Priscilla Shirer: How YOU Can Have Peace in the Storm | Praise on TBN
Priscilla Shirer: How YOU Can Have Peace in the Storm | Praise on TBN
Priscilla Shirer sits down with Ed Stetzer on TBN’s Praise to share how you can discover true peace in the storm and know that God is with you during hard times.
NEED PRAYER? TBN’s Prayer Partners would love to pray with you and are available 24/7: 714-731-1000 (U.S. and Canada) and +1-714-731-1000 (International).
On the air since 1973, TBN’s flagship ministry and talk show Praise is one of the most recognizable — and most watched — Christian programs in the world. Taped before a live audience and hosted by TBN’s own Matt and Laurie Crouch along with other popular personalities, Praise features the best in contemporary Christian music and worship, fresh and impacting ministry voices, engaging interviews from a wide variety of guests, and a fast-moving hour of relevant talk you won’t want to miss!
when things aren’t going the way we would prefer in other words when God is not answering our requests the way uh we would like for him to when they see the peace of God still covering us this is what peace really is peace is not uh when everything is Rosy and happy and sunny around you and you’re peaceful that’s right no no peace is when in the midst of a storm I mean think about a storm on an ocean the the storm is swirling all around you but right there in the middle of that storm there is an
eye and the eye of the storm is a center of calm in the midst of chaos that is swirling all around that’s what peace looks like peace is the holy spirit upon you even though there is a storm swirling all around you we feel like sometimes we are not equipped to handle what it is that is right in front of us but I think that’s when God does his best work it’s when we are outnumbered it’s when we’re in over our head it’s when we can’t stand up on our own two feet that we get to see the strength of
God perfected in our weakness and so that’s what that’s what Gideon’s story encouraged me to remember it’s a story that I remember when I was a little girl but it’s it’s like I saw it again as if for the very first time and this historical character began to remind me about God’s greatest work being done in my life when I can’t do it myself it seems to me that people hear like the Gideon story or the David and Goliath story and sometimes they they kind of revert to the messages that you should
be courageous you should you should and you should be it’s not that’s not that’s not to be be downplayed but but it’s not the totality of the story you know the passage I read at the opening of the show you know that Philippians 3 7-1 talks about that you know that that it’s about well everything else is rubbish compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ he’s enough he’s more than enough and but so so when we see a Gideon Story how do we not see this as like a fable in the Old Testament times
just like like you know the Fable asap’s fables and others that say good guy had courage won the battle outwitted the enemy cuz that’s not what happened I mean there’s a reason that God wanted a small army to take on a big army so that they would know that he’s a bigger God than any concept that we could even imagine absolutely so why why why why these stories and how do we not kind of reduce these stories to Simply you know try harder be good be courageous stories but we actually look to the strength of
Christ in the midst of that well we have to think about what Redemption what the Redemption story is all about our god um he specializes in uh being in relationship with these beings human beings that are lesser than the Angels uh the least really um David said we are but dust before you and when we rely on God when we trust him in our weakness when we show what dependence on God can look like we’re actually man it is such an affront to the enemy every time one of us human beings who are lesser than even he his power his potential what he
is capable of doing the enemy of God what he is capable of doing we don’t have that same capability in ately and yet when we TR choose dependence on God and humility before God which is not what the enemy chose every single time we do that and Christ strength is seen in our life it is an affront to the enemy and all of the demons in Hell quiver at what God can do with a human being that is relying on him that is the opposite of what the enemy do which is the reason why he was cast out of Heaven to begin with because he chose
independence from God so every time one one of us chooses to depend on God we are showing the enemy what it looks like uh when God’s strength is perfected we but the the cultures that we’re in and there’s very you know people watch this show in 180 countries around the world and so one of the things that we will find in almost all of those cultures whever you’re watching is is that there’s actually a desire to be independent and it’s it’s it’s kind of birthed in us it’s you got to do it
yourself you got to make it happen there’s some cultures that might go it as a group but they’re still ultimately doing it in their own strength just in a group strength so I mean this is so opposite to the way that in that we are humanly wired so how do we and maybe just maybe just look look look out there and tell the people who are watching no this is how you die to self and live for Christ this is how you let go of your own strength and trust in God’s strength talk talk talk well I think we remember
