadership. He currently serves as the Chief Missions Officer for World Challenge in Colorado Springs.
