Do Not Be Anxious: How To Win Over Worry (Philippians 4:6-8)

Prison cell in Rome, purported to be the one in which Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians.

Todays Text in Context: Philippians 4

Bob Utley, "Philippians 4" from the series Paul Bound, The Gospel Unbound: Letters From Prison.

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Philippians

Michael Martin, "Philippians" The Holman Bible Dictionary, Trent C. Butler, Editor. Published by Broadman & Holman, 1991.

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Philippians 1:29-30 NIV

Philippians 4:6 NIV

Matthew 6:25-34 NIV

The English word worry comes from the Anglo-Saxon wyrgun meaning to choke, to strangle, to seize by the throat.

1. Turn your…

1. Turn your cares into prayers.

Philippians 4:6 NIV

If you can worry…

If you can worry, you can pray.

If it matters to you…

If it matters to you, it matters to God.

Should We Worry, Pray, or Plan?

In this helpful blog post, Mark Beeson contrasts the practical effects of prayer and worry. Mark Beeson, "Should We Worry, Pray, or Plan?"

http://bit.ly/2wv8Qv6

For reflection/discussion

Are you a worrier? What do you worry about most? Why do you worry? Does worry help? What was the setting in which Paul wrote this passage? What was the situation of the people to whom these words were first sent? How does knowing the historical context of today's text enrich our understanding?

2. Trust your…

2. Trust your heart and mind to God's protection.

Philippians 4:7 NIV

James Tissot, "Le Centurion" The Brooklyn Museum.

"The Greek word for guard is a military term that means to surround and protect a garrison city. The Philippians, living in a garrison town, were familiar with Roman guards who maintained watch, guarding the city from outside attack. God's peace is like soldiers surrounding believers' hearts and minds." —Life Application Bible Commentary.

For reflection/discussion

How does the peace of God protect our hearts and minds when we are tempted to worry? Why are the words "in Christ Jesus" in Philippians 4.7 so important? How does trusting God every day with life's little worries prepare us when we are faced with serious challenges and problems?

3. Train your…

3. Train yourself to "think different."

Think Different

Think different was an advertising slogan for Apple, Inc. (then Apple Computer, Inc.) in 1997 created by the Los Angeles office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. The slogan has been widely taken as a response to IBM's slogan "Think".

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"The human mind will always set itself on something." —William Barclay

Visual Theology: Think On These Things

Cool graphic explaining the meaning of the Greek words in Philippians 4.8. Tim Challies, "Visual Theology: Think On These Things" @challies

http://bit.ly/2hLtoMu

The best way to break a bad habit is…

The best way to break a bad habit is by replacing it with a good one.

Eat This, Not That

Eat This, Not That! is a print and digital franchise owned and operated by co-author David Zinczenko. The franchise makes recommendations about food choices with the aim of improving health. Criteria for unhealthy dishes center on high levels of calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and/or sugar content. Wikipedia article.

http://bit.ly/2ux2a2p

How To Break Bad Habits

Worry is a bad habit. How do we eliminate this, and any other, bad habits we may have? A helpful, entertaining animation and article on "How To Break Bad Habits" from PursueGod

http://bit.ly/2hM21lo

The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). Niebuhr, who first wrote the prayer for a sermon at Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts, used it widely in sermons as early as 1934 and first published it in 1951 in a magazine column. The prayer spread both through Niebuhr's sermons and church groups in the 1930s and 1940s and was later adopted and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs. Wikipedia article.

http://bit.ly/2jpe3kt

God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed; courage to change the things which should be changed; and wisdom to distinguish the one from the other; living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.

For reflection/discussion