Needless Anxiety
Philippians 4:6-9TPT
Most anxiety is needless. Do you believe that? As anxiety or worry dances around inside our minds, God is blocked from doing His best work.
Place a finger on each of your temples. Now say, “Thank you Lord for my amygdalae. Thank you Lord, for the two almond-shaped neural clusters that reside inside my brain.”
You wouldn’t be alive without them.
Your amygdalae operates like an alarm system. If an intruder breaks a window or pries open a lock to your house, your home-security-system warns you.
The same is true for you. However, your amygdalae wasn’t created to work in overdrive 24-7.
“If I could just give you one key ingredient to unlocking God’s will for your life, It’s of the utmost importance—live free of any needless worry.’ Remember this, “If it bothers you, it surely bothers God.” P.H
Philippians is one of Paul’s prison epistle:
Philippians 4:4-9TPT Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow! 5 And let gentleness (Aramaic humility).” be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near. 6 Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, 7 then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. 8 Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always. 9 Put into practice the example of all that you have heard from me or seen in my life and the God of peace will be with you in all things.
Again, Philippians 4:4KJV Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Paul writes from his cell—Rejoice in the Lord always…and if that didn’t do it,…and again I say rejoice!
Paul commands, keep on rejoicing! In other words, “Make a continual effort to rejoice.”
Remember this, Your rejoicing is very pleasing to God; Rejoicing carries you into a new work environment, it travels through your day to day affairs.
Again, Verse 4TPT …Let your joy overflow!
Fact—You can live whole and happy through the trails in your life, or you can be depressed and dejected—It’s your choice. P.H
How about turning-on the joy-overflow-button!
Jeremiah was the prophet to Judah during one of her darkest periods of rebellion. They called him the weeping prophet, because he was one. He wept at the condition of the people and the depravity of their faith.
Over half the book of, Jeremiah speaks of Judah’s depravity. It’s a sad day when God’s people treat ‘Him’ with contempt.
Israel’s contempt—“Maybe I’ll love you; However, maybe, I’ll act as if I don’t even know you—contempt—Maybe, I’ll show up…Maybe, I’ll praise Him… maybe, I’ll let my mind rule the day.
Listen to these words from the prophet— Jeremiah: Lamentations 3:17-20NASB My soul has been excluded from peace; I have forgotten happiness. 18 So I say, “My strength has failed, And so has my hope from the Lord. 19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness. 20 My soul certainly remembers, And is bent over within me.
Jeremiah purposefully lifted his mind to the thoughts about his king! Jeremiah states—My soul is humbled and bent over in your presence.
Lamentations 3:21NASB I recall this to my mind, Therefore I wait.
Let me say this about the word—Wait.
“Seasons belong to God—He’s the season changer.”
Genesis 8:22AMP “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
Right this very minute, I want you to make a pivotal decision, and that decision is—
As I wait, I will rejoice.
As I wait, I will sing.
As I wait, I will trust.
As I wait, I will serve others.
Jeremiah goes on and writes in, Lamentations 3:22-26NASB The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I wait for Him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who await Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.
Wait without Anxiety, Wait in faith, Wait knowing, wait trusting, wait on His salvation—Wait for His Deliverance, it’s lasting.
Back to today’s text, Philippians 4:5 Paul commands every saint of God to stay humble, be gentle. Why? The Lord is at hand!
When it comes to our walk with the Lord—Paul states, “Humility and gentleness, become major to our spiritual depth.”
Q&A: How much do I want to hear? Am I willing to go out into the depths with God?
Philippians 4:6KJV Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Paul is saying, “Live carefree, you were created, loved, and saved, so you could do just that.
I like to imagine believers saying that one to another—be careful for nothing. P.H
Testimony—Jenny and I visited a family friend in Clearwater Beach Florida, We got aboard a single engine airplane. Richard this life-long-friend took us up and flew south to Avon Park Florida. We were to see a vacant church.
We must have seemed a little scared, because Richard, looked over at us, and said— “Guys, I’ve been doing this for almost 50 years and there is precious cargo on board—Me!’ ‘So— unwind and enjoy!” We did.
Anxiety is a thief; it steals our thoughts, peace, joy, and confidence in the Lord. The Greek for anxiety, means to divide, separate, cut into pieces, and tear apart the mind.
Anxiety—divides your mind between constructive thoughts and destructive thoughts. It takes your mind in two different directions.
Illustration: A wife had anxious thoughts that dominated her mind day in, and day out for years. One night, her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he found a burglar. The husband said to him, "Hey, could you come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you."
Fact—A thief will steal from you once, but anxiety can steal from you for decades.
Again, maybe the best translation of, Philippians 4:6TPT Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life,
Faith uttered prayer, or personal dialog seems to be the remedy for anxiety, and endless worry—racing thoughts.
Philippians 2:5NKJV Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
This I know, As you serve others, and give yourself to others—you will have that single mind of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:7AMP And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
According to a national survey—Philippians 4:6-7, is highlighted more often, than any other scripture throughout God’s word?
Again, According to Philippians 4:7, This ‘peace’ will stand guard over your heart and mind, and in-return, it breaks all anxiety into pieces. P.H
This kind of peace always manifest the providence of God— Listen, no deed was ever so evil, no day was so dark. Yet God not only knew of the crucifixion; he ordained it.
This is exactly what Peter told the murderers, in Acts 2:23-24TPT This Man’s destiny was prearranged, for God knew that Jesus would be handed over to you to be crucified and that you would execute him on a cross by the hands of lawless men. Yet it was all part of his predetermined plan. 24 God destroyed the cords of death and raised him up, because it was impossible for death’s power to hold him prisoner.
Listen—Anxiety, or any other phobia cannot stay, because Jesus rose from the dead and defeated it once and for all.
Philippians 4:8AMP Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].
Paul is saying—“Center your mind on the providence of God, and stay fixed right there.”
Paul wrote in, Romans 8:28AMP If I belong to God, in-return, I should trust Him in everything.
28 And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
Author Max Lucado—In the famous lace shops of Brussels, Belgium, certain rooms are dedicated to the spinning of the finest lace with the most delicate patterns. These rooms are completely dark, save for a shaft of natural light from a solitary window. Only one spinner sits in the room. The light falls upon the pattern while the worker remains in the dark.
Q&A: Has God permitted a time of darkness in your world? You look but you cannot see Him you see only the fabric of circumstances woven and interlaced.
You might question the purpose behind the thread—But be assured, God has a pattern. He has a plan. He is not finished, but when He is—the lace will be beautiful!
The whole purpose of your spiritual journey is to live carefree, to hear God’s voice, to live with purpose given straight from headquarters. P.H
In Philippians 4:9, Paul reiterates—put into practice what you have heard and seen and peace will be yours.
The enemy longs to keep you on edge, to keep you guessing, but faith in God, leads you all the way home—God’s home—Let’s go home together!
Benediction.
