 so glad that you are with us on this day after daylight savings time we all love daylight savings time whoo-hoo although it's hard to get up for church I just have that did you get up for church I didn't even know the clocks changed like I had it like I was like I had no idea like Jake was I was like I looked out it was like my kitchen clock I said oh that's why cuz I never I wake up early I had no idea we were just literally I'm not sure we were all bright and cheery or anything but we made it but we have a great program coming up here on Hope Today Amanda tell us about it that's right so we have Brooke McLaughlin you are gonna want to stick around for this interview she's gonna talk to us about peace hmm did you know it's not a feeling it's not a motion she's gonna talk to us how we can literally walk in that piece every moment of our life and that's important guys I'm like in the season we're in and things in the world the way they are to be able to walk in that piece wow it's really important to understand like peace from a biblical perspective but I know there was a lot of things over the weekend with the Silicon Valley Bank collapse and just different things happening in the government and things of that sort so I think it is so important that we know that in our nation nation around the world and in our culture things are gonna get darker but it's so important for us to have a proper viewpoint of what Jesus is calling us to be and I just want to share this quick story of just what happened at my home church this weekend which was amazing it was like a sign of wonder miracle so we had the spirit just started like breaking out and Pastor Miracle read she was preaching and there was a one moment she started prophesying over this one young man named Jason and then she called off this other young man and his name just happened to be Jason and the she's like the mother is like start praying together and they worked at the same job and at the end of the service like you know she's calls out she's like God's highlighting this other young man his name was Jason as well it was three generations and Jason means healer we found out like that's what the name means and so I just wanted to share that quick little story was such like an inspiration to my spirit and just want to encourage you today that no matter what a people is going around no matter what your situation is God's eyes are on you so he is the healer but I just had to share that I was just like whoa and so many things try to rob us of our peace but you know I'm teaching through 2 Timothy right now at church and Paul in the first three three times of the first like 15 verses says suffer with me and I'm like wow that's not something we really hear or talk about too much but having peace even in the midst of all that suffering and all that thing that that's that is a valuable thing to know well right now we're gonna play a little game we do called stump the host okay we've been doing pretty good lately we have not seen these and we don't you know we're gonna when I read it you're gonna hear it for the first time just like we do so play along with us so here's the first question which king allowed the Israelites to return from exile to their own land it's the king so I was gonna see either Cyrus but I was gonna say various but that was I think it's that was that was Esther so they didn't return they just I think it's Cyrus Cyrus I think it was Cyrus he was the king of Persia and that's from the book of Ezra here we go all right question number two are you ready do we have a lifeline which prophet said he was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter I'm gonna say maybe Jeremiah I think that's I think it's Isaiah I'm what do you think you're the you're gonna go with let's go with that let's go with Isaiah sorry it's alright it's alright can I get this wrinkle joy cuz I got it right alright here's the last question how many pillars of wisdom are there according to the book of Proverbs guys I know this there's seven wisdom has hewn out her seven pillars seven alright I am the Bible with I have it all just kidding I'm just kidding I'm just gonna download the Bible wizard but I'd be like the matrix over here they just download the Bible well we all want peace in our lives but sometimes it can be challenging to pray for peace when you're not in a prayerful state of mind and it seems like your whole world is spinning out of control Brooke McLaughlin is our next guest and she is the founder of million praying moms she's also an author and in her new devotional every prayers for peace she encourages everyone on how to make peace their prayer priority this year Brooke it's great to have you with us on hope today thank you so much for having me good Monday morning absolutely man we should have pulled you in did you know that was Jeremiah I actually was rooting for Isaiah as well I would have gotten that wrong all of our thoughts I was just like Isaiah 53 it's got to be him well talk to us about this peace and how it's not an emotion or a feeling I felt like that challenged my own thinking yeah I loved that when we came up with that we have that realization I feel like it was one of the deepest most profound truths of this entire you know of this entire process of trying to find peace because if peace is not a feeling what in the world is it it's something we feel right I mean we feel it in our in our heads we feel it in our hearts we feel it in our physical bodies when I don't have peace I feel my heart rate increases my my blood pressure maybe goes up there it does feel like a feeling and so if it's not what is it but what we learned from Galatians 5 is that peace and all the other fruit of the spirit love joy peace patience all of them they're fruit not feelings and so for the believer this is really good news because if you have Jesus you already have at least a seed of peace living inside of you and if it is a seed then the good news is that it can be grown we can we can prune it we can love it we can feed it we can learn more about it we can grow it in our everyday lives and so I found this to just be the very best news that I don't have to wait for that feeling of peace because let's just be honest our circumstances are never they're always