Paul wrote much of the New Testament, and his testimony is one that inspires us and others. He violently opposed any one who followed Jesus and even had the backing of officials before he met Jesus. But that day, the day he met Jesus, changed everything for Paul.
He went from killing Christians to spreading the news about Jesus all the time and with even greater passion. His work starting churches and increasing faith around the world reminds us of what we are to be doing.
In my faith journey Paul’s teaching has become very important. Several Bible promises have come alive for me in the five decades I have been alive, but the one that sticks closest to my heart is the one we speak about today.
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.
I remember when God gave me those verses. I was in my early 20’s, and I had just begun to pastor my first church while I was in college. Life was changing rapidly although back then it felt like things moved slow. God got hold of my heart by teaching me how to deal with the situations of life that were in His control and not mine, how His plan for me for strong and good, and it was my goal, beginning at that time, to trust Him completely.
Doing away with worry was one of the biggest battles. Paul said it well. “Don’t worry about anything… pray about everything.” Profound. And true.
Hard to do but always right to stop worrying. It seems like the motivation to be changed, to look at life differently and to put a stop to what was taking me in the wrong direction.
But it didn’t stop there. The outcome for not worrying was and is the peace of God. He will supply peace that is more than we will ever understand, and that peace only comes when we stop worrying and trust God. He will guard our hearts and minds with His peace when we pray more than we worry.
Tied to that peace is being thankful and staying connected to God in prayer. You might beed to re-read those verses today. Memorize them. I quote those often. Sometimes daily those verses come up in conversations.
Try it. Trust God. Stop worrying and watch His peace change your life!
I am grateful for what Paul gave us in Philippians 4, and tomorrow we will go even further in to this powerful letter.
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