Philippians 4:6-9

Philippians 4:6-9

Don’t be anxious about anything:

Did you see some keywords there? Fear, doubt, threat, self-doubt, cope, etc. Anxiety seems to surface mainly by fear of the unknown(s); and unless you’re God, you are going to have ‘unknowns’ in your life.?When you pull back and view Philippians in its entirety, you find it can be boiled down to one single word: rejoice; If there’s an over-arching theme for this epistle, it’s finding joy and rejoicing despite one’s circumstances.

Don’t you love the comforting words of friends when you’re stressed or anxious? Nothing like a quick, “Don’t worry,” to clear up all your anxieties instantaneously.

No? You mean to tell me that them saying “don’t worry” doesn’t, in fact, make your worries go away? Yeah, me too.

Through prayer and thanksgiving, we have is access to a God who gives us peace that we cannot explain. It is a peace only he can provide, a peace that will protect your heart and mind.

The peace of God doesn’t mean that worry and stress won’t enter our lives but we can trust God with the outcome.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anxiety medically as: an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.

Thanksgiving or gratitude changes us from the inside out. It is spiritually powerful, as it reminds us of God’s care and faithfulness.

Think on these things:

Neuroscience proves that thanksgiving and gratitude rewires our brain, which in turn helps our thoughts, attitudes, and responses.

Thus, thankfulness and gratitude is key; Paul would mention thankfulness with prayer in several of his letters (Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy.)

Paul knew the importance of our thoughts and he didn’t conclude his letter to the Philippians until he made this final point.

There’s a sense of urgency as he tells us to fix our thoughts on things that are true, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself how many thoughts cross your mind in a day, in an hour, in a minute?

Some studies say that we have around 50,000 thoughts per day. That equates to over 2,000 per hour, and over 34 per minute. Experts also say that 80% of our thoughts are negative. So it’s no wonder that God is urging us to focus on things that bring us life and joy.

Our thoughts have such an impact on our attitude, our mood and our decisions; additionally, our thoughts influence our faith and our hope.

The important thoughts are the ones we spend our time on; the ones we prioritize; if you’re wondering what thoughts you prioritize, just listen to what you say.

When Paul says to “think about such things.” The word there is logizesthe, which means “to reckon inwardly, weigh, deliberate.”

Paul encourages us to meditate on, reflect deeply, and deliberate on all that’s true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue, and praiseworthy. (These things are found in the person of Jesus and the Word of God)

If you struggle with negative thoughts, remember these promises and truths from God’s Word: (1) We have a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), peace of mind (John 14:27), the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and the ability to fit every loose thought into the structure of a life shaped by Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Now watch this: The best way to learn how to put everything that Paul spent four chapters teaching is through discipleship and imitation within the context of the Christian community.

It’s vital for us to find someone whom we can apply this passage: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV). Find someone who exemplifies what it means, looks like and sounds like to follow Christ; someone who reflects Jesus.