Don’t you just love the fourth chapter of Philippians? Last week we focused on Philippians 4:4, rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. I encourage us all to purposely add this verb to your life in new measures. It can really change your perspective.
Paul goes on to encourage us with “be anxious for nothing”. How challenging is this–especially in the uncertain world we live in. Making a decision to apply this scripture takes intentionality as well. Begin by asking the Lord to show you areas of your life where you deal with anxiousness. I suggest you focus on one area. There are some pretty clear steps outlined in Philippians 4:6: First determine not to let anxiousness rule your life–but when you find yourself needlessly worrying begin to pray. He encourages a special kind of prayer–supplication. Supplication is simply “Help me, Lord!” Supplication is made with humility–with the understanding that He is God and that you are not! It recognizes, as does rejoicing that we serve a God who sovereignly cares for us, in every situation and season. So we go to Him, with our “help me Lord” attitude–but with the also added ingredient of thanksgiving. When we add thanksgiving to the mix it releases our faith. It turns our minds and hearts from the problem to the hope of the solution. It causes us to lift up our heads to see the Author and Finisher of our Faith walking with us.
What happens next? The peace of God which surpasses all understanding comes to guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. When we have His peace, then we can hear His voice of direction, comfort and help. When we have His peace we will be able to move forward with confidence that we are not alone. When we walk in His peace we discover how to apply the solutions He brings to us. We will also be able to get outside our own situations and be able to be helpful to others. Anxiousness keeps our world about us, walking in His peace allows us to expand our world and be of use to His kingdom.
I know this may seem simplistic in many ways. But it works–I know many many people struggle with major anxiety. Please know I have compassion for you , but I do believe actively practicing these steps will help diminish anxiety. No guilt, just grace.
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Faith Encounters 
Anxiety is one of the most destructive emotions we can face. It drains us of our energy and undermines our faith, keeping us from trusting in God. Anxiety occurs when we face a situation and rather to choose to focus on God and His word, we focus on the situation. Perhaps we forget that there is nothing too hard for God or we allow our carnal nature to deceive us into thinking that we can take the of the situation better than God can.
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