January 23 - How do I not worry?

January 23 - How do I not worry?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).

At Bethel as we’ve dissected the Lord’s Prayer, we’ve recognized that to pray give us today our daily bread is a declaration of recognition of dependence on the Lord; but it’s also an assertion of faith – trusting Him to provide whatever we need.

But, ours is an era of stress, and angst, and negative pressure, and nervous tension. Fear often results.

Almost nothing crushes faith like uncontrolled fear. And its ugly sister, anxiety.

Paul’s verses above offer such practical advice for our frenetic 21st century lives.

And the Lord extends a simple – bulletproof! – promise to ward off anxiousness.

It can be reduced to this equation:  prayer + thanksgiving = peace + protection.

Think about the simplicity of the promise: our lives are to immersed in prayer; we are to be ones who “pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17). Our prayers are to be offered – and our lives lived – in a context of daily thankfulness.

The promised result: we will experience God’s supernaturally transcendent peace; and as an added benefit we will be protected in our mind (against intellectual confusion) and our heart (against discouragement).

Is there a single Christ-follower today who doesn’t need to be reminded of – and to practice – this relevant, practical promise?

Takeaway: Lord, the requirements of this formula are easy to say, but disciplines I find so hard to live out. Please energize me by your Spirit to be prayerful and thankful.  I want my life to be characterized by those occupations. I desperately want to -- need to -- experience Your peace.

 

~this blog edited from original post in March 2014.

...graphic by Supreet Vaid, freeimages.com

About Us

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28 The community at Bethel includes a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Young and old, families and singles, English-speakers and those with a French mother-tongue, various ethnic and religious backgrounds. We reflect the make up of the city of North Bay. More importantly though, we are a group of people who Jesus has saved through his work on the cross. By God's plan of redemption we were all brought into one family as brothers and sisters in Christ, given a mission to reach into our world and make disciples for Him. We hope you will find at Bethel a friendly, loving group of people striving to live for Jesus Christ. Whether you are visiting for the day or trying to find a permanent church home, you are welcome to join us as we together seek out Him.

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