4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
God’s Provision
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (ESV)
Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.
Great command and practical instruction on our part, the easy one, to get there: pray! God does all the really hard work!
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Paul once had a lot of things. He knows what that is like. He’s also had nothing. He knows what that is like too. He says he knows the secret to being content in every single situation. He says it doesn’t matter if you have food or not, if you have a lot of things or not. The real secret to being completely content is revealed in verse 13. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” So it doesn’t matter if we have nothing or have a lot. Through Christ, everything is possible. Just knowing that will allow us to be more content than anything of this world.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
These people had the apostle Paul preaching to them, which must have been so awesome! But if they did not put what he told them into practice, but merely listened to it, what would the point be? They would only be deceiving themselves (James 1:22). At True North, we are very blessed to have leaders like Pastor Bobby, Dan Lauder, and now even Ben Blakey, but if we are not doing anything more than listening to the sermons week after week and then walking away and forgetting what we were told, we are fooling ourselves as to the state of our salvation / spiritual growth. We need to be eager to first make sure that what we are being told is from the Bible (Acts 17:11), and then making it a point to take application from the sermon, and to come away from every message with a new practical way to serve God, love others, or fight sin in our lives.
Great Comment Mike! I thuroughly aprreciated those cross references :)
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
I thought it was interesting that Paul said gentleness instead of boldness or courage when talking about the return of Jesus. For me, finding gentleness can be a problem at times, I often get frustrated and loose patience with others and misrepresent Christ with a bad attitude. This verse though says that because of God’s comming return we are to be gentle to everyone! The more gentle we are to others the more God’s love flows out from us and gives Jesus an atractive appeal that people want to be apart of. Hopefull we at true north can master this command so that we will be ready for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. MARANATHA, rejoice!
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
This is such a good verse about how we need to be putting our faith and trust in the Lord during hard times or when we need help. Instead of letting it worry us too much, we should take it before the Lord in prayer. Something we have to remember to do each and every day!
13 I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.
This is my favorite Bible verse, I read this verse every morning before I set out to start my day. This verse says it all. We can do ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH. When we trust in God for strength, we can do all things!
1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Notice the value Paul puts on these Philippian Christians. They are his joy. They are his crown as in he is saying that they are the investment for his eternal reward. He loves and longs for them. Wow! These are some strong statement that Paul makes about them.
In this same way, we need to have strong commitment and care for one another at True North! I am praying that our hearts will find joy in each other and that we will be giving ourselves to one another so that we will all stand in the presence of our God together one day!
Even though the series is over we still need CONNECTIONS!!!
Praying for our last campus lunch of the year at SVCS today!
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Paul knows that the Philippians have been sinning by being anxious about the possibility of persecution in their new church. In this verse he is telling them to stop all anxious thoughts! The Greek in this verse actually says to “stop being anxious about everything.” So often we put an asterisk at then end of “anything” and give ourselves permission to worry about difficult things in our lives. Whether it be school, relationships, health or our future we must commit all our concerns to the Lord and trust in Him and not our circumstances. Thankful prayer is the correct response to situations that tempt us to be anxious. When we pray to God instead of sinning by being anxious we are showing our dependence on Him.
Great comment, Hunter! Sounds like hard core with a soft shell to me!
This is a great chapter. It tells us that Christians are not bound by our external circumstances.
No matter what the situation, we can rejoice (vs. 4).
No matter what the situation, we do not have to be anxious (vs. 6).
No matter what the situation, we can be content (vs. 12).
And we do all of this through Christ who gives us strength (vs. 13).
Wow, Philippians 4 contains SO many of my favorite verses.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
THIS verse is SO helpful!! If you are ever wondering if a certain movie is appropriate for you as a Christian to see, or music that you want load onto your ipod “okay”, or if a certain book (or series of books) that you are about to spend countless HOURS of your life reading will be pleasing or offensive to God- Just use this verse to measure it by! Or how about the things we talk about? Does it fit in this category? Or how about the thoughts that float around in our head? We can be tempted to complain, or judge , or criticize or think lustfully-Memorize this verse and use it! Paul knows that all sinful actions begin with a thought. But if our minds are actively thinking about “pure, noble, lovely and praiseworthy” things we will avoid falling headlong into sin.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
We need to remember that “to rejoice” is not merely a suggestion, it is a command! Later in v.12 paul tells us: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation”. We as Christians can always be joyful because we know that God if faithful to provide us with everything we need. When we pray prayers of gratitude for all that God gives us each and everyday “rejoicing” is a natural thing to do! God is so good to us and we need to not take it for granted!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
WE are the first “Bible” Non-Christians will ever “read” – So Model Christ in all you do! Jesus is coming back soon and He want as many to know Him as possible!
