Practical Discipleship
For Christian Men
~ Helping men live intentional lives ~
"You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You." - Isaiah 26:3
Perfect peace.
Do you have that?
Have you experienced that?
If I'm being honest, I don't have that in certain areas of my life - but I want it desperately, and I'm on a search for it.
One of the biggest issues in my life that has plagued me the most is anxiety and panic.
Ever since I was a little boy, I've been terrified of enclosed spaces, darkness, and a lack of control. Things like...
- Elevators
- Snow forts
- Being on the bottom of a pile
- Crawl spaces
- Tunnels
- MRI machines
Basically, anything that closes in on me and takes away my ability to get out, run, move, or see.
In a very real way, I've been paralyzed by the "what if's" for most of my life.
- What if a tornado comes and the house falls in on me and buries me alive?
- What if I had to do some work in the crawl space below the house, and the light stopped working, and I couldn't get out?
- What if I'm involved in a car accident and it flips over on me, and I'm trapped and can't escape?
Believe me when I say this, that the mere thought of these scenarios (and many others like it) scares me to death. It quite literally takes my breath away just thinking of being caught in these moments and makes my heart rate skyrocket.
Just below the surface of my life, fear lives quite easily.
It has stolen my peace for most of my life, and the anxiety and panic seem to sit just outside of my conscious thoughts and can very quickly show up and dominate my mind.
I truly hate it.
Thus, I'm on a search for peace.
Which brings me back to Isaiah 26:3. It is here that I believe my solution is found, and I want to pursue this more. Maybe you should, too, if you deal with similar things.
What I see in this passage is that God's peace is possible and practical for men like me and you if two things are present:
1) Our minds are kept on Him
2) We trust Him
Now, if you were to ask me if my mind is on God, I would likely say "yes" and mean it sincerely.
But I think this verse is speaking about more than just a casual thought about Him here and there throughout my day.
What I think Isaiah is pointing to for those of us who need more peace is that our minds are fixed, steadfast, trained, glued, and locked on Him.
In other words, it's not casual or passive at all! It's the kind of focus and meditation that is constant, regular, and steady. When our minds are fully and constantly fixed on Him - His character, His goodness, His provision, His love, etc - then peace (even perfect peace) is possible.
Lastly, if you would ask me if I trust in God, I would easily and quickly say "yes" to that as well.
But...do I? Really?
Do you?
Trusting in God is the opposite of anxiety.
It's not about trusting God's goodness in some general way, but in a real, tangible, confident way - for me!
When I am anxious, it means my mind is fixed, steadfast, trained, glued, and locked in on anything but God.
Thus, no peace and certainly not perfect peace.
So, if you deal with anxiety, panic, worry, doubt, and a host of other issues like I often do, and you're looking for the perfect peace of God that you've heard of but haven't been able to grab a hold of - then do this:
Ask yourself:
What is my mind fixed on, and why don't I trust God with this issue?
That may be the starting point to finding the perfect peace that's been so elusive for you - just like it has been for me.
Nate
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P.S.
If anxiety, fear, or mental chaos keeps stealing your peace (like it has stolen mine), then hear this: knowing the truth isn’t the same as living in it.
Peace doesn’t come from trying harder to “trust God more.” It comes from training your mind and habits to stay fixed on Him all of the time.
That’s exactly why I created Training For Change—a simple, step-by-step system to help Christian men actually change the habits that keep pulling their minds away from peace.
If you want help turning intention into real change, click here to learn more.
**When you're ready...here are 3 ways that I can help:
- My weekly podcast is made for Christian men who want to live intentionally & be better husbands, fathers, and followers of Christ.
2. I have several books, courses, & coaching options exclusively for Christian men: Quit Porn For Good, Let's Talk About SEX!, Better Man, Training For Change, and more.
Check out Books here, Courses here, and Coaching here.
3. Join our exclusive, FREE, online Fight Club community for Christian men only.
Click here to learn more and apply if you're interested.
