From: October 3, 2023
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).
What is worry? Isn’t it anxious self-talk? It’s an internal conversation between you and you. Worry circles around our heads like a cloud of gnats that we can’t swat away. Worry is both wasteful and harmful to body and soul.
What is prayer? It’s talking to God. Why not take the same amount of effort that we’re putting into worry and turn it into prayer? Paul taught us to stop worrying and to start praying. Worry at its heart is an expression of doubt. It is the opposite of faith. Didn’t Jesus say, “Do not worry” (Matt. 6:25)?
Worry is sin, but prayer is an expression of faith. Prayer causes us to lift our eyes from ourselves to our Savior. Prayer pleases God. Even more, when we lift our worries to God, we experience the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
So, let’s turn our worries into prayers!
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that we can lift all our concerns up to You. For You love us and are always ready to hear us. As we begin this day, we name each day’s concern to You, asking for the peace of God to replace any anxiety we have. Now strengthen and empower us to live for You today by the indwelling presence of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: October 3, 2022
WHAT THOUGHTS FILL YOUR MIND TODAY?
As the apostle Paul closed his letter to the Philippians, he urged them to always rejoice in the Lord. He gave them a couple of spiritual practices to help them to always experience the joy of the Lord. One practice was that they should turn their worries into prayers, not being anxious about anything, but praying about everything. The other, was to be careful about their thought-life, what their minds meditated on. He gave them a list of topics for their mental meditations, things like: “Whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.”
Paul’s instructions about joyful living clearly involve being careful about our state of mind. Consider the effect of having the opposite kinds of thoughts than Paul encourages. When we are anxious, meditating on things that are false, ignoble, unjust, impure, ugly, of bad report, without virtue, and not praiseworthy, we risk losing the joy of the Lord.
Looking through the list of joy-killing thoughts, which ones plague you the most? And what triggers such thoughts? Is it the news, social media, some television show or movie? What are you putting in your mind? Remember the acronym of computer programmers: GIGO–– Garbage In, Garbage Out. Are you putting garbage in your mind or praiseworthy things? What kinds of thoughts fill your mind today?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we begin our days talking to You. For meditating on Your Word and hearing Your voice is the source of our joy. We are often self-defeated and anxious because we have filled our minds with bad things. Forgive us. Help us to think with the mind of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: October 3, 2016
What God did for Jeremiah, I pray He does for me whenever I open my mouth to preach. Like Jeremiah, I do not feel worthy to be His messenger, yet I know it is His Word alone, not mine, that is worthy of being heard. It is not just in preaching that I pray for God’s Word to shape my speech, but in every word of counsel offered. For human wisdom has no power to save. Be careful of giving out advice without prayer. Ask God to “touch your mouth” before using it to guide others.
From: October 3, 2015
The apostle Paul described the secret to a life of contentment to the believers at Philippi, namely, Christ. This verse, although a favorite on posters with captions of athletic prowess depicted, was descriptive not of success against overwhelming odds, but contentment under all circumstances. Paul taught that the secret to true joy and contentment is not based on the ever-changing circumstances of life, but in our dependence on the unchanging presence of Christ in us.
From: October 3, 2014
What is worry? Isn’t it anxious self-talk? It’s an internal conversation between you and you. Worry circles around your head like a cloud of gnats that you can’t swat away. What is prayer? It’s talking to God. Why not take the same amount of effort that you’re putting into worry and turn them into prayer? Paul taught us to stop worrying and to start praying. Worry at its heart is an expression of doubt. It is the opposite of faith. It is sin. Prayer is an expression of faith. Prayer causes us to lift our eyes from self to our Savior. Prayer pleases God. Turn your worries into prayers!