we remember what Paul said in in uh 2 Corinthians 12:9 he said I boast in my weakness it’s basically like he’s saying I applaud it I get excited when I have this margin this Gap in my life where I cannot in my own skill my own Talent my own ability my own money my own connections my own education I cannot figure out how I’m going to make it from point A to point B instead of getting nervous about that or uh worried about it or discouraged by it Paul says basically now every time I see that Gap happening that Gap widening between my
ability and what it is that I’m supposed to accomplish he says now I just get excited about it I get thrilled because that means God is making room for himself and so I feel like one of the main ways that we can begin to Relish in um uh our humanness and God’s work in our humanness is to see every single opportunity where we realize we are not enough to see every single opportunity as a chance for God to step into our circumstances and demonstrate who we really is and listen that’s what the world really needs to see they don’t
need a whole bunch of Christians who are just talking a good game about how great our God is they need to see somebody’s life that demonstrates that God is indeed great because we once were lost but now we’re found we once were blind but now we can see we couldn’t accomplish this our marriage was hanging on by a thread but God stepped in and now the two of us are not still just married we’re happily married or my child was lost and wward and was living a a rebellious lifestyle but I have seen
Christ step into this there was nothing as a mom or a dad I could do any longer for my child but Christ stepped in and brought my child back back home when we have those stories they are a testament to the greatness and Grandeur of our God because if we do them ourselves it’s a testament to the greatness and Grandeur of us right and and so so the story of Gideon the story of David the story of all these things is not the story of how clever they were but how great God is how great God that changes and reshapes
the way that we think but we get to the place where Paul says boast in my weakness so how do I go it seems like I’m getting now and may maybe we struggle with I struggle with I’m sure you do I struggle with actually acknowledging this is this is the time for me to say it’s not about me it’s about God but how do I get to the place where I actually boast on the other side and say you know what it’s all about God it’s all about Jesus that’s even another step on that spiritual journey talk us
about that it is another step and I think honestly that it takes a minute to get there I think we’re all on a journey with that because I feel like you have to have a track record with God to to base that you have to have had enough experiences where you’ve seen God turn your weakness around and use it in a way that you know was beyond any capability you had you have to have experience with God in that way so that you can look back when the next time comes where you really in faith and the next time can we
talk about from Faith to Faith that’s trusting in faith seeing God do it again and build that Faith right yeah and listen I’ve got I’ve got this little kind of Journal that I keep it’s on my on my computer I call it he speaks to me it’s just these times where the Lord either ministers to me some way uh through his word or times I’ve seen him uh come through in my life in some real way that lets me know that was God and I keep a record of it and literally in those times when I are am coming up
against something I do not think I can handle or something that is beyond me I call these instances up I read them I remind myself about what it is that God has already done and as I remember that it builds this courage and excitement and enthusiasm I I begin to anticipate what God is going to do here I don’t I don’t um disdain it anymore or want to ignore it or circumvent it or get around it or hope this hurry up and it goes away no no no I am excited and sitting on the edge of my seat because if God
did this then I am my eyes are wide open to see what he’s going to do now what an expectation life to say and to know he’s going to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we might ask or think to bring uh bring us through a hard time bring us through a challenging time give us peace that passes all understanding that’s that’s a kind of Christian Life that well really talk about walking in Victory because we know he wins the victory not of ourselves but come come back to Gideon with me for just a second
as you did the study what what some of the things that surprised you as you were looking at studying and teaching about Gideon well something that surprised me was that um I didn’t expect to get a lesson about giving gifts to God our gifts that we give back to God to be used for his purposes when G when uh Gideon first meets that angel under the oak tree the angel of the Lord the pre pre-incarnate Jesus Christ and they have an encounter together Gideon says I’ve got some gifts that I want to give to you and the angel of the Lord God
himself okay and need to explain preincarnate Christ we’re talking about many theologians talk about that that that God the son has always been God has always this is God the Father God the son God the Holy Spirit but we see these pictures in the Old Testament where many scholars say this is a time when actually uh pre- Incarnation Incarnation being the birth of Christ that that that God the son visited and often the angel of the Lord okay so this is why it’s a remarkable thing we see in Joshua 5 we