“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” (Phil. 4:6-7 NIV)

Many times in Scripture we are commanded to not be anxious about anything. Why would God ever command us to do anything that we could not control?

God enables you to do it!

I am also reminded of other promises such as “when we are weak, he is strong” (2nd Cor. 12:10), and his strength is made perfect in our weakness” (2nd Cor. 12:9), and even “I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), In other words, God sends his help and strength to enable you to accomplish what he commands you to do!

This promise comes with instructions!

And, as many times you see in the Word of God, instructions are included along with the commands and promises. And, that is true here with this command to not be anxious about anything. “By prayer (speak to God about it) and petition (ask God for help about it) with thanksgiving (Thank God for the answer for it) present your requests to God (anything and everything about it, put in the form of direct requests to God about it). And, with this promise, God tells you what will happen if you follow and do the simple instructions in the verse, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Fear is not from God!

Finally, remember that anxiety is fear and fear is not from God! (2 Tim. 1:7), It is an attack against you from the devil. But, God promises to “guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus!” The battle is fought and won in your mind and it’s wonderful to know that He has you covered!

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“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:20 NKJV)

I don’t always remember

I don’t know about you, but when I think about it, I can “think” about a lot of things that I could actually “ask” for. But, truthfully, I don’t always remember to “think” or to “ask” for any stuff. And, quite frankly, I no longer EVER ask God for anything that I “need” because it isn’t necessary for me to do so. Why should I ask Him for something that He has clearly promised to take care of already?

He SHALL supply ALL your need!

It says very plainly in God’s Word, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 NKJV) It doesn’t say He “maybe shall supply my need”. Or, if He does “it will be determined by the state of the economy”, or, “according to the prime lending rate!” He said he SHALL supply it, So, it is unnecessary for me to ask for what he has clearly promised me in His Word. So, again, I never ask him to supply my need. Instead, I thank Him for supplying them! (And, of course, he ALWAYS does!) I am very grateful that I never need to worry about these things!

So, what then do I ask Him for you may wonder?

I ask him for things that I WANT! Jesus said that we should come to God just like little children do (Matt. 18:3). If you have children you will notice that they don’t normally ask you for a “need” because they rightfully know that you, as their parent, will take care of it for them. In fact, they never seem to give “needs” a thought. But, they sure don’t hesitate for a moment to ask you for things that they “want”! And, when they have a good attitude, you love to bless them with what they ask for. Most parents do!

According to the power that works within us!

Now, I really love the last part of the promise that says that he gives “above all that we could ask or think according to the power that works within us!” Wow!! When you think of all that implies! God has given us much power, and it is within us, to do what we need to do! In fact, brace yourself for this, “the same power that raised Christ from the dead, is within you!” (Rom. 8:11). Knowing and believing this fact should be a great encouragement and faith builder for you! And nothing is then impossible for you!

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“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom.8:32 NIV)

The highest price paid

What God has made available for us for free wasn’t free for Him! In fact the price paid was the highest amount ever paid for anything that was ever purchased throughout all of history, and it is impossible for that fact to ever change, because the price that was paid was the precious blood of God’s only Son, Jesus! (Eph. 1:3-8)

Don’t waste it!

It is absolutely insane NOT to put to use that which was so highly paid for on your behalf!

What did it buy for you?

• You are God’s child (John 1:12) and Jesus’s sibling! It paid for you to be adopted into God’s family! You are now an heir to God! (Rom. 8:17).

• Instant access to God! You now can come boldly to God (your father) at any time of need! (Heb. 4:16-18).

• All ‘things’ belong to you! Because of what God has done, you have received ‘all things’ from Him! Everything that belongs to Him, also belongs to you! (Rom 8:32)

• All your needs are met! Every possible need you could EVER imagine is supplied somewhere in the Word of God in the form of Promises! (2 Peter 1:4 & 2 Cor. 1:20).

You just have to find them (search them out), mix faith with them (Heb. 4:2), and they are yours! 

