For me and my family, we have been making every move and step based on God’s Word. His Word is the strength and foundation of our faith. Having faith in His provision, comfort, and direction. But as of late God has been reminding me one particular scripture to stand on.
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. Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)
I know my life has been a constant whirlwind this last year. You see, we move from job assignment to job assignment and state to state every three months, often times not knowing if we even have another job until the last minute.
But the Lord reminds me not to be anxious about anything. To be anxious is to worry and God has exposed a truth to me about worry in Luke 12:25. I realize that there is nothing that can be gained by worry except waste of my time and energy. You see the enemy wants you to worry, he wants you to focus on your problems. If you are focused on what you don’t have or what is going wrong, the trial and tribulations that are all around us, then Satan has succeeded in his plans. Jesus told us in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. By worrying, he is succeeding in stealing, killing and even destroying your relationship with Jesus.
Our God is a wonderful God, He does not just give us a bunch of “do not” rules but He tells us what to do instead. If we look further into this scripture, He tells us instead of worrying we should turn ourselves to Him and talk to Him about EVERYTHING. You see, God loves it when we talk to Him. We were made to have a relationship with Him. He wants to hear about our problems, our hurts.
It is encouraging to know what God says about prayer in Jeremiah:
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD,… Jeremiah 29:12-14 (New International Version)
Knowing that God will be there when I seek Him, knowing that when I call upon His name and pray He will listen to me makes me thankful that He is my God. But that knowing that God has my best interest in store, that He cares about me, that He is willing to spend time with me in my times of worry, in my trials, and in my triumphs gives me His peace. I know that when I rest in His peace, a peace that should not be there, the peace that passes all understanding, He will show himself great and mighty in my life. What I find very inspiring, is that in Philippians 4:7 it says that the peace of God will guard my heart and mind. God will guard my heart and mind.
Is it so much a surprise than if God wants us to have a relationship with Him that he would not bless us.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)
So be of good cheer and know that when the things of this world are causing you worry, fear, doubt, confusion, stress, pain, etc. we have a God who wants a relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him. He is not a god who will stay hidden from us for He wants us to be found by Him. He tells us that in these times of worry He will give us His peace that runs so deep that we cannot understand and that this peace will guard our hearts and minds from the attacks of the enemy.
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. Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)
I know my life has been a constant whirlwind this last year. You see, we move from job assignment to job assignment and state to state every three months, often times not knowing if we even have another job until the last minute.
But the Lord reminds me not to be anxious about anything. To be anxious is to worry and God has exposed a truth to me about worry in Luke 12:25. I realize that there is nothing that can be gained by worry except waste of my time and energy. You see the enemy wants you to worry, he wants you to focus on your problems. If you are focused on what you don’t have or what is going wrong, the trial and tribulations that are all around us, then Satan has succeeded in his plans. Jesus told us in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. By worrying, he is succeeding in stealing, killing and even destroying your relationship with Jesus.
Our God is a wonderful God, He does not just give us a bunch of “do not” rules but He tells us what to do instead. If we look further into this scripture, He tells us instead of worrying we should turn ourselves to Him and talk to Him about EVERYTHING. You see, God loves it when we talk to Him. We were made to have a relationship with Him. He wants to hear about our problems, our hurts.
It is encouraging to know what God says about prayer in Jeremiah:
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD,… Jeremiah 29:12-14 (New International Version)
Knowing that God will be there when I seek Him, knowing that when I call upon His name and pray He will listen to me makes me thankful that He is my God. But that knowing that God has my best interest in store, that He cares about me, that He is willing to spend time with me in my times of worry, in my trials, and in my triumphs gives me His peace. I know that when I rest in His peace, a peace that should not be there, the peace that passes all understanding, He will show himself great and mighty in my life. What I find very inspiring, is that in Philippians 4:7 it says that the peace of God will guard my heart and mind. God will guard my heart and mind.
Is it so much a surprise than if God wants us to have a relationship with Him that he would not bless us.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)
So be of good cheer and know that when the things of this world are causing you worry, fear, doubt, confusion, stress, pain, etc. we have a God who wants a relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him. He is not a god who will stay hidden from us for He wants us to be found by Him. He tells us that in these times of worry He will give us His peace that runs so deep that we cannot understand and that this peace will guard our hearts and minds from the attacks of the enemy.