going to be up and down and up and down all over the place there will always be something in your life that is threatening to steal your peace if you're looking for it in your circumstances but if we're looking for it from a biblical perspective we can find it we can hang on to it and we can grow it and that gives me so much hope there was a word that you had with one of your children in one of the devotions and it had to do with the ocean and I believe the title was like when you feel like you've lost your strength but talk to our viewers and us about the imagery of the ocean. Yeah, we love to go to the ocean and every time actually we just love water in particular I'll take the ocean or the lake or or just whatever but I prefer the ocean and every time we go since my boys were little they're teenagers now I have a senior in high school so we're you know in a different season but when they were little and still today I would tell them listen to the ocean just pause for a minute I know you want to go out and surf the waves but just listen for a second look at it listen to it take it in the Bible tells us that God's voice is like many waters this is about as close as we can get to actually physically hearing the audible voice of God now listen to it but look at it how powerful it is those waves knock you around and I sometimes have to sometimes the current is so strong that I have to come and walk down the beach because it has moved you away from me and I have to have you come back so that I can see you if it can move you right here on the beach where you can get your footing how much more powerful is it out in the deep deep waters the strength of God is like the deep deep waters scripture uses water to help us understand the character of God and the depth and the power of who he is and that's an image that that has been very meaningful to me and I wanted to give it to my children early on so that every time they see or hear the water they instantly think this is like the voice of God this is the power of God this is the strength of God it's that physical reminder amen I even in reading that I was just thinking of how vast the ocean is and how big our God is and I know we've taught that at Children's Church your problems are little and God is so big and how that does give our little hearts peace and my adult heart but you talk about serving others and how that can lead to peace yeah absolutely so we we've lived in one house for about 14 years and we had the privilege of having some neighbors that we were able to lead to Christ we prayed for them for about seven or eight years before they actually started coming to church with us and and gave their lives to Christ and that was such a privilege for us but we found that serving them not just I mean they were our physical neighbors so it was in a very real sense love thy neighbor physically but even beyond that we found that if we could look for ways to serve other people that we were laying a foundation of peace in our relationships with them so for example one Sunday we were in home group with our neighbors and one of our neighbors was saying that life had been really stressful and his his grass his yard had gotten out of control and we had noticed it because it was unlike him to allow his his yard to get as tall as it was and so they didn't come straight home after home group and my husband and I drove into our driveway and we just looked at each other and we knew what we needed to do and so my husband on a Sunday which here here in in Appalachia like we don't mow on Sundays but we felt like this was a this was a good reason to break that rule my husband got out the lawn mower and push mowed his entire yard for him and when they got home that day to a freshly mowed yard we were all peeking out the window looking at him and he just started to cry and it was a way that we could serve and love our neighbor at a point where they needed it and if we would do that more just look for ways to serve out of an abundance of love for Christ and love for others we are laying a foundation of peace so that when storms come as all relationships have you know have that moment when they come we have that foundation to build on it makes life easier when things get tough that's a great story Brooke I love that one about mowing the grass but let me ask you about now we're going to have tribulation in the world it could be in our family could be at work or in the church I think work's a big one for a lot of people you know what do we do to bring that peace how can we be that peace when it's maybe happening around us or maybe we're right in the middle of it right I think you know you're referring to John 1633 where Jesus says in this world you will have trouble and I think sometimes we get surprised when things are not going well and scripture tells us we should not be surprised when we have troubles when we encounter trials of many kinds because we are going to have that happen especially as believers but it's really how we deal with it that is the important part my family and I went through something stressful just this weekend and so as we look to scripture knowing that we're going to have trouble then we have to try and tease out okay God what should our response to that be and I have found a beautiful response that we can use in the moment in Philippians 4 6 through 7 a lot of your listeners will know that this is where where we're being told do not be anxious for anything but go to God and ask him for what you need and when you do the peace of God will will guard your hearts and you know I don't think that the scriptures give us a lot of formulas but I do believe that God gives us promises and that if we act as if those promises are true if we live those promises in our daily lives then God will meet us there so when I find myself in a stressful situation just like I did this weekend then I'm going to remember that verse and one of the things that I immediately do is try and recognize the signs of anxiety or stress or a lack of peace in my body as I mentioned earlier my heart rate goes up when I'm stressed out or or anxious about something sometimes I'll start to get a little bit shaky like I'm looking for a physical response and I'll just tell it to stop stop scripture