A ‘Way Out’ Philippians 4:6
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:5 talks about the life changing power of gentleness. Now in verse 6, Paul will show us how to move from anxiousness to prayer with thanksgiving.
Paul’s exhortation for us to “not be anxious about anything” might seem nearly impossible at first glance. But the reality is that this verse teaches us how to deal with the anxiety and worry that wants to steal away the full and abundant life that Jesus gives us. Paul is teaching us to turn the worries and anxieties in to prayer.
Trusting God
Anxiousness and worry are rooted in fear. A fear that we tend to work up in our minds as we think about all of the possible bad outcomes of a given situation. But this worry and anxiousness is not from God.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
When we are full of worry we are not fully trusting God with our today or our future. We need to realize that it is the goal of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy our life and faith in God. The enemy wants us to focus on the unknown and the uncertainties of life.
Always Keep God in the Equation
We often have a tendency to limit our thoughts to our way of fixing bad situations. Our limited abilities to fix broken things, causes us to become anxious and worried if we don’t see things moving along the only way that we can see them working out. But God is not limited, and we need to know that He is able to do things we could never think of.
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
God can do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine. That is why you always need to keep Him in the equation of your life.
So if you are worried or anxious about anything you need to think of it as something that the enemy is trying to do to get you off track. The enemy is tempting you to choose to worry. However, with every temptation that comes our way, God has provided a ‘way out’.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
The ‘way out’ of anxiousness and worry that God provides for us is prayer with thanksgiving.
Putting it All Together
Let’s tie all these thoughts together in to one practical action step to move from anxiousness to prayer.
Don’t be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, keep God in the equation by presenting your requests to Him, because He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.
Steve Lawes is the founder of the Online Bible Institute and Pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.