The Peace of God
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Dr. William Holman teaches how the peace of God found in Philippians 4 can guard your heart and mind through any storm or season of uncertainty.
Description
Peace of God Overview
In this powerful message titled “The Peace of God,” Dr. William Holman of NTC Ministries delivers a timely and encouraging word rooted in Scripture, recorded on April 1, 2020, during a season of global uncertainty. Drawing from Genesis 1, Philippians 4:6-9, Luke 6:46-49, and Psalm 23, Dr. Holman challenges believers to reject the spirit of fear and instead build a deep, active friendship with faith and the Word of God. He opens with the creation account to illustrate that God speaks purpose into chaos, and calls every listener to do the same by boldly declaring God’s promises over their circumstances. Using vivid illustrations — from Moses striking the Red Sea to a pilot breaking free from gravitational pull — he demonstrates that peace is not the absence of difficulty but the active presence of God in the midst of it. Philippians 4:7 becomes the cornerstone of the message: the peace of God that transcends all understanding guards the hearts and minds of those who pray with thanksgiving. Dr. Holman urges listeners to feed their faith, guard their thoughts, and choose life over fear, making this sermon a call to courageous, Word-centered living.
Peace of God Outline
- 00:00 – Opening Prayer and Welcome: The service opens with worship and prayer, invoking the anointing of the Holy Spirit to break yokes of bondage and prepare hearts to receive the Word.
- 04:30 – God Speaks Into Chaos — Genesis 1: Dr. Holman reads from the Amplified Bible, Genesis 1:1-2, drawing a parallel between the formless earth and the chaotic seasons believers face, showing that God’s spoken word brings order and purpose.
- 10:15 – Fear as an Acquired Commodity: The pastor explains that fear, like faith, is something that grows through what we feed it. He references Ephesians 2:11-13 and challenges listeners to stop consuming voices of hopelessness and start hearing the Word of God.
- 16:40 – Building on the Solid Rock — Luke 6:46-49: Jesus’s parable of the two builders is explored to show that obedience to the Word creates an unshakeable foundation when floods and storms of life rise against us.
- 22:00 – Philippians 4 — The Peace That Transcends Understanding: The central passage of the sermon. Dr. Holman unpacks Philippians 4:6-9, teaching that prayer with thanksgiving, combined with thinking on noble and pure things, unlocks the supernatural peace of God that guards heart and mind.
- 30:10 – Peace Is Not Absence of War — It Is God’s Presence: A key distinction is made: biblical peace is not the removal of difficulty but the presence and protection of God in the middle of it, echoing Jesus’s words in John 14 about leaving His peace with us.
- 36:00 – Choose Life — The Call to Decisive Faith: Referencing Deuteronomy 30:19, Dr. Holman calls believers to make an active, responsible choice to build friendship with God, declaring His promises, and refusing to be anchored to the fear-driven narrative of the world.
- 40:20 – Altar Call and Closing Prayer: Dr. Holman leads listeners in a salvation prayer, inviting those without Christ to confess Jesus as Lord. He closes with a prayer of blessing, protection, and freedom over every household listening.
Scripture References
Genesis 1:1-2, Ephesians 2:11-13, Hebrews 11:1, Luke 6:46-49, Psalm 23, Philippians 4:6-9, Isaiah 53, Jeremiah 1:12, Colossians 3:1, Deuteronomy 30:19, Galatians 6:10, Romans 10:9-10
Key Takeaways
- The peace of God is not the absence of difficulty but the active, guarding presence of God in the midst of every storm and trial.
- Fear and faith are both acquired commodities — what you consistently feed through your thoughts, words, and inputs will grow and dominate your life.
- God spoke purpose into a formless and chaotic earth, and believers are called to do the same by declaring His promises boldly over their own circumstances.
- Philippians 4:6-9 provides a practical, step-by-step path to supernatural peace: pray with thanksgiving, think on whatever is true and noble, and put the Word into practice.
- Hearing the Word of God is essential, but peace and breakthrough only come to those who obey and apply what they hear — faith without works remains dead.
- Jesus took the chastisement of your peace upon Himself so that you can live in wholeness, healing, and rest regardless of what the world declares over you.
- Choosing life means actively rejecting the fear-mongering voices of the world and building a daily friendship with God through His Word, prayer, and unwavering hope.
Peace of God Notes
God Speaks Purpose Into Chaos
Dr. Holman opens with Genesis 1, noting that the earth was without form, void, and covered in darkness before God spoke. He uses this as a foundational picture for every believer facing an overwhelming season. Just as God did not panic over the formless void but instead declared what should be, believers are called to take God’s promises and speak them into their chaotic circumstances. The act of declaring the Word is not wishful thinking — it is aligning with the same creative power that brought the universe into existence. Purpose emerges when God’s Word is spoken in faith.
Fear Is a Commodity You Can Starve
One of the most memorable teachings in this message is the idea that fear functions exactly like faith — it grows when you feed it. Dr. Holman draws on Romans 10:17, reminding listeners that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. By the same mechanism, fear grows by hearing the voices of doubt, crisis, and hopelessness. The antidote is deliberate: turn off the noise, open the Bible, and begin declaring the promises of God. This is not denial of reality but a refusal to let earthly reports carry more weight than the eternal Word of God.
