Transcript:
Hi everyone, welcome back to another podcast. Today’s topic is titled From Chaos to Peace. Peace is usually very hard to find in this generation today. As we all know, as you watch the news regularly, you are going to not find any bad news. When you scroll down, you’re going to actually find doom scrolling and you’re going to have a lot of negativity around us. However, in John 16:33, it says, “These things I’ve spoken to you that in me you may have peace.”
This is what Jesus would tell every one of us that we are going to experience chaos in the world. This is something that we are going to always be evidently smack in the face because it’s part of life. In this life, there will be tribulation but be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome the world. So the peace that God is saying to us is about the things that we can control. It is how we deal with circumstances in chaotic places.
Maybe you have lived with one individual or more two people that are chaotic. They have not completely healed or matured. Do not get me wrong. I used to be in that category before. Everything bothered me. Everything triggered me. Everything that breathes and move when I was a lot younger. I was overly reactive and I was overly sensitive as a child. although that really heightened after the abuse that I have endured.
And so it was kind of this beast that was awakened inside of me. Then apparently, as I have learned that the more and more you snap at people and you become habitually angry at something or someone, it is some kind of a habit. It is something that you will do automatically. It is part of your programming.
So, I realize that when you usually always snap and get easily triggered and you’re angry all the time, it is something that has been programmed inside of you. I know it takes a long time to reprogram or recreate something that is embedded in you, especially when you were brought up in a chaotic environment and you were exposed to violence at at a young age. Maybe you came from a very volatile parents. There was always fighting between your mom and your dad or maybe your mom and your ex, you know, stepfather or whoever that were taking care of you at that child.
I really think that we become who we are depending on the environment that you were brought up in. And unfortunately, many of us are not really aware that who we become as an adult is the reflection of how we were exposed to that kind of stimuli or that kind of environment that we live in. So most likely if you were brought up in a loving home, a loving mom and dad, they’re very loving and courteous and respect respectable toward each other. I cannot even talk. you are most likely going to become that kind of a person.
However, it doesn’t mean that it’s permanent now that you are an adult and you’re aware that that maybe you came from a very dysfunctional family members that you shouldn’t copy their behavior. This is exactly why sometimes it is very hard to find peace in the midst of chaos. And so, where do we look up to when it comes to peace? Now that you are aware that you don’t have to copy the behavior of your dysfunctional parents. It says in Isaiah 32:18, “My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 26:3, it says, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you.” I will not have my peace today if it wasn’t me looking up to God for strength and for clarity of where to turn to.
Many people usually, as we all know, have something that we go towards when we are erratic, when we have something going on in our home, we usually run away either to substance abuse. As I always like to talk, we have crutches. We usually like to numb our pain instead of dealing with our pain.
It is something that adults usually are going to use as as a coping mechanism.
Maybe you’re addicted to gambling or maybe you’re addicted to some kind of watching that you shouldn’t watch. So, we have to really understand that we become an adult and none of us are really taught how to regulate emotionally and how to become honest with our pain or face our own demons.
Majority of us were taught to run, hide and blame someone else. It is a lot easier to do that because if you are going to constantly try to hide and pretend like your pain doesn’t really matter is usually going to be much better. However, you’re going to be you’re going to end up having the same issues over and over again.
And this is why we are told that you count it it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. One of the fruit of the spirit is of course patience. In James 1:2, it says that when we fall into trials.
I believe that when we were younger, I think these were the trying times for us. This is where we’re being tested with our character. When you’re young, hopefully, like many of us, unlike me, we didn’t really have a lot of parental guidance. My life was not conventional.
I was brought up usually with my grandmother when I was around six and seven years old and then I lived with my mom for about 8 years.
And on top of that I came into this country United States of America at the age of 16 and I didn’t really have a lot of super uh supervision from my parents and so you really have to understand why sometimes our life it doesn’t turn out the way that it was because of the circumstances that just happened in our lives.
So when we actually think about the trials that we face as a child, we don’t really understand it then. Why God allows bad things to happen in us or why God allows for this event to occur in our life until such time that when you look back.
You will now understand as an adult that those trials and those testing are the way that God was trying to mold you. Those were the stepping stones for you to become a better version of yourselves.
However, there are people that have endured hardships that they either going to use it against them or use it to make them a better version of themselves. So, two people can experience the same things because everyone is different. You and I may have the same experience. sexually abused, went into a narcissistic abusive relationship, verbally, mentally, physically abused by men, and you can turn out to be a drug addict, alcoholic. I am not trying to shame you, but two people could have the same experiences, but the response is different.
It is not how you start but how you finish.
