Anxiety

  The first reference is:  Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
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If we back up a couple of verses, 4-6 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God...”

So, first, we need to look at the glass half full.  We need to always strain to look for the positive so that our shining faith in Jesus will be seen by non-believers.  Once we give up our prayers to God, we need to let Him handle it, in His own time.  

Paul understands our pain of separation here, he speaks of it in Verse 1 “therefore my beloved and longed-for brethren”... This is believed to have been written when he was imprisoned in Rome and written to the Philippians believers.  So Paul gets how we are feeling RIGHT NOW~!  

And, we must always believe, that God feels our pains too.  He understands, He “gets it”.

Today, I challenge each of you to turn off the news, facebook and radio, give up your fears and concerns to God and look into yourself...Find joy in what you CAN do, find HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ, and KNOW that He is with you each step of the way.  You are not alone.

> God, I acknowledge our need for you today.  I pray that you would breathe peace onto me through your Holy Spirit.  Would you guard my heart?  Would you show me how to protect my mind?  I know that I am weak on my own, and I fall back on your strength today.  Be near to me, guiding me and equipping me as I go.  In Your name I pray, Amen.

CURRENTLY, the plan is to do this study once a week on Wednesday mornings.  Let me know your thoughts.  We have a list of prayers for each other and some friends or neighbours that are struggling.  If there are needs in our community that you are aware of, please let me know.

Susan T-L