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is perhaps the most confusing thing for non-Christians to witness and perhaps the most compelling! When we have “peace that transcends all understanding” because we have not fallen apart in the face of adversity, but through prayer with gratitude to the Lord we are trusting in Him!!
2I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
3Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
It is the job of the church to help Christians live in harmony. Euodia and Syntyche were true believers. They had worked alongside Paul for the cause of the gospel! Now they had some sort of disagreement and Paul pleads with the church to help make things right between these two women. As Christians we need to live in harmony with one another! It is NOT OK to not resolve issues between you and your Christian friends.
8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Frequently in the Bible, we are given commands to do something. For instance, not to lie, not to steal, or not to murder. But the command Paul is giving us here is something different. It’s a guideline not for our actions, but for our thoughts (which, in fact, is even more important, because our thoughts usually determine what we do). How often do we think of things that are wrong? How often do we entertain the thought of sin, even if we don’t do the actual thing? Jesus said that it’s the same as committing the sin if you even think about it! Are our thoughts pleasing to God? I pray that we would be thinking to please God today!
19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Ahh, what a promise. When our trust is in Christ, our needs will be met. When we grasp this truth we can be freed from our selfishness and increasingly live for God, His kingdom, and His people. It reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
This is a promise I want to bank on!
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
nice comment dan! i was thinking the same thing and i couldnt have said it better! it is so reassuring knowing that there is only one thing worth striving for in life, and if we strive for that, God will take care of everything else. this should rid us of any pride, stress, and selfishness, as dan said.
Verse 6!
It has been in my binder for the last month, and it really helps if you are feeling anxious, scared, or worried about something! I realized that it is very important to constantly be in prayer with God and confessing your sins, and just relying on him! It does not work out if you rely on yourself and don’t trust in God! I want to not be in sin by being anxious, and to know that we have such an amazing God who will never leave you, and just to know that having a personal relationship with him is truly the best thing ever.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
this is one of the verses i had in my old binder. it always reminded me to be praying or just living for the lord. and when my friends saw it they would be reminded the same thing.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I agree with you Brooke! I remember this verse from the anxiety lesson Beth gave us at Girls Workshop (Sooo Good!!!). This is such a great verse and I find it relieving. I think everyone has been stressed and has gotten anxious. But God tells us not to be. Its hard, but this verse helps keep you accountable for it. When you feel anxious, just take a breath and pray. Pray your requests, but we cant forget to pray with thanksgiving. After all we have so much to thank God for everyday! And when we pray, it’s important not to still be worried or stressed after. Gods heard our prayer and we have nothing to worry about.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
These two verses helped me so much today! I know I sometimes forget to turn to God’s Word for comfort when you have issues or whatever. Today, I started worrying about Stephanie because of certain issues, but then I turned to the Word of God during tutorial and I read these verses. VERY convicting for me. Why should I worry? God commands that we rejoice in all situations. And God gives us that peace that surpasses all understanding! God gives us both peace and joy, not to mention a clean soul! Thank you Lord for the work You do in my life! :D
14Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.
Part of caring for one another is being there for them when life gets tough. Sometimes people think it’s best to leave people alone or maybe it’s even hard to help someone, but as Christians we are called to care for one another and this is part of it.
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
God give me strength to spread your word. And I pray for the people who are going off to college help them to be strong in your word.
15Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;
16for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.
here Paul is thanking the people of the church in Philipi for the gifts they have given him in his time in need. though this speaks specifically of the deeds of the people and Paul, it applies to us because the people of Philipi give us an example of how we need to help our Christian brothers and sisters when they need it. we also need to be thankful for our wonderful pastors at Compass, and for our leaders who have served us so well. one of the best evidences of a Christian heart is that we are grateful to God for His blessings, as well as giving to Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I loved this verse because it reminds us to pray with thanksgiving! It reminds me of who I am talking to when I pray. He is not jolly old saint nick who gives you what you want, when you want it. He is GOD! It is a fabulous reminder of presenting our requests with not only thankfulness, but also desire for his will. Praying is our way of communicating with God, so we need to show that respect for him. :D
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
I believe Pastor Mike alluded to this verse in his sermon on Romans when he spoke about pride. He mentioned evangelism that lacked empathy, the kind that almost speaks down on another person as if inferior. This, in actuality, is wrong because have we not been given salvation by God through Christ and none of this is of our own doing? Paul states, instead, be gentle to everyone, and when the Gospel is spread, be full of grace as God. We musn’t look down on anyone, but on the contrary exalt others as better than ourself, having true compassion for them in their fallen state.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
No matter what happens in this life we always have Christ on our side and he has a perfect plan for our lives! That is something to truly rejoice about!!