So, it’s not about what happened to you. It’s about what happened. It’s what you do after the fact that something bad happened to you. So it’s actually it all comes down to again I would like to make the uh analogy of the wilderness. So about many millions of the Israelites were enslaved for 400 years in the w in the Egyptian and the new generation had a different kind of respond compared to the older generation.
So, two groups of people have the same circumstances that have happened in their lives, whether they’ve been abused sexually and mentally and verbally, or physically abused.
But then the other one can respond in a healthy way. They can actually use this as their lessons and for them to be able to empathize more with people. And for such a long time, of course, I tried to understand my own pain of why God allowed these things to happen. And I really think that the more you are in pain with those kind of things or have endured trials, you are become you are becoming more empathetic towards people who have been through the same thing.
And so this is why we are told that we have to count it with joy.
It is counterintuitive because how can you count it joy when you are suffering? Nobody likes to suffer. Nobody likes to be in pain. However, when God allows it to happen, and God permits it. Then, it is something that we can actually try to use it to help other people, use it as our teacher, and hopefully that we can make better decisions. So, coming from a chaotic environment into a peaceful one, it is not about the environment.
It is not about the people who usually broke you. It’s about you creating that peace into yourself because it is not something that the external world can give us. That’s what Jesus said, in this life, you will have tribulation, you will have trials and you will face problems. Just look at the world. That’s how the world has been doing for the last billions of years ago. And we do have a choice to either create a peace within us.
So, how can we create peace in a tumultuous world? How do we generate a peaceful atmosphere in a precarious world that we are living in?
It’s very hard, especially when you’re bombarded with noise and when you are constantly watching the news.
This is why sometimes you have to unplug and you have to learn how to sit with your pain and read your Bible.
Maybe you should just reflect in your life. And that’s why it says to Philippians 4:67, we are told, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
So, anxiety is part of life because we worry so much, but we are told to be anxious for nothing.
I know it’s a lot easier to say something, but doing it, this is where it gets really hard because I am a worrier myself. I tend to worry a lot. I tend to worried about the future and I tend to worry about my son’s future and what this world is going to be looking like in the future. However, we are constantly being reminded, be anxious for nothing. Do not give anything a thought for worry.
And even Jesus said today’s problem is sufficient enough. You do not worry about tomorrow for today is enough. So we have to focus on today. And I think I have read a few days ago that says usually when we worry I might be butchering the line is because of our memory and it’s because of our imagination. Worry stems from something that we cannot control, something that we wish a thing to happen. It is really something beyond our grasp. It is something that we cannot attain right now.
It is really absurd to worry about the future because we don’t really have a magic ball to see.
We are not clairvoyant and find out exactly what’s going to happen two to three years from now. It’s something that is beyond our control. That’s why we have to live by faith and not by sight. If you want to live in a peaceful world in your mind, when I say world, it is talking about in your own imagination. You really have to create one by living by faith. You cannot really constantly be worried about the future. We only have to understand that God is in control. He is a sovereign God.
He is omnisient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God that he is. That whatever he plans for this world to happen, it’s going to happen whether we like it or not. And that’s why, Jesus even said to Pontius Pilate when Pontius Pilate said, “I have the authority to release you.” When Jesus was being interrogated by Pontius Pilate, and Jesus replied, “You don’t have the authority. Only God, my father in heaven has the final say.” So if God wants you to be here even today, He has the final say. People are the instruments by God. So, we cannot really think that our life is dependent upon people. It’s actually dependent upon God. So for you and me to worry about the future.
These are the things we worry about-money. We usually worry about money all the time.
But Jesus said, “Look at the birds and the liies in the field. They do not toil. They don’t usually work to get something to eat. But their heavenly father knows exactly what they need. So one of the things we worry about is money. And because that’s what the world wants us to worry every every morning when the rich people wake up, the first thing in their mind is how’s the economy right now? How’s the market right now? Is it up? Is it down?
It is something that we usually don’t worry as a child of God. We are told to have trust in our father. And Jesus said that I will be your provider. He is our Jehovah Gyra. the God who provides everything that we need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. God’s economy does not fluctuate the same as the economy in this country or this world. It constantly changes depending on the prices, depending on the stock market. It is beyond our control. But when we trust in God’s economy, it does not depreciate. It doesn’t go back and forth. It’s not just like a season that changes constantly. That’s why we can trust that when we obey God’s plan and we obey in his calling and we obey his principle, we are actually going to be blessed.
Now, I’m not talking that just because you’re a Christian or you follow God to a tee. It doesn’t mean that you’re not going to have problems. It is not something that God is going to prevent bad things to happen just because you are a follower of Christ. Jesus even became a sin before he had sinned. He became sin who who knew no sin yet he was crucified on the cross. He was not spared from being crucified on the cross. However, he was being given the access to judge the heaven and the earth.
Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the father giving the authority under heaven and earth. And he is going to be the lord of lords and the king of kings and every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess his lordships.
And this is why when he relinquished his rights to become the sin for man and that’s why God had to give him the full authority on earth and on heaven. That is why we have to understand that when you really want to have a peaceful life, it is about relinquishing.
It’s surrendering your will, which is the kind of Jesus that would say, “If you want to be my disciples, you have to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me.” You want to live in peace in this world, you have to allow God to take control over your life. It is not something that many people are willing to do because it’s very hard to let go of your control, to let go of our ability to say, “I want to be the captain of my ship.” God. But God said you cannot be the captain. You cannot be the driver. I want you to let go and relinquish that right.
And so when you want to live in this world with peace, you have to understand that your peace is not something that can be manufactured out there. So many people think that just because you go to the gym, eat the right food, you know, you watch TV or you do whatever that makes you happy that you’re going to be peaceful. Peace is something that is within you. It is something that is a supernatural experience that God can only give you. It is not the absence of problem. Peace is not the absence of trouble. It’s actually in the midst of it, you can have peace and joy in the trials.
And we are told that in CS Lewis book the problem of pain before and behind all the relations of God to man as we now learn then from Christianity yawns the abyss of a divine act of pure giving. It is the pure giving of ourselves. It is the pure giving of our lives to God that we can have peace in this tumultuous world. It is about asking him to lead us into his will. That’s why Jesus said not my will father but let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It is one of the lord’s prayer that when we really understand what that means is actually even if we want something for ourselves but God has a different thing in mind we have to understand that god’s plans is always higher than our plans. His ways are always higher than our ways. And he even continued to say to say that God can give us good but he cannot need or get it. In that sense all his love as it were bottomlessly selfless by very definition it has everything to give and nothing to receive. When God empties himself of his glory and submits to those contradictions um conditions rather under which alone egoism and altruism have a clear meaning. He is seen to be woolly altruistic.
So when we surrender our life to God, it is something that he gives us what we need and not something that what we want.
Sometimes when we ask God for maybe a promotion, a job or maybe someone to marry or maybe a life that we have been wanting to have or money, sometimes God will not allow us to have that much money or maybe he doesn’t really open the door when he said that’s not the right door for you. And sometimes when we are not at peace with ourselves is because we are trying to fight with God. We are wrestling with God. Remember what happened to Jacob? The God who wrestled with Jacob.
Because Jacob was relentless trying to ask God to bless him.
And God said, “What is your name?” In that moment when Jacob was wrestling with God, he was restless. He was not at peace with himself. When we are trying to wrestle with God because we want something from God, usually we become so tired and weary because of that relentless pursuit of what we wanted. And apparently sometimes God would say yes, it is meant for you to have and sometimes he would say you have to wait and sometimes God would say no, you must close the door.
But with Jacob because he was relentless of asking God to bless him. When Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Because remember what happened to Jacob that he was a taker. Jacob had a very bad history that he usually was a conniver. Everything that he had it was because of him taking what others have. He took the birthright of his brother Esau. I remember the story that because he was able to scheme or he was able to trick is the right word to his brother Esau saying, if you are going to give me your birthright I will give you a soup of stew or a stew of a bowl of soup. And so Esau, because of his hunger at that moment he was able to give it to Jacob.
And another thing of course was the blessing that the dad was passing away but instead of giving it to the eldest son because I think in the Jewish tradition usually the eldest gets the the kind of birthright that they deserved but because of Jacob is the second one but he was able to again maneuver his way and so the moment he realizes that everything that he had was actually been stolen it’s not something that was given to him by god directly so we when he wrestled with God he is not at peace with himself.
So maybe today you have been wrestling with God perhaps because you’ve been asking God with the same questions, the same problem, the same prayer and God has not heard your prayer yet.
Sometimes we think that God is deaf or God is distant. When in fact sometimes God doesn’t answer us maybe because we have a sin, an ongoing sin in our lives that God is not happy with. And many people think and they would say if God is really loving and I’ve been praying to God and he hasn’t heard me. Maybe you have not checked your lifestyle. You cannot be a a heathen and just ask God to give you something when you are not giving up your your sin. You’re not you are you’re reluctant about it.
So how can God blesses you when you are living in pure sin and disobedient to God? It’s like you are just lying to yourself. So what what does God say in Deuteronomy? I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life and choose blessing. So do not expect God to bless you with something when you are not repented of your sin. If you have not turned away from your wicked ways, if you have not changed your path, how can God bless you and how can God actually answer your prayer? Some people they they would use the name of God and they would say see what happened. I I used the name of God and it was pure luck because it’s not about not it’s not about the God that you have prayed for.
