January 17, 2018
“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 minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
“Stress” is a word that is thrown around a lot these days. We have become so familiar with it that being “stressed out” is now the norm. But God never intended us to live this way. If you look at the first statement in Philippians 4:6, you quickly realize that it is a command; “Do not be anxious.” Therefore, to live a stressed out life is to live contrary to what God desires for you. Have you ever thought of stress or anxiety as sinful? It is.
Thankfully, God’s Word gives us the path to living an anxiety-free life; lift everything to God in prayer, constantly keeping thankfulness before you. And this is the part of this passage that we usually focus on. But all the great advice in the world is useless unless we see the need to implement it. We must first realize that anxiety is not simply a part of life, and it is not something to simply brush off. To live an anxious life is to live contrary to God’s will for you. Only when you accept this truth will you begin to take steps to remove this sin from your life.
Lord, please open our eyes to the sin of anxiety in our lives, and then give us the strength and wisdom to implement your Word in order to remove this sin and begin to live in the incomprehensible peace that you desire for us.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon