Shape your worries into prayers

Scripture:

Philippians 4:6-8 "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. (7) Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (8) Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

Observation:

"Be anxious for nothing"—an admonition that touches the quick of every person. Anxiety, in the popular use of the term, is our most common problem. Worry, confusion of mind, pressures of daily life, uncertainty about the future—if we began to catalog specific aspects within these general categories, we would soon run out of space. Depression is the most common emotional problem in America today, and one of the most difficult with which to deal. Often the severity of depression requires hospitalization, but those who are hospitalized, even those who are under the care of a doctor for this malady, represent only a small portion of our population who are functioning far below the level of effectiveness as persons, who are weighed down so oppressively by anxiety that they cannot even dream of not being anxious.

The body of evidence grows almost daily, yet every person has to learn the lesson for himself: we are what we think. Sour dispositions create not only sick souls but also sick bodies. Feelings of worthlessness, bitter resentment and self-pity diminish us to fragments. A possessive nature, self-indulgence, self-protectiveness, and seif-centeredness shrivel the soul, create dysfunctions within us, distort perception, blur perspective, and prevent any healing we need.
The opposite of this is also true. Those who fill their minds with positive affirmations, who concentrate on the noble virtues that make life meaningful, set the stage for healing and make possible the wholeness that is God's design for all. Two thousand years before psychologists were teaching this truth, Paul discovered its power. "Meditate on these things," he said—things that are noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report. We are what we think.

The peace of God then "guards [our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The opposite of anxiety is peace. Not numbness nor unconcern, not the absence of inner and outward struggle, but God's peace, the peace that is from Him, giving us hope and confidence, strengthening us to carry on with joy when the burdens are heavy and the pathway rough. This has little to do with outward circumstances, which is why Paul said the peace of God would guard our hearts and mind. The word in Greek (phroureō) for "guard" or "keep" was employed when speaking of a company of soldiers keeping watch over a city—a good metaphor. God's peace is an inward

sentinel protecting us, keeping watch that we be not invaded by all the alien forces that would disrupt and ravage our minds and hearts, making us important by crushing us with anxiety.

Application:

What I put into my mind determines what comes out in my words and actions. Paul tells me to program my mind with thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. There is a question that I need to ask myself regularly: Do I have problems with impure thoughts and daydreams? I need to daily examine what I am putting into my mind through television, Internet, books, conversations, movies, and magazines. Then I need to replace harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, I need to read God's Word and pray. I also need to ask God to help me focus my mind on what is good and pure. It takes practice, but it can be done.

Prayer:

"Lord, I want to shape all of my worries into prayers. I understand that what I put into my mind determines what comes out in my words and actions. Your Word tells me how to program my mind with things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and worthy of praise. I repent of my constant worry, for that is a form of fear. And you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of "power, love, and a sound mind." Today, I verbalize my faith and trust in you Lord. I will not allow worries to keep me up tonight. As soon as a worried thought comes into my mind, I will shape that worry into prayer. Thank you Lord for the victory I have over this spirit of heaviness. In Jesus name, amen!"

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty