How to Have Peace of Mind in Troubled TimesSample

Day 5: Moving from Turmoil into Peace

One of the greatest verses to help us stay in peace and live free from worry and fear is Philippians 4:6. Here, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul lays out God’s proven plan for peace, telling us boldly:

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

In the original Greek, the phrase “be careful for nothing” literally means do not worry about anything at all. Paul tells us what we should do instead of worrying:

...In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

The words “in everything” are a translation from the Greek word that signifies every little detail of your life. Philippians 4:6 makes it clear that we are to go to the Lord as often as needed and discuss every little detail and facet of our lives.

As we learned previously, 1 Peter 5:7 tells us that God is mindful and deeply concerned with every little detail of your life. Although counselors can certainly help us work through difficult issues, the first person we should go to with our problems is the Lord because only He has the ability to effectively hear us and help us.

After we are instructed to “be careful for nothing,” we are given the first step to take whenever something comes against our mind to steal our peace, and that is to pray. The word “prayer” here describes up-close, face-to-face, or intimate contact.

When you’re in a place of turmoil, you need to draw near to the altar of God, and once you come intimately close to Him, you make a vow in exchange for His answer to your prayer. You need to be willing to say, “God, I’m going to give you my turmoil, and in exchange, I’m asking You to give me Your peace.”

I want to help you by giving you a short breakdown on the five steps of Philippians 4:6 that, if applied, will produce true and lasting peace in your life. Take these steps, open your Bible, and study them out until they penetrate your heart and become life unto you.

Step 1: Prayer: Come to the altar of God and make an exchange. Give Him your turmoil in exchange for His peace.

Step 2: Supplication: Lay down your pride and honestly tell God what you’re dealing with and what you need. This pleading or appeal is earnest, bold, and shameless.

Step 3: Thanksgiving: Begin to thank God in advance for moving on your behalf. Your level of thankfulness needs to match the level of your asking. Thankfulness is the voice of faith, and when you move into thankfulness, you’re changing the atmosphere and moving out of turmoil and into peace.

Step 4: Requests: Your asking is an insistence and demand—with honor and respect—for what you specifically need. Your request is a confident expectation that you will receive what God has promised in His Word.

Step 5: Know: Your requests to God are to be broadcasted, declared, made known, or made very evident until you have the assurance that God has heard your requests!

Every time you obediently walk out the five steps of Philippians 4:6—prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and making your requests known—you will experience the extraordinary promise of Philippians 4:7:

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

By simply following these five steps, you will move from fear to faith, from turmoil to peace, and from defeat to victory! This is the practical, biblical pathway into the wonderful, supernatural peace of God that passes understanding. His peace will keep your heart and mind, serving as a guard to protect the entrance of the very core of your life. Live in this way, and nothing the enemy throws at you will have the power to steal your peace and rob you of the victorious life offered you through Jesus Christ!

For Your Consideration:

1. By now, you should know that God wants you to come and talk to Him about anything and everything that is bothering you, regardless of what it is. Whatever you’re worrying about should be what you’re praying about! Knowing this truth, what things have you kept from God because you thought they were too small or didn’t want to bother Him?
2. Have you ever wondered what you should pray about? Try listing any tiny little concerns in your life and take time now to voice these concerns, walking through the five steps of Philippians 4:6.