Matthew 6:25 NKJV “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Philippians 4:6 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.
We are wired and created to fix things. Your mind works to come up with solutions to fix things. Anything that threatens us, annoys us, or bothers us, we want to fix it to keep it from happening again. Once we have gone through some type of difficulty, we don’t want to experience that again so we try to fix whatever caused the difficulty.
We do have situations that arise in life that we do not have the ability to fix. They are bigger than we are, tougher than we are, and beyond our control. Your mind is wired to find answers and solutions and will race to try and find them and this leads to worry.
However, Paul is telling us in this verse NOT to worry.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV (23) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Worry is not birthed in your spirit but in your mind.
Anxious (Greek: merimnao) To be worried, anxious or fretful. In the NT used in conjunction with everyday life: finances, hunger, or some other basic provision of life.
Mark 4:18-19 NKJV Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, (19) and the cares of this world (merimno), the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke (to choke or suffocate) the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
- Worry is the result of a fruitless search for life’s answers in your human mind.
Your mind is a wonderful tool, but your mind can only give out what you put into it. If you do not put the information into your mind, you cannot ever retrieve that information.
- You can never recall an answer from your mind that has never been put there.
There are just some things that your mind does not have.
Your mind does not always do a perfect job of giving you back everything you put into it. It can sometimes give back what you put in it in a way that is a little bit inaccurate. You can study hard in school and still did not make a 100.
- If you face a new problem, then the answer is going to have to come from the Lord.
James 1:5 NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
When you are searching for the answer in your mind by going over and over the problem to look for the solution, you only cause yourself more anxiety and frustration.
The spirit of man is where God lives in you and this is where He speaks to you.
- God is going to reveal the answers you need primarily from His Word.
Paul gives us five steps on how to lay down worry and take up prayer:
Philippians 4:6 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
- Prayer (Greek: proseuche) a meeting birthed out of a face-to-face relationship where there is an exchange. (exchange worries for peace)
- Supplication (Greek: deisis): a request for a very specific, particular need. (not “God bless the world”) Telling God exactly what is happening and what you need Him to do for you.
- Thanksgiving (Greek: eucharista): an outpouring of grace and wonderful feelings that flow freely from the heart in response to someone or something.
Paul is telling us when we “earnestly” ask God for something, we should always follow it up with and “earnest outpouring of thanks”.
Make it a goal to be just as passionate about your thanksgiving as you are about making your request.
- Requests (Greek: aitima) to be adamant in requesting and demanding assistance to meet tangible needs.
It also expresses one who possesses a full expectation to receive what was firmly requested.
John 15:7 NKJV If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Hebrews 4:16 NKJV Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- Known (Greek: gnoridzo) to declare something or make something very evident.
Expanded, interpretive translation of Philippians 4:6:
“Don’t worry about anything – and that means nothing at all! Instead come before God and give Him the things that concern you so He can in exchange give you what you need or desire. Be bold to strongly, passionately, and fervently make your request know to God, making certain that an equal measure of thanksgiving goes along with your strong asking. You have every right to ask boldly, so go ahead and insist boldly that God meet your need. When you pray, be so bold that there is no doubt that your prayer is heard. Broadcast it! Declare it! Pray boldly until you have the assurance that God has heard your request.”
- There is a confidence that arises in your heart the more that you give thanks for the answer.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (7) Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
- The more you give thanks that you have the answer, the peace of God will become a guard over your heart and mind.