Therefore…

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:”For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughter”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)

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“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good;blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalms 34:4-8 NIV)

With great confidence!

I love the fact that we serve a personal and powerful God who we can approach with great confidence knowing that He hears us, answers us, and does something about what we ask! And I love that he frees me from ALL my fears and ALL my troubles.

Negative Feelings

As I was thinking about the part of this verse referring to “all of my fears,” I noticed that it was plural and not singular, meaning more than one fear was being talked about here. He didn’t explain what each fear was, but it was definitely more than one. Usually fearful people are fearful in many areas at the same time. Fear is really just negative feelings, and you can actually do something about your fearful feelings when you understand it is something you have the power to control. 

Recognize and take control!

The first step to overcoming a negative feeling is to recognize it and then take control of it. (Fear, anger, or some other negative thing). A helpful principle to understand: “A feeling named is a feeling tamed!” Explanation: An unidentified feeling can take control of you. But, you can take control of a named feeling once you have recognized it and then take control of it. Then ask God to help you knowing that He can and He will.

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“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:3-5 KJV)

What is being said

There is so much in the above passage to meditate about, to claim for yourself, and to praise God for. It is powerful! As usual, it helps to look at each part of any passage of scripture, dissecting it, so to speak, to find out what is really being said.

Breaking it down and looking at it piece by piece closely (My comments are in parentheses) …

 “For though we walk in the flesh, (we do live in a human body, it’s a fact) we do not war after the flesh: (our battle is not fought physically using our fleshly body). For the weapons of our warfare (yes, it’s an actual war but we DO have weapons available to fight and win it!) are not carnal (carnal means “of the flesh” and of the “human senses” – of touch, taste, sight, hear and smell) but mighty through God (how mighty is this?!! Why would we ever give into worry?!) to the pulling down of strong holds; (for pulling down those gripping, insidious, sins/problems/any disease or sickness/the lack of any kind of need being met – the list goes on and on of serious things that have held onto you so strongly). Casting down (exactly what it says!) imaginations, (most of the fearful things attack your mind and make you “imagine” worse case scenarios) and every high thing that exalteth itself (anything that claims to be higher and more powerful than God! Which, of course, is a lie from the pit of hell!) against the knowledge of God, (notice that the attack is against “the knowledge” of God, what you know about Him) and bringing into captivity (captures it) every (every means, well, it means “every”!) thought (what you think) to the obedience of Christ.”

Therefore…

Know this, that your primary battle is fought and won within your mind! That’s because “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov 23:7 NKJV). You win every battle with the Word of God! In fact, it’s already won by what Jesus did on the cross for you. You have a multitude of God’s promises to cover every single need. And they are all “Yes” and promised by Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20). But, the devil tells you they won’t work for you! So you doubt the Word of God! And that makes faith not work! But understand this, the devil cannot do anything to you without your cooperation! Remember this huge promise, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!” (John 8:36). And, this one, too, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 NKJV).

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“Remember this: whosoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” (2 Cor. 9:6 NIV)

You will reap what you sow!

Everything you sow (good and bad) works like a seed in God’s kingdom way of doing things. And there are many, many verses in the Old and New Testament that clearly say this. Yes, it is very important to understand “seed, time, and harvest” principles (Gen. 8:22). And yes, you need to be planting good seeds into God’s kingdom. This is the main way God blesses his kids. In fact, this is something that God tells you to test Him about (Malachi 3:10), and He says the blessing will be so large you won’t be able to contain it.

Don’t throw out the baby! 

So, don’t get put off by looking at people you are turned off personally by who tell you to send them your “seed faith” money. Just because there are people who may be using these principles in ways you don’t like don’t make God’s Word and promises of provision untrue. Don’t throw out “the baby with the bath”! The devil loves to get you to not do God’s principles (for any negative reason) so that you won’t benefit from them!