says be anxious for nothing stop and it's a it's a sign sometimes I say it out loud sometimes I say it internally depending on where I am but it's a sign to my body and my mind and my heart that we're not going to continue in this in this way that we're going it's a it's a marker that says stop we're not doing this and then I'm going to do what the rest of the verse says I'm going to take this to the Lord and I'm going to say Lord I'm stressed about this I'm stressed about that I'm experiencing anxiety about this about that will you come Lord and give me peace in this moment you are my peace father help me to reorient myself so that I can see not just my circumstances but the God of peace that I belong to will you come now Lord and give me your peace and will you guard my heart with it and guys there has never been a time when I have asked the Lord to do that for me that he hasn't done it now I'm not saying that it always comes immediately sometimes I have to go through this process multiple times sometimes like Jacob I have to wrestle with God a little bit and just refuse to get up until he gives me peace but he does and he is faithful to his word and there when we when we approach him and we live like we believe his word is true then he comes and he does what he promises. Amen those are such powerful words for each of us today you know it sounds to me like it's a choice like love is a choice peace is a choice joy is a choice but you know if you had to explain to a new Christian what God is our peace really means you know what would you say to them? I think it just starts in our basic understanding of who God is what he did for us and who his son is before we come to Christ we are not at peace with God in fact the Bible says that we are enemies of God when we come to Christ we don't just get salvation we get peace between us and God because of Jesus and there's all kinds of fruit of that and other benefits that come from that amazing gift but the first step in being able to have any kind of peace in this world whatsoever is recognizing that it comes from your relationship with God in the person of Jesus Christ we have to find our peace in him and so if we don't know him then that's the first step we have to embrace him and believe him at his message. Can you talk to us about this mental exercise that has helped you you know have more peace and trying times you know and and like what do you do when you find yourself asking why me? I just started trying to flip that because you know I I'm just going to confess to you guys I ask that question often it goes back to what I said earlier about the fact that we really shouldn't be surprised when we encounter trials of many kinds because Jesus told us we would but I think we are conditioned sometimes to think that we're the only ones who have to go through something and that's a lie the body of Christ is big and vast and I promise you that there is someone else out there who has been through what you have been through in some some like manner and so instead of asking myself instead of allowing myself to have a pity party and say why me Lord why are you doing this to me why are you not being good to me Lord I've tried to flip the switch a little bit and say well why not me what is it about me that exempts me from from any of this why should why should God not be at work in my life this way why should I not have to learn to trust him in this way can I not look back on my life and see his hand in the hard spaces of my life and how he has taught me and given me more of himself in the midst of those things and it just helps me to embrace those things that God allows him to my life that might not have been what I would have chosen you mentioned in your book about joining the million praying moms initiative can you talk to me about what this is that God has put in your heart absolutely I'm so passionate about prayer because prayer is what saved me in my young motherhood I had two children who were very out of the box you know big personality children and God used them to kick my feet out from under me in all the right ways and I turned to him in prayer out of desperation for him to do something in our home I came to him initially because I wanted him to change my children and what started happening is I prayed his word back to him is that God changed my heart and so my passion is that I could help moms understand that prayer is not a last resort it is not what you do when you can't do anything else it is the first and best response to the challenges of motherhood it is God's extension of relationship to us saying would you come partner with me in the raising of these children would you ask me for wisdom and let me give it would you ask me what to do and let me show you the right path you don't have to do this alone I have a plan for you I have a plan for your children and if you'll ask me I'll show it to you so it's been my privilege to be able to come along side moms and help them take the next step in whatever that prayer journey might be for them in learning to pray God's word for their children. Amen. Brooke would you mind just praying over all of us all the moms the dads just the children of God because we all desperately need to walk in the peace of God. Amen I will do that Lord thank you so much for your gift of peace father I know that there may be someone listening right now who is experienced experiencing a distinct lack of peace they're struggling to find you in the midst of whatever life circumstance they're going through and Lord I want to acknowledge that there are people who have serious struggles right now that where it's really hard to find you and it's really hard to stay tuned in but father help us please all of us to be able to see that you are our peace and that no matter what shifting sands might happen no matter what happened no matter what kind of storm we might find ourselves in if we keep our eyes on you like Peter when he was walking on the waves toward Jesus if we keep our eyes on you we will not sink father today I pray that you would help us to keep our eyes on you in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you Brooke so much for being with us today on Hope Today. Thank you for having me. Well stay with us because when