Tag: Philippians 4:6

HomeTag: Philippians 4:6

21
Feb '19

Practice Being Thankful

Posted on Feb 21, 2019 in Devotions | Tags: ,

21
Feb '19
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6) 
 
This verse tells us to not be anxious about anything. That often seems like a pretty difficult. You might see lots of bad things going on in the world.  Or feel that you’re under too much stress at work or school. Even in the middle of all of these things, God tells us to not be anxious. 
 
How is that possible? How can you go through life without being anxious? The rest of this verse tells us how to do it. We are to do two things:
  • Pray.
  • Be thankful.
When we choose being thankful, it changes our perspective on the situation. Instead of being stressed out about how demanding your job is, you can be thankful that you have a job. Instead of stressing about whether you’re going to meet the right person to marry, you can be thankful that you’re single and get to spend more of your free time getting to know God. In many cases, being thankful can turn your anxiety around. It’s hard to be anxious when you’re thankful. 
 
Today choose to put aside your anxiety and choose to practice being thankful. You’ll find that as you become thankful, it’s hard to be anxious. 
 
I confess, Lord, that I so often prefer worry over prayer and being thankful. Thank you that you invite me to cast all my cares upon you. I pray that I may learn to do that with a heart of continual thanksgiving. Amen. 
 
This devotion blessed me today. Let us be reminded today that as we practice being thankful the result is peace. The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Not my will but thine be done.  
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord! 
 
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 40:28 

18
Sep '18

The Cure to Worry

Posted on Sep 18, 2018 in Devotions | Tags: ,

18
Sep '18
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6) 
 
There is nothing more prevalent in the age in which we live than the increasing problem of worry. Worry is a powerful force to disintegrate the human personality, leaving us frustrated, puzzled, baffled and bewildered by life. Sometimes you hear the expression: “sick with worry”, and anyone who has experienced it knows it is no empty expression. You can be literally sick with worry. Paul’s answer to this is a blunt, “Do not be anxious about anything.” The entire Word of God is a constant exhortation to believers to stop worrying. It is everywhere forbidden to those who believe in Jesus Christ, and I think one of the most serious areas of unbelief is our failure as Christians to face the problem of worry as sin. Because that is what it is. Worry is not just something everyone does and therefore it must be all right. It is definitely labeled a sin in the scriptures, and the exhortation is everywhere: stop it! 
 
Well you say, this is all very well to say don’t worry, but how do you stop it? Every time I try to stop worrying I worry all the more. You can’t stop it just by the exercise of will power. Again, that’s the secret of running the race — here it is: “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 
 
I love those words “in every situation.” That means there is nothing too small to bring to him. Someone asked, “Is it alright to bring small things before the Lord? Is he concerned about the small things in our lives?” The answer is: is there anything that looks big to God? Everything is small to him, so take everything to him in prayer. Prayer is the expression of our dependence upon his promises. It isn’t necessarily on your knees, or in the closet, but it can be simply that quiet, “arrow prayer” of the heart, in continual recognition that you need to lean back upon his grace and strength in everything, constantly relating to that indwelling life of God the Son in you. 
 
“Petition” means, keep it up, over and over again. Whenever problems develop lean back again in prayer to the one who is able and competent within you through his indwelling life. Thanksgiving is that forward look of faith that thanks God for the answer before you see it. Knowing his character, you know something — the right thing, the perfect thing — will be done. 
 
God is not saying we should ask for everything we want. Instead, we’re to ask for everything we need. Frequently we find ourselves praying for things he never promises. For instance, if you are up against some kind of trial, or some catastrophe strikes in your life, our perfectly understandable, natural human reaction is to say, “Lord, take this away.” But God never said he would do that. He does not always want us to have it taken away. Sometimes he will, sometimes not. That kind of prayer must always have appended to it what our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” 
 
But there are things for which we can immediately ask, and know that we will receive. His grace, his strength, insight, wisdom, patience, love and compassion. And as we lean back upon him in that inner dependence of faith which is prayer, we can also begin to give thanks that the answer has come, and in our thanksgiving we discover the experience of it as well. So, as in everything where we let our requests be made known to God, the result is peace. The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 
 
I confess, Lord, that I so often prefer worry over prayer. Thank you that you invite me to cast all my cares upon you. I pray that I may learn to do that with a heart of continual thanksgiving. Amen. 
 
Today’s devotion is a bit lengthy but I felt every aspect of it was so very relevant to our lives today and I needed this reminder myself. My prayer is someone, somewhere, also needed to hear this and is blessed and inspired by it. Let your requests be known to God and the result is peace, Amen! PUSH, pray until something happens, FEAR, false evidence appearing real. Pray! 
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord! 
 
Today’s Reading is Philippians 2:3-4 

31
Oct '17

Because You Prayed

Posted on Oct 31, 2017 in Devotions | Tags: ,

31
Oct '17

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)

What do you do with your worries? Do you turn them inward, or turn them upward?

When the brutal Assyrian King Sennacherib was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, he sent a message to King Hezekiah saying that Judah would be no different from all the other nations he had conquered. Hezekiah took this message to the temple in Jerusalem, and “spread it out before the Lord” (Isa. 37:14). He then prayed and asked for help from Almighty God.

Soon afterward Isaiah the prophet delivered this message to Hezekiah from the Lord: “Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the Lord has spoken against him” (Isa. 37:21–22). Scripture tells us that Hezekiah’s prayer was answered that very night. God intervened miraculously, conquering the enemy forces outside the city gates. The Assyrian army didn’t even “shoot an arrow” (v. 33). Sennacherib would leave Jerusalem, never to return.

Three words in God’s message to Hezekiah—“Because you prayed”—show us the best place to go with our worries. Because Hezekiah turned to God, He rescued him and his people. When we turn our worries into prayer, we discover that God is faithful in unexpected ways!

Father, please help me to turn my worries into prayer. My problems are better in Your hands than in my own. Amen.

I don’t know who this is for today but when I read it, I felt a nudge in my spirit telling me, this is it. I felt someone needed to be reminded of this today. No matter what you face, no matter what your up against, always pray and remember, He is faithful. I loved what it said, don’t turn your worries inward but upward. When we try and internalize our worries and fears we do nothing to benefit our spirit in any way but when we pray and release our fears and worries upward, He is faithful to deliver us out of all our troubles. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17). Remember, Prayer moves the hand that moves the world

Have a beautiful day in The Lord!!

Today’s Reading is Philippians 4:6