Peace In Christ 
Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It is not about only guarding your heart and emotions, but your body as well. When the body has afflictions, the heart may suffer attacks and the mind may suffer anxiety. As we get older, the heart becomes weaker to bear the burdens and difficulties of life.  

The peace of God is something that not only surpasses all understanding but exceeds our natural ways. This peace exceeds the natural and causes us to remain calm regardless of our circumstances. It guards the heart. We do not lose our minds and our hearts beat as it should. This peace keeps the mind and body healthy. The peace of God not only produces an effect on my soul but also causes something in my body. I am healthy in the midst of difficult circumstances. 

The peace of God orients you and keeps you focused on Christ. It allows you to experience the reality of Christ because you could not bear the circumstances and live the same way if you did not have Christ in your life and lived submitted to the Spirit. The peace of God produces the effect of being centered on Christ and understanding that this is possible only through His work in us. 

The result is peace in the midst of adversity. Problems may continue, and there may not be an exact day or time for how long your situation will be, but our life does not depend on knowing when the difficulties we are going through will end. Our life depends on God. Having the peace of God allows me to stay calm and safe in the midst of trouble. 

Paul does not teach that, with Christ, problems will no longer be part of our life. He does not teach a gospel that is a good-luck charm, where everything will be perfect. It is not like that! Paul says that those who are with Christ can go through the same circumstances as any other person, but with the great difference that Christ, who is the peace of God, produces the effect of life in the Spirit. It is a different reality that surpasses all understanding. 

Peace that Surpasses All Understanding 
When we have the peace of God, our problems, whether big or small, do not cause anxiety. Choosing a life with worry, even if the problem is small, will lead you to distress. Worry causes your problem to only get bigger. 

Problems appear smaller with the peace of God in your mind and heart. You are unshaken. Your circumstances are not the center of your life. You keep on going, acting, and doing what you must do because in your life there is the peace of God. 

God’s peace surpasses all understanding. It does not come from your skills. You do not produce it. It is not the result of something you can do by some natural exercise. It is not the product of something you learn at school and it does not come from friendships, although it is important to have healthy relationships through difficult times. 

This peace is exercised through a life in the Spirit. It is the absolute confidence that your life is in the hands of God. It is resting in His faithfulness and not depending on your skills or strengths. It is not a logical peace, but one that surpasses logic. It means that a psychologist might go crazy analyzing you in your situation despite what they have learned. They might not understand how a person going through such circumstances could remain in peace. 

God’s peace does not come from human beings; the natural mind does not understand it. Tranquility in difficulties only comes from something that God produces. The peace of God will stabilize your soul, and guard your heart, mind, and emotions. The problem is that our soul betrays us, since it reacts to the circumstances of life. Accustomed to governing, it tries to produce reactions of sadness, depression, fear, and everything that the natural mind, soul, heart, and emotions produce in the midst of affliction. However, those reactions take us to a state of anxiety which then confuses our heart and mind, making us chaotic. The peace of God guards our soul and protects us so our condition and circumstances do not govern us. There is a peace that goes beyond the understanding of psychology and of what human beings can do. What governs my life is in the Spirit. 

Pray with Thanksgiving
The type of prayer that Paul writes about is not one of manipulation of people or God. We think that by manipulating God through prayer or asking Him to manipulate others, we will obtain things. But Philippians says that our prayers should be with thanksgiving. 

There are prayers that produce a spirit of disbelief and affliction. Instead of removing the worry in our lives, those prayers produce stress. They are prayers that try to manipulate God with self-concentration, wanting to psychologically manipulate Him. Do you believe we can manipulate God? God cannot be manipulated. 

Those types of prayers do not produce anything good, nor are they the way to communicate with God. In reality, those are prayers of disbelief. Paul says that our prayers should be flavored with gratitude, for in this way they become prayers of faith. 

Paul says that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” When we pray correctly to God in the midst of our situation of distress, this will produce peace. It is not a peace that comes from something external, but that only God can produce within you. 

The answer is not that the problem is going to be solved. Paul is not saying that the problem will be solved immediately. He says that when you pray with thanksgiving, the peace of God will come and guard your heart and mind. The peace of God is produced through your prayer of faith in the midst of your circumstances. 

Normally, we put our afflictions front and center; there are two ways we can await the results. On one side is your worry, that comes with fear for the outcome, and on the other side is the peace of God, that fills our hearts and minds. On neither side is the problem solved, but you can choose which way you will face the future. One is filled with anxiety: the problem is not solved, but your life will have the consequences of worry and fear, and the results they produce. On the other side, even though the problem does not go away, you have peace in your heart and mind. With the peace of God, you will be fine no matter what happens. 

Affliction Is Part of Life 
Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

In his teachings, Paul speaks about the human condition and what we go through in everyday life. This is important because although we do need to know the richness in the life of Christ, we should also know how to use it in adverse situations. In the book of Philippians, Paul teaches about the concerns we live through and the distress of the soul. We need to understand that afflictions are part of life. We cannot avoid them. Our life is not about living in these situations, but they are part of it. 

How to fight fear

Think back to a time when you were genuinely scared.

As much as we’d prefer to never experience fear, fear is a part of the human experience. But when we are afraid, we have options…

We can panic, stress, get overwhelmed with worry, overthink every worst-case scenario, and attempt to numb out the anxiety-inducing situations around us in unhealthy ways … or, we can echo David’s words:

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” ‭‭
Psalm‬ ‭56:3‬ ‭ESV

Something worth noting is that these words were penned after David had been captured by the Philistines. He was being harassed by his enemies and was scared for his life.

But David refused to settle for scared.
He resisted the urge to let fear have the final say. He decided to fight back with Truth…
…And so can we.

We never have to fight alone. God has given us something more powerful than ordinary weapons: He’s given us His Word, His Spirit, and His people. Even when we don’t have access to the perfect inspirational sermon or a timely word of encouragement, we can pause and remember the truth: that God fights for us, He’s with us, and He’ll never leave us.

When we shift our minds from our overwhelming fear to God’s overwhelming faithfulness, everything changes. So, today, if you’re scared, anxious, terrified, overwhelmed, or uncertain—speak this out loud:

When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.