Scripture:
Philippians 4:4-9 ESV
[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Observation:
I know I have been on this kick about the way we think and believe, but it matters. In fact, it matters so much that Paul makes sure we know it in these verses. So, let’s take a look at how this unfolds. First, Paul tells us that because we are in the LORD, we have a reason to rejoice. I believe that in this statement, he is saying relax. GOD is in control. Letting the fact that their reasoning skills are good shine through. I think it is important to know that Paul is trying to save these people some real headaches. Their anxiety was probably through the roof, or else Paul would not be mentioning it here and telling them how to deal with it. Reminding them that prayer is the most effective way to change how they feel in the moment. Now, this point brings Paul to a whole other avenue of how to deal with what’s going on in Philippians. What they were thinking about was consuming them. It was taking them further away from GOD rather than building their relationship with HIM. He had to teach them to redirect their thinking. The things they were thinking about had to be changed to what is good, what is right, and Holy, and so on when they kept their minds fixed on good their actions and outlooks were good, but when they fixed their thoughts on what was negative well all they saw was negative. In verse 9, we see a bold statement from Paul… he says, “Do what I do… do what I have taught you… and if you do these things, the GOD of peace is with you.
Application:
How many times have you let your thoughts consume you? Maybe you were in a bad spot, and you expected the worst. I remember being in jail awaiting my sentence, knowing I was going to prison. Listening to all the jailhouse lawyers tell me how bad it could be. Full of anxiety and fear. Wondering waiting knowing my life was over. I was almost 19. I didn’t know what to expect. But I knew it wasn’t good. That’s when I started seeking GOD. I didn’t know how to, really, but I found a bible and a few men that would help me understand it. I went from listening to the jailhouse lawyers to the jailhouse preachers. Something happened. My anxiety level changed. I started thinking differently. Rather than dwelling on how bad it was going to be, I started thinking about the opportunities that could come from it. I wasn’t looking forward to going to prison, but I wasn’t afraid of it anymore. Refocusing my thoughts changes my attitude and outlook on the situation. Knowing GOD is in complete control is a Game Changer. Yes, I still went to prison and made the best of a bad situation. But honestly, I deserved what I got and more. My point is this when you focus on the negative, that is all you will see, but when you know GOD is in control, you don’t have to be anxious because the results are not up to you. Thinking about good things will cause you to see good things. Thinking about negative things will consume you. I am here to say that the way we think can determine the course of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I’m totally tied to poisoning my mind with the negative. We are who GOD SAYS WE ARE not who the world tells us. We need to be. Last but not least, none of this is about me it’s all HIS HE paid a price I could never pay because I owed a debt that I could never pay.
Prayer:
Father, I know we always start these prayers with thank you. That’s because, honestly, that’s all we can really do. You have renewed our minds. You have taught us how to redirect our thoughts. You have told us what to think about. As we stay fixed on you, our lives continue to move forward in a positive motion. Even when others see something differently, we know that you are doing something big. We want to be used by you. We desire for your will to be evident in everything we do not because we think we can earn our way but because you have already bought out tickets on the cross. Help us to stay focused on all that you are so that what we see is that you are in all things. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.