The Philippians 4 Blueprint for Peace
The sermon’s central passage, Philippians 4:6-9, offers believers a clear, actionable framework. Paul instructs that instead of anxiety, we bring every concern to God through prayer and petition with thanksgiving — not thanking God for the problem itself, but for His promises that cover it. The result, according to verse 7, is a peace that transcends human understanding and actively guards the heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Dr. Holman emphasizes that this peace is not passive; it is a fortress. Coupling prayer with deliberate, Scripture-aligned thinking creates the environment in which God’s peace flourishes.
Peace as Presence, Not Absence
A theological clarification that Dr. Holman drives home is that biblical peace is fundamentally different from worldly peace. The world defines peace as the removal of conflict. Scripture defines it as the presence of God in the middle of conflict. Jesus declared in John 14, ‘My peace I give to you,’ not after all trouble had been removed, but while preparing His disciples for tribulation. This distinction is liberating: believers are not promised a life without storms, but they are promised a Shepherd whose rod and staff comfort them through every valley, as affirmed in Psalm 23.
Breaking Free From Gravitational Fear
Using the illustration of a pilot needing sufficient speed and altitude to escape the earth’s gravitational pull, Dr. Holman explains that overcoming the natural pull toward fear and anxiety requires intentional, accelerating effort in the Word of God. Reading the Bible daily, meditating on God’s promises, declaring them aloud, and surrounding yourself with faith-filled community are not optional spiritual extras — they are the rocket fuel that lifts the believer above the fear-saturated atmosphere of the world. Colossians 3:1-2 reinforces this: set your affections on things above, not on the things of this earth.
Choosing Life Is a Daily Decision
Dr. Holman closes the message by invoking Deuteronomy 30:19, where God sets before Israel life and death, blessing and cursing, and commands them to choose life. He makes clear that this choice is not a one-time event but a daily, moment-by-moment decision about what voices we follow, what thoughts we entertain, and whose report we believe. Believers who consistently choose the Word of God over the world’s narrative will walk in increasing stability, purpose, and peace. The responsibility lies not with God but with the individual to choose wisely, build carefully, and trust completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the peace of God mean in the Bible?
The peace of God, as described in Philippians 4:7, is a supernatural tranquility that surpasses human understanding and actively guards the believer’s heart and mind in Christ Jesus. It is not the absence of problems but the presence and protection of God in the midst of them. Jesus Himself declared in John 14:27, ‘My peace I give to you,’ offering a peace the world cannot produce.
How can I experience God’s peace during times of fear and uncertainty?
According to Philippians 4:6-9, the path to God’s peace involves bringing every anxiety to God through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, then choosing to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, and lovely. Dr. Holman emphasizes that this must be paired with action — putting the Word of God into daily practice. Peace follows obedience, not just intellectual agreement.
What is the difference between worldly peace and biblical peace?
Worldly peace is defined as the absence of conflict or difficulty, but biblical peace is the presence of God sustaining and protecting the believer in the midst of trials. This distinction means a Christian can have deep inner rest while facing serious external challenges, because their peace is rooted in God’s unchanging Word rather than changing circumstances.
What does Philippians 4:6-9 teach about overcoming anxiety?
Philippians 4:6-9 instructs believers not to be anxious about anything but to present every concern to God with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. When this is practiced consistently, God’s peace — which transcends all understanding — stands guard over the heart and mind. Paul also calls believers to fill their minds with what is true, noble, pure, and praiseworthy, creating a mental environment hostile to anxiety.
How does faith grow according to Scripture?
Romans 10:17 teaches that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Dr. Holman explains that faith is an acquired commodity, meaning it grows in proportion to how much of God’s Word we consume, meditate on, and declare. Just as fear grows when we focus on negative reports, faith grows when we deliberately and consistently immerse ourselves in the promises of God.
Why does God allow chaos and difficult seasons in a believer’s life?
Dr. Holman points to Genesis 1 to show that even creation began in chaos, yet God spoke purpose into it. Difficult seasons are not signs of God’s absence or punishment — Isaiah 53 affirms that the chastisement of our peace was placed on Jesus. Rather, trials become stretching ground where faith is built, character is formed, and God’s purposes are ultimately revealed to those who hold to His Word.
What does it mean to speak God’s Word over your circumstances?
Speaking God’s Word over circumstances means taking the specific promises of Scripture and declaring them aloud in the face of problems, rather than repeating the fear-filled narrative of the situation. This mirrors what God did in Genesis 1, speaking what should be into a formless void. Jeremiah 1:12 confirms that God watches over His Word to perform it, making the spoken Word a powerful tool for breakthrough and transformation.
How can I build a stronger foundation of peace in my daily life?
Luke 6:47-48 describes the person who hears Jesus’s teaching and does it as one who digs deep and lays a foundation on solid rock — a house that stands firm when floods come. Practical steps include reading the Bible every day, declaring God’s promises over your life, praying with thanksgiving, guarding what you allow into your mind, and consistently choosing to align your thoughts with what is true and noble according to Philippians 4:8.
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