we return we're going to unpack a scripture that will help us seek peace that God desires for our lives. We'll be right back on what you're doing. Oh I can't find anything good on YouTube to watch the commentaries the blogs the tier videos the gaming videos it's all boring. Oh have you thought about subscribing to cornerstones YouTube channel cornerstone has a YouTube channel. Of course it does. Hold on taking a pause to remind you to subscribe to our channel hit that like button and ring that bell for notifications now back to the video. I'll show you how to subscribe. Just search for cornerstone television network and hit the subscribe button so you can stay up to date getting filled with the Holy Spirit with consistent uploads every day keep up with your favorite moments and never miss a beat will you help us as we race to 100,000 subscribers we can't do it without your help. The content is never ending with countless hours of entertainment so subscribe to the cornerstone YouTube channel today Hope happens here. We're glad that you're tuned in to hope today we just wrapped up our conversation with Brooke McLaughlin about peace and one thing just being reminded of as I think about the Hebrew word of Shalom which Shalom means nothing damaged nothing broken nothing missing and God wants all of us to encounter to experience his peace because peace is a person and that peace is Jesus. That's something that I've learned in my life I was walking through a really rough season going through some stormy seas and I remember listening to this song and it just reminded me about how peace is Jesus and so Jesus is our Prince of peace and like always we have a scripture to go with us today for our show today so we're going to go to Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 to 23 and you're probably very familiar with it but the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace forbearance kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control against such things there is no law and as we've been reading this scripture and as meditating on you know something Tom and Amanda that God just really dropped in my spirit is just thinking in a different way is that it's a fruit of the spirit we're all called to be trees so what fruit is hanging off of you today I think a lot of times we like to say well I have joy and I have peace and I have this but one thing that God was just putting in my spirit the fruit is not for us it's for others it's to serve others how can we give someone the fruit of love how can we give someone the fruit of joy how can we give someone the fruit of peace that's just what God put on my heart Tom what are your thoughts I love the the illustration of the fruit and us being with trees because all the tree has to do is plant itself in the right soil and it bear it doesn't have to go oh I gotta make an apple here oh it's really hard no it doesn't do it that way it just makes an apple it just naturally does that and that's what we're supposed to do guys as natural as can be be Christians living out that natural thing of bearing fruit those of things now there's no law against those things because they're all good things and so just as we just put our branches out let the fruit just come I love the thought of like us being plugged into God like because people are like well how can I bear good fruit you know in our life we may have not bear good fruit we may have there's some rotten stuff but when you change what your source is and I'm talking about meeting Jesus the personage of peace when you hang out with God that is basically John 15 abiding abiding with him it's only way we cannot bear fruit in and of ourselves and if we do it often times is rotten it might look good on the outside but man let's be real we're like a can of dog food it's like you open it up and oh boy I didn't expect all that you know it's the way relationships are you get to know people in your life and you're like oh my like I didn't know that and that's the reality of our humanity but God is asking us to have that divine relationship with him and as we sit with him as we partake of his word and he fills us oh my goodness the miracle happens Sidney and Tom that we can begin to bear fruit that emanates his personage and that is the beautiful thing this amazing relationship that God himself has invited you to and it's exciting I mean yes life is topsy-turvy the reality is we're in a fallen world but God Almighty has placed your feet when you choose him on a firm foundation the rock of Christ the rock on which I stand and you can have the peace of God no matter what you walk through and this is the joy as a child of God that each of us has you're just talking one thing I just heard God saying is that some of you need to change the soil you are in because you can't produce certain things like certain plans like if you're succulent plan or like a palm tree you have to be in the right soil and the right soil is in Jesus and sometimes we put ourselves in environments and situations that will choke out our fruit so we just want to encourage you today maybe your peace fruit isn't growing because you have planted yourself in some situations that God has not called you to or your love fruit whatever it may be just ask God what do I need to do to change my soil so that I can be rooted in you I love that scripture so he says like abide in me and I will abide in you you know I think about that's if you plant in the right soil when the storms come you know there's apple trees that branches have broken off of they still produce apples they've been through the storm so you they've been through the storm they even got a little few scars here and there but they heal themselves they produce the right fruit be one of those today that's going to produce the right fruit how do you do that like Sidney said stay in the right soil with Jesus on tomorrow's hope today learn how to let Jesus redeem the broken pieces of your marriage speaker and author Dana Gresh offers insight on how to forgive and fight for your marriage so you can be a part of God's redemption story that's tomorrow on hope today cornerstone television wishes to thank all our faithful viewers whose consistent prayers and financial support have made this program possible