ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING - PART 3

Worrying Is Like A Rocking Chair
It Will Give You Something To Do
But It Will Not Get You Anywhere
- anonymous -

In my previous post we learnt that anxieties and worries are our greatest "joy-stealers". What is the secret of overcoming anxiety? - REJOICE, REJOICE, REJOICE!!!Are you a worrier? Join the club. It's membership includes the entire human race. The dictionary describe anxiety as a noun (psychiatry) - is a relative permanent state of worry and nervousness occuring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic.
We all know from experience that worry is a fruitless activity of the mind until it results in positive action. Worry cannot change the past, but it can certainly ruin both the present and the future.
If there were one person who had every reason to be worried, it would have been the Apostle Paul. Consider the many dire situations he found himself in when he wrote Philippians 4:4-7:
- Imprisoned, chained to a Roman guard
- Awaiting trial and possible execution
- Attacked with all sorts of false accusations and criticism
- Faced with disunity and heresy in his church

(an extract from: Managing Your Emotions by Benny Ho)

Paul had all these burdens and more, yet he refused to worry. Instead, in Philippians 4:1-9, he gave us the secret to gaining victory over worry. He wrote: "Do not be ANXIOUS ..." (verse 6)
What is Paul's secret?
1) REJOICE
When Paul tells the Philippians not to worry but to instead "REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS (verse 4), he is issuing a command. Rejoicing is not just an emotion of the heart. IT IS AN ACT OF THE WILL! Why does Paul command the believers to rejoice? What is the basis of our JOY? Paul continues in verse 5: "The Lord is near." God is with us - He is our ever present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1)
2) PRAYER WITH THANKSGIVING
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". (verse 6-7)
We can go through the motions of prayer, but how can this kind of peace sink into our hearts in the midst of a difficult problem? By praying with THANKSGIVING and full trust that the problem is God's. In this kind of prayer, we transfer ownership of our situation to God. There is no way to come to this place of rest unless we are able to relinquish our agenda in the situation. We must become willing for God to work it out any way He chooses, whatever the result to us. It seems scary to relinquish control, but we were never really in control anyway. And what outcome might God work out that would not be entirely good? He is completely trustworthy with our problem.
(an extract from: Walk With God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen)

3) THINK CORRECTLY 
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you".

True peaces involves not just the heart but the mind as well.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you". (Isaiah 26:3)
Wrong thinking results in wrong feelings, which in turn fuel wrong thinking. What, then should our minds be preoccupied with? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 that we should think about whatever that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. If you are not convinced that Paul gives good advice, see what happens when we do the opposite? Now think about whatever that is false, depressing, despicable, wrong, unclean, vulgar, ugly or bad. How would you feel? Certainly not joyful; or peaceful but anxious and worried, right?

(an extract from: Managing Your Emotions by Benny Ho)
As worshipers, let us overcome the spirit of anxiety and worry with the spirit of REJOICING and THANKSGIVING! Then "the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".
Blessings
TPWC

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING - PART 1

Pray, Give Thanks And Let God Worry - Martin Luther

Philippians 4:6 is one of the most straightforward commands in Scripture, but one of the hardest to fulfill. Yet if we believe in the inspiration of Scripture, the originator of this verse is none other than the Holy Spirit.

How can God expect us to be anxiety free? He must have a reason. He wouldn’t tell us to do something that’s impossible to do. No, the rationale for this imperative comes in the words that follow. The reason we can be anxious for nothing is that our prayers, petitions, and requests can be given over to God in the spirit of GRATITUDE. Prayer with thanksgiving gives us rock-solid assurance that our anxieties are unfounded.

It is possible for a worshiper who is practicing the presence of God daily to be able to manage all his fears, anxieties and stresses. How is this possible? The answer is found in the presence of God. When you are in the presence of God, there is JOY and “The Joy of the Lord is your strength”! That is why Paul is able to give us a command in Philippians 4:4 to “REJOICE in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE!” In fact a worshiper who is practicing the presence of God will be able to stay calmed in any situations because “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). And the result is having "the peace of God" (Philippians 4:7) in midst of all circumstances.

Can I challenge you further on the spirit of thankfulness, gratitude and rejoicing?

1) Colossians 3:15-17"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."Be thankful - that is not a suggestion; it is a command. In all that we do we need to be guided by two principles: doing it "in the name of the Lord Jesus" and "giving thanks to God through Him"

2) Ephesians 5:19
"... speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."When you are full of the Holy Spirit you will continually give God thanks. In fact, you can measure the fullness of the Spirit within you partly by the spirit of a thankful heart. When you cease to do so, it is one sure indication you are beginning to leak out

3) 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."What is the will of God in Christ Jesus? To give thanks in everything. So if you are not giving thanks, as we have already seen, you are actually out of the will of God.

GRATITUDE is an attitude that if it isn't flowing naturally now, should be cultivated zealously. Practice it often, and it will soon become as natural as breathing.

Have a joyous and victorious week!
TPWC

AUTHENTIC WORSHIP - PART 2

“The Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.”

1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

AUTHENTIC WORSHIP
FROM THE HEART

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart and soul” (Luke 10:27) he meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt. It is not just a matter of saying the right words; you must mean what you say. Heartless praise is not praise at all! It is an insult to God.

When we worship, God looks past our words to our hearts. The Bible says, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.”
Since worship involves delighting in God, it engages your emotions. God gave you emotions so you could worship him with deep feeling, but those emotions must be genuine, not faked.
God hates hypocrisy. He doesn’t want showmanship or pretense or phoniness in worship. He wants your honest, real love. We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship him insincerely.
Of course, sincerity alone is not enough; you can be sincerely wrong. That’s why both spirit and truth are required. Worship must be both accurate and authentic. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.
Today many equate being emotionally moved by music as being moved by the Spirit, but these are not the same. Real worship happens when your spirit responds to God, not to some musical tone. In fact, some sentimental, introspective songs hinder worship because they take the spotlight off God and focus on our feelings. Your biggest distraction in worship is yourself – your interests and your worries over what others think about you.
Christians often differ on the most appropriate or authentic way to express praise to God, but these arguments are usually just personality and background differences. Many forms of praise are mentioned in the Bible, among them confessing, singing, shouting, standing in honor, kneeling, dancing, making a joyful noise, testifying, playing musical instruments, and raising hands.
The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God, based on the background and personality God gave you.
(an extract by Rick Warren)