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Worrying will get us nothing we need to learn to trust God with the plan he has for us and give everything up to him! He is all that matters we dont need to worry about anything at all! Also God is always there to hear our prayers and he will hear our requests!! Gods got our back even when what this earth has to offer does not!! Rejoice in the Lord how amazing he truly is!!!
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
YEAH! The Lord is not only near, he is here, he is there, he is EVERYWHERE! God is omnipotent, which means he is everywhere and with everyone. We need to not only praise the Lord, but praise his creation, which is everyone else. Being cruel and not being gentle towards others is a good way to start on the road of sin. Big sin always starts little. Don’t cross the Lord, or you’ll get crossed off “the list”. So, the next time you think about saying something that could be hurtful, even if the person “deserves” it (which is no excuse) remember: Big Father is watching.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
OK, I think about this verse all the time. Its been one of the most important verses in my own life. For those of you that know me, I can be a MAJOR stress case. This year I’ve really started to reflect about how being stressed over earthly things is not Christ like. I thought, would Jesus ever be anxious over something this unimportant and wordly? I thought about how wrong it is to be more stressed over getting a B on a test than the thought of knowing people who are non Christians and can go to hell. This verse totally convicted me to give up on being anxious over the really little things of this life, and instead give it up to prayer and spending more time in the Bible. Remember to always live for God and not this world. God is there for us through trials in life and with him, we don’t need to be stressed.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I loved this entire chapter! So many good points for Christians! Paul is such a great example here, in this verse. Because if how he lives for Christ, and shows it to others, we need to be like this too. We ned to be so inspiring to other believers, that they want to be like us, and continue to glorify God. Not only do we need to live for God and inspire His followers, we need to inspire non Christians, so they can see how great God is, glorify Him, and see how they’re missing out!
1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
I can relate to this verse! I feel the same way about you girls and guys! I look forward every single week, not only to hear the Word of God, but to hang out with all of you! I love how all of you are all legit Christians, I know some other people who claim to be Christians who are not as on fire.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! It’s a command, we need to rejoice in the Lord because what He has done in our lives and who He is! If we rejoice in the Lord, we will be more apart from sin because we realize how good God is.
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
This reminds me of evangelism, we shouldn’t give up or stop us from non-Christians who you think will never get saved because their has been people in the Bible like apostle Paul who was trying to kill Christianity and then is one of most ambitious Christians! We can lead them to Christ, we can’t save them because it is Christ who saves! But we can just change the mind or convict them by reading the Word of God to them and then they turn towards Christ for forgivness of sins and put their trust in Him!
17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.
Well Paul really had no job, His job and goal in life was to tell people about Christ. Many Christians were supporting him finacial so he doesn’t stop traveling places preaching the only Gospel that saves about Jesus Christ! As Paul is talking about how was in need when he was in Thessalonica in verse 16. Paul said he wasn’t just wanting some type of gift, but is also helping them because they will be rewarded in heaven for supporting him!
I have been waiting for this chapter and verse, because it has single handedly helped me through so many tough times (like today). When i open my bible it automatically falls open at Philippians 4.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
My lovely wife wrote some incredibly profound comments that were spot on. I know we all have stressful things going on in our lives and this verse is so encouraging reminding us that God is ultimately in control. If we focus on His Son Jesus Christ we will get through what ever ordeal the way God wants us to.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It is easy to let the stresses of life consume our thoughts and minds. We need to be bringing our fears and worries before the Lord, trusting in Him with every part of our lives. God is able to give unexplainable peace, when we cast our cares upon Him.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is my second favorite verses ever. I love it! I have it taped in my room. I worry about a lot of things. Why? I don’t need to. God handles all of my problems but sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough faith to trust in him and try to handle things my own way which results in a big mess. I also like that Paul addresses prayer clearly- he tells us to present our prayers to God and he will hear them but he also uses the word petition which means that we should keep asking and praying to God. God always answers our prayers it just might not be in the way we want it to be answered and with His will and not ours. After I pray, I feel so much better because God takes up all my burdens and anxieties and we can rest assured that peace will transcend us and guard our hearts and minds in Christ :)
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I used to repeat this verse over and over in my head when it seemed like i was doing something impossible. haha like when i would run a race in track and i wanted to quit or give up but concentrating on that made me feel a lot better and took my mind off the pain. of course it has a deeper meaning than that but we can all do EVERYTHING if we draw strength from Jesus.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I remember this verse from Girl’s workshop! This verse is so comforting. If were ever scared about something or anxious we can come to God and seek help from Him. We don’t need to worry, God is in complete control.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
what ever we hear we do need to
put into practice.. what ever God
calls us to do we need to do and obeyy
what he is saying to us through the bible
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Two of my favorite verses! Its easy to fall into anxiousness, but the Bible says we don’t need to worry. It gives us the formula- prayer and petition with thanksgiving- for prayer. And then its promised that we will have peace! And that peace is such an amazingly indescribable thing…just amazing :]
Oops sorry that was me ^ Forgot to change the name…
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
This is my life verse that I have had since who knows when, and it is a reminder to me that God can help us accomplish anything. We can’t do it on our own, but with Jesus Christ!!! :]
***Christ will give you strength!!!***
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
We have eternal salvation. We have no reason to be discouraged or even upset, but we forget that and lose faith. As Christians, let’s be joyful!
