Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Pastor Herk continues: The Apostle gives us three steps to a winning Christian strategy in tough times. (1) Be anxious for nothing; Don’t worry. The Creator of all is bigger than all and in control of all. Anxiety is defined as: concern, apprehension or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness. it expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude [care]. it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct. We are overwhelmed with information (primarily bad news) from electronic devices {television, computers, tablets and cell phones} in this Golden Age of Anxiety. 40% of the things that we worry about never happen. 30% of our worries are about things that have already happened that we cannot do anything about. 12% of worries are over needless health concerns and 10% of our worries are over petty and insignificant issues. Only 8% of our worries are legitimate. Today is the day that you worried about yesterday. Matthew 6:25-34 concludes with “your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
(2) in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; pray about everything. Many people say that they do not have time to pray, bit in reality they don’t have time not to pray. Make the time because prayer changes things. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 tells us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. God wants to be closer, to hear from you and is interest in the little things and the details in your life; talk to your heavenly Father. If it’s worth worrying about, then it is certainly worth praying about. 1 Peter 5:6-7 insructs us, “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Unload it because the Lord wants to take it. Once you cast your cares and give them up to the Lord, don’t pick them up and take it back. Stop worrying and start praying.
(3) With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Thank God in everything. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 the Apostle states, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Give thanks in everything, but not for everything because not everything is good and godly. Romans 8:27-28 states, “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Good in terms of God’s will, His purpose and His over-arching plan, because the Intercessor for the saints [those who have been sanctified in Christ] are His children and citizens of His kingdom in His Story, called history.
Let's conclude Pastor Herk's message on giving thanks to God in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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