Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation], by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]. Philippians 4:6-7
Faith > Worry
Who doesn't want to know how things will turn out?
Do I turn right or left here?
Are they the "right" one?
Do I take this job offer?
What if my spouse doesn't make it home?
What will people think of me?
Take a moment and look at your thought patterns.
How are you stewarding your mind?
How much time are you spending trying to manipulate an outcome through worry?
After I wrote it, I realized how foolish that last statement was, yet that is exactly how the enemy deceives us.
Worry is acting on the enemy's invitation to use your God-given imagination to create an outcome you don't want.
Trust > Clarity
When it comes to the future, we want clarity. God wants us to trust. John McGowan
The operating system of God's kingdom is faith.
He has given us a gift of faith; when we live by faith, His kingdom invades our life!
We are called to walk the walk of faith, not understanding, and fight the good fight of faith, not the good fight of clarity.
Walking in faith makes us anxious for nothing because we receive peace by surrendering our demand to understand.
We are placing our lives in the hands of perfect love.
This allows us to live in shalom, a place of peace, waiting for an ongoing revelation of love to be revealed through us and around us.
We will no longer demand understanding or clarity, for we trust the One who loves us and knows all.
What are some ways that you get duped into worry?
How far down the rabbit hole do you have to go before you realize the futility of worry?
What patterns reoccur or categories of issues do you find most susceptible to worry about?
Lord, You have invited us into prayer with You to keep us from worrying and teach us about Your heart and ways of faith. Amen