Vs 6 is a great verse and I agree with everything Brooke said how we shouldn’t be anxcious cuz it’s sin and we need to rely and pray when we are in these situations
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength
We may not give Him the glory every time, but anytime we finish something or do something God gives us strength to do it. When we put our complete and full trust in Jesus Christ, all things are possible.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This is a prety straight forward verse, but it is so important. I know that there are many times when I do not follow this and that is horible. Our thoughts, action, words, all need to be glorifying Christ. I pray that I will stay focused, having my mind consumed with things of above.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
THIS IS SO ENCOURAGING! As Christians, we dont have to worry! It is really encouraging to know that God is in control of our lives. We cannot make it without Christ Jesus, so we need to rely on Him. When we pray to God, He will answer. So when life seems like its falling apart remember: GOD IS IN CONTROL.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Can you imagine if we were to think about these things what our lives would be like? It’s cool how it tells us what to think about! It encourages me to not think about worldly things but to think about things from God.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I just love love love this verse!! Whenever i am tempted to think something bad, this verse come into my head. Its just basically a list of all the things Christ is, so we should constantly be thinking of him and what pleases him!
What an amazing chapter! I love all the verses from 4 on. Even though we already heard many of these verses before, I think it’s great to be reminded about them to help us remember what we are supposed to think about and to praise and pray to God in everything.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
As Christians, we dont really have to worry because God is with us, but only if we ask. Life is hard, and our lives can never be perfect, because we are not perfect. I agree with Luke in saying that God is in control because 1) its true, 2)have you ever seen anyone completely satisfied with their life in every way who’s not of Christ?, and 3)we are not “the center of the universe” as the media makes us to be. However, God is a just God; he will not be like, giving everyone a free pass everytime we did something wrong. we need to rely on Him.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is one of my favorite verses. It is a good verse to memorize for whenever you are anxious or stressed. It is nice to know that you can tell God all your problems and worries, and he will give you peace.
13I can do everything through him who gives me strength
any thing is possible with the lord
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Its hard to be content in life if we are always looking to the next thing to make us happy. Some people live in the “If only…. then world”. If only I had a million dollars then I would be happy. or If only so and so would go out with me, then my life would be complete. If only I was better looking, then I would have more friends. If only I had a Mercedes then people would respect me. If only I could talk like Pastor Mike, then I could really be effective for Christ. If only we would stop thinking about ourselves all the time, then God would use us more. God is sovereign and he designate the times and the places where we live. So if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation or think that God didn’t bless you with enough spirtual gifts or talents. Just remember that God knew you before he formed the foundations of the earth. You are made in the image of God and look exactly the way God intended you. The house that you live in was picked out by God long ago. This time period you live is by no accident either. So do not be discouraged about your circumstances, God knows what he is doing. Its our job to trust Him.
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Its easy to see that I’m willing to give everything up for Christ, yet when I don’t have a certain luxury in my life its easy for me to get sad. We need to follow Paul’s example by not letting our joy depend on what we have or anything in this earth, rather it should depend on Jesus Christ, who we know has saved as and will be with us forever in eternity. I need to be thinking about that all day long and remind myself of how great the Lord is so that no matter what the circumstance, I will still not only praise God, but be doing it with a completely joyful heart.
Philippians 4
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In times of trouble most of us seek guidance and comfort from friends and family or elsewhere. Paul gives the only council that is needed to be at peace in even the worst circumstances. When anxiety or trouble comes our way we can only find real comfort thru prayer and petition to Almighty God. This year has been filled with a lot of trials in my life and thru those trials it has been the most amazing year. I have experienced firsthand how God gives peace that transcends understanding when you trust in Him. The more you submit to God in everything and I mean everything knowing that His ways are perfect even when confronted with the worst circumstances imaginable God will bring Himself Glory and Honor. Our hearts can be filled with anxiety and fear which opens us up to Satan’s foothold. Worry and anxiety is a lack of trust in Christ. We can only protect ourselves thru prayer and the Word of God.
Phil 2:20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.
We have no better friend or father than God the Father who is comfort.
Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.
Whenever you are stressed or anxious pray to God for He will calm you down and be by your side the whole time.