“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:4-8
Peace Through Rejoicing
God wants us to look at our suffering differently. He doesn’t want us to allow the devil to steal one moment of our joy, so He says, “…rejoice always.” It might not be the perfect time, you might not be feeling well, you may be dealing with bad news, or maybe you just got good news, but God says, “Now is the time to rejoice!”
Through your rejoicing it causes you to realize, in that moment that God never took His hands off the wheel, he is still in control. Then, brothers and sisters, you begin to have a change of heart and it causes you to be gentle with others around you, in the midst of your afflictions.
Peace Through Prayer
God is closer than He’s ever been – He dwells inside of you through the Holy Spirit, so speak to Him. His ears are open. Tell Him, “Search me oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties! (Psalm 139:23-24)” The Bible tells us to, “cast all of your cares on the Lord, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).” Let this transaction take place between you and God. God can afford to take your stress from you, but you can’t afford to hold onto it. It’s too much for you to bear.
When you thankfully pray to God, bringing your requests to Him, He hears you and something amazing takes place. God fills you with His peace, which is beyond figuring out and it is greater than the peace of the world because it guards your heart and your mind and gives you the power to wait on the Lord, while remaining firm on your convictions, which are found in the word of God.
The more you pray the less stress symptoms you’ll experience. You cannot get the peace God has unless you pray. The last verse, in our passage today, is simply telling us to renew our minds. We are bombarded with emotions, insecurities, perceptions of the things and people around us that may or may not be true, and uncertainty about the future. But listen, the Bible tells us, “As a man thinks, so he is (Proverbs 23:7),” meaning whatever consumes your mind will control your mind and guide your future.
Peace Through Your Thinking
So, verse 8 has 8 categories of things you can consider. Paul tells us to think about true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy things. By doing this your mind will be controlled by the Spirit, rather than the flesh.
No, it won’t always be easy, but let us put these things into practice without sabotaging our minds with fear and doubts about the future. Instead, let us pray, and be filled with the Spirit, then we will have the peace of God. Amen.
Salvation Plan
Today, if you have not received Salvation or you would like to rededicate your life back to Christ, say this prayer:
God, I know that I am a sinner. Right now, Lord, I turn from my sins, and I ask you to forgive me. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and rose from the grave, for me. I open my heart and life for You to come in, and I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You, God for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read the Book of John in the Bible. Find out who Christ is, and how He loves you, yes you!
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Love,
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