Scripture:
Philippians 4:6-9 NKJV
[6] Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. [9] The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Observation:
If you ever have an extra 15 minutes and you’re not sure what to do with it, turn to the letter to the Philippines. It’s a short letter written by Paul to encourage this church. One of the most popular verses from it is in the 4 chapters. It has a positive impact on those who read it to press forward in all circumstances with contentment. Also, here in chapter 4, we see that anxiety and worry are not to be taken on. Paul gives this church instructions on what to do with it. Saying…” Be anxious about nothing.” This is the first part of a very valuable principle that Paul wanted the Philippines to understand. He knew that anxiety and worry did not come from the GOD who created the universe. In fact, it came from the exact opposite. Trusting GOD in all things is not always easy, but Paul knew HE was in control and wanted the Philippines to understand it as well. The next statement explains what to do with that anxiety when they do experience it… “prayer and supplication.” Paul’s instructions to give it to GOD rather than sit inside of it is his way of telling the church. Remember, GOD is in control. Worry and anxiety are honestly a lack of trust in GOD. Verse 7 tells them what will happen when they truly submit their anxiety and worry to the Father. The peace of GOD that passes all understanding will guard their hearts in Christ Jesus. I don’t know about anyone else, but that sounds way better to me than worry and anxiety. I included Verses 8-9 because I felt like it was important to know that once you expel something, you must replace it with something, or it will come right back and worse. So Paul not only gave the Philippines instructions on how not to worry knowing GOD is in control, but he also told them what to think about. His instructions were to keep your mind set on good things, right things, and noble things. He expresses how he gave them a living example of how to do this. At one time, Paul visited this church and showed them by example how to walk according to the Spirit of peace, which he had just explained how to obtain. Telling them to focus their minds on scripture and how it says to live. Because that is what is true, right, good, and noble.
Application:
the enemy wants to steal your focus away from what is righteous. I woke up this morning late, and my first thought was… Oh no… it didn’t take but a second for me to realize that this day could go south real fast if I didn’t hit my knees and put it in the hands of the one who created it just for me. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with anxiety and worry when we think we are the ones that are in control. None of this is about anything that we can do. Honestly, it’s about what HE has already done. You see anxiety and worry are fear-based emotions, and we know that GOD does not give us a spirit of fear but peace love, and a sound mind to be honest, anxiety, and panic are closely related either one can cause us to make wrong decisions because they are fear-based and tend not to be what’s is really going on. An acronym for fear is
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
Staying focused on GOD and the truth in HIS word allows us to remember that a man plans his path by GOD guiding his footsteps. Emotions can be intoxicating fear, anxiety, worry, anger, depression, and so many other things that take our focus away and allow us to make wrong decisions. When placing things in, the father’s hands will reveal the right path. Again, I know it’s not easy to trust HIM in all things. We think that we can control the outcome, but HE is guiding our steps to begin with the sooner we realize that and just allow HIM to do so the less we have to try to do things our way only to fall on our face one more time. The first step in the 12-step recovery program is… we admit we were powerless and that our lives had become unmanageable. Knowing our powerlessness and admitting it reconnects us to the source of power. By placing our problems in HIS hand, we give them to the one better suited to handle them. The first 3 steps are broken down simply like this 1) I can’t 2)HE can …and 3) I think I will let HIM. If you have gotten to this point, you have done the first 3 steps. Stop owning the anxiety, worry, anger, and fear. It’s not yours it’s HIS. Give it to HIM and think about HIS word the life-giving source.
Prayer:
Father, we know that our mind can be the playground for the enemy, and that’s not what we want. Your word tells us that you will work all things together for your good. Because we love you and you have called us to your purpose. Help us to see that when we place our lives in your hands, the outcome is always perfect, and the timing is impeccable. In the words of my wife, “Life is so much better your way.” I want to thank you for placing such a wise woman in my life. You knew exactly what I needed, and you built her specifically for me. The worry and anxiety I had beforehand were not realized, but a true gift from you was. Thank you for being in complete control and helping us renew our minds with your word. You are truly an amazing GOD who knows exactly what we need. We tie our sacrifice to the horns of the altar with bow strings. Along with worry and anxiety. It’s not for us it belongs to you. We trust you with our lives. Because you created us with a purpose and for your purpose. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen