Be anxious for nothing

Philippians 4:6-7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." NKJV

I just told this scripture to a friend who made a comment about being anxious, and the irony of the verse just smacked me in the face. Don't understand me? Let's try the message version:


"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Here's NIV: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."


So (in my own words) in the middle of your anxiety, stop! Don't worry about it. Trust God. Praise Him and thank Him for all the things He has already done! Has He not proven Himself before? He's big enough!

Today in church we sang a song called "Great I Am" and the part that gets me so stoked every time is when the song says "the mountains shake before You, the demons run and flee at the mention of Your name, King of Majesty! There is no power on earth, nor any who can stand before the power and the presence of the great I Am!" In light of that, what is not knowing what tomorrow will bring? NOTHING! God has everything under control! He is directing your steps! My pastor said that God is the great I Am, which means He is all sufficient for every circumstance. Need a healer? I Am! Need a provider? I Am! God is so good!!

I have been in a season where I have had to trust God like never before. At first I fought and tried to do it my own way, and that only ended in heartache. But I have stopped fighting and have started relying on Him. And He has provided! I'm still trusting for His best, which is still to come. But I have no worry about how I will get there!

I had someone prophesy over me that this year was going to be the best year of my life yet - and as of about a month ago I wanted to slap them and tell them that they didn't know what they were talking about. Why? Because my circumstances weren't lining up. But my God isn't a God of circumstance! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) Yeah, I've had a rough go of it financially, and I have learned some lessons the hard way that I would have preferred to not have to learn. But God is working through those places. What the enemy meant for evil my God has used for His glory!

So all of that to say, don't be anxious! For "[w]ho of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27