It’s about the faith that you put in.
You can pray to any God you want because that is the principle of life. If you have faith, you’ll get it. If you have the faith that you want but the question is which God are you praying to? Which allegiance do you belong to? What what kind of God do you really do? You really serve the true living God or are you just really putting your faith in a Santa Claus or or in a genie? Because that is a principle that people confuse just because you pray to a god and you have probably won a lottery and you convince yourself that see there must be a god and god really is not against me you know playing a lottery. No, it’s not that the god of the universe and the true god had answered you. It’s because you have put your faith in that.
The question is the God that you have called out to is the false kind of God, the small G, not the big one. So we have to understand that when we wrestle with God with something, whether you have been asking God with the same problem, the same prayer as I already said that it’s because sometimes God is probably wanting us to wait for his timing or he wants us to really just understand that his plan is always better than our plans. When we live in this world, there are going to be so much noise around us. There’s so much chaos. There’s so much suggestions. There’s so much messaging today.
And that is the tactic of the devil.
That is why we have to be able to understand that we have to focus our eyes on the cross. And you have to go back to the basic which is understanding God’s law. God’s law hasn’t changed. It has been purified seven times and it has always been the truth. And in the waiting period when life is going to throw something at you and God is trying to change the way the course of your life it is because it’s for your own characteristics when we are trying to understand that when you were chaotic before and you don’t know exactly what it means to have peace is because you have been living in that kind of chaos you thought it was normal just for me I thought you know this is how adults talk yelling screaming or being impatient and I have copied this behavior myself it It’s very hard to unlearn them.
It is very hard to redirect sometimes that kind of conversation. It takes a lot of self-awareness. It takes a lot of humility. It takes a lot of God changing your heart because when you try to understand about your past and you came from a chaotic family and you try to rearrange and reconsider the fact that it’s not going to happen overnight. You’re not going to be a St. Mary the following day. Just because you converted to Christianity, you’re not going to turn into Mary the holier than thou because somehow you decided to follow Jesus. The moment you have converted to Christianity and you came from a chaotic life like I did, I came from that very chaotic life. I had a very chaotic childhood teenager.
I had a very chaotic relationships from one person to another person. It will take a lot of unlearning and trying to reparent yourself and trying to say to yourself that it takes a lot of uh what do you call this being catching yourself and saying this is not the way it should be and that’s not that’s not how I want to become a mother. I am not going to follow that route or I’m not going to go to that path because I know it is wrong. So if you have the the awareness that it was wrong, you are on the right path. Many people though are not aware. That’s why they are in denial and that’s why they constantly keep on justifying their behavior because they are not aware that they are doing the same thing over and over again.
As I said, the wilderness is where people get stuck.
It is the same pattern. It is the same old habit because they don’t want to get to the nitty-gritty of their issues. They don’t want to deal with their demons. They don’t want to have accountability. They are constantly justifying their bad behavior, making excuses of their choices. And that’s why many people are stuck in the wilderness. If you want to cross to the promised land, which is the analogy of you want to be better for yourself, you want to be healed, you want to make the right decisions, you really have to start with self-awareness. because you have to really ask God to reveal to you the issues that you’ve been keeping.
So this is about patience. You really have to understand who you are. Understanding that when you are healing and becoming better, there’s going to be a lot of dissonance between your brain that’s scientifically term. There’s going to be disconnection because your brain and your old self is going to question that because it’s not it’s it’s familiar. It’s actually unfamiliar. It’s it’s you’re not used of trying to create new habit. And I I think according to the scientific research, excuse me, it takes 6 to6 days before a new habit is formed.
So if you keep repeating the same habit over and over again, eventually it becomes a memory muscle. It becomes a second nature to you.
And that’s how you recreate a new habit, a new pattern. But for many people they give up too soon just because a week later they haven’t seen any result they already give up and they would say see it doesn’t work or just because they have not seen any progress in their life they also say I don’t think this this method is going to work. So you have to understand that there is a process. It takes a long time and you have to understand that the more and more you have self-control and self-restraint and the more and more you ask God for intervention which is something that the Holy Spirit can give you.
The Holy Spirit which is something that God gives us the moment we have become baptized in the water. And we have to understand that the [music] world cannot give you the Holy Spirit. It is the spirit of God in you that he gives you peace and tranquility [music] in the midst of chaos. And you and I have the choice to make whether we are going to be distracted by the chaos of the chaotic world [music] where that is where Satan would always want [music] us to fall into. So that’s why sometimes maybe read a book, unplug and just read your word and pray because the devil is like a lion prowling around waiting.
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