Check out the fruit

Yes, you MUST plant money as seed, but do what I do! I find ministries that I really trust and believe in and then I support them! I look at their fruit (you will know them by their fruit, Matt. 7:16). And I check them out in other ways too, through legitimate agencies who track non-profit’s money usage, so that I can make sure my money is being used as they claim it is and in ways which will bring the most increase. And I then give confidently to them.

Don’t eat your seed! 

By the way, when I first discovered these principles, I had very little. And I was tempted to eat my seed rather than to sow it! But God showed me something powerful about sowing seed in the following verse: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked! Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7). First, you always get the same thing you plant! If you plant a radish seed, you won’t get potatoes! If you plant discord you won’t get peace. It works the same way with everything in God’s created world, including money! Secondly, you get more than what you plant! If you plant just one corn seed, you don’t get back just one corn seed, you get a plant with lots and lots of corn! So, it doesn’t take much seed to get a great harvest! And then thirdly, it comes later (takes time). Seed not only must be planted in good soil, but it takes time for it to grow and produce a crop that you can harvest. That’s why it is important to be planting good seed of all kinds continuously.

Be a cheerful giver. God loves them! 

I give every way I can and I am very much blessed because of it! I am now able to sow much more than I used to, and I do so cheerfully. Praise God!!!!

Therefore…

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’” (2 Cor. 9:7 NLT)

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“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:20 NLT)

We should never look to wealth and riches to find our happiness

In the gospel of Luke, verses 12:17-21, a rich man planned to build bigger barns to store up his excess grain, “but thinking to himself, he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. And God said unto him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you: then whose shall those things be, which you have provided? So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Notice the last part here, that he “lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”. The problem wasn’t that the man was wealthy. It was that he was selfish and he was storing up his wealth only for himself and not to be used “toward God”.

Have the same mind of Christ

And we should have the “same mind” of Christ (Phil. 2) to do what is needed according to the calling God has called us to. The Apostle Paul said it this way in 1 Cor. 9:19, “Although I am free from all men, I have made myself to be a slave to all that I might win the more…. and I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may share the blessing therein.” And, keep in mind that what Jesus did on the cross paid for thousands of powerful promises found throughout the Bible to cover every possible need. And the main thing to understand is to use whatever you have been given by God to serve Him and others and to “establish His Covenant on earth.” By the way, I have been poor and also rich, and rich is far better! And I don’t apologize how God blesses me. 

Therefore…

“Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits.”
(Psalm 68:19)

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“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,To all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

In God we live and move and have our being 

“…He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:27-28 NKJV)

“You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth.” (Psalm 119:151)

He’s near to the brokenhearted 

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Therefore…

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:5-7 ESV)

'"Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty."' (Zech. 1:3 NIV)

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart…’” (Joel 2:12 ESV)

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (Janes 4:8)

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“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day”. (Deut. 8:18 NKJV)

The devil has wrongly convinced many of God’s kids to have a poverty mentality to defund the work of God so that the covenant of God won’t be established! If you think you must be poor than that is what you will always be! If, on the other hand, you see yourself prospering and successful by God’s hand for the right reasons you will prosper!

Money Is Not the Problem!

Many Christians believe that God wants them to be poor because they equate being poor to being godly. But, nothing could be further from the truth! Having money and being wealthy is not evil. It’s actually the “love of money” that the Bible says is the “root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Tim. 6:10). And you can look around you and see that that statement is certainly true! But you can biblically say the same fact about lots of other things because loving them could also lead you into evil. For instance, loving food can lead you into serious problems (gluttony) and hurt your body which is called “God’s temple”. Loving sleep, can lead you into serious problems (slothfulness) and into poverty. And loving wine can lead you to serious problems (alcoholism), but, Jesus turned the water into wine, so wine in itself isn’t bad.

It’s a Blessing to “Establish God’s Covenant” and much more! 

Having money, or anything else for that matter, is a blessing if you don’t love it more than you love God. Understand that money and everything else you have is a blessing from God and He blesses you so you can “establish His covenant” and so that you are able to be a blessing to others. The promise at the top says that God “gives you power to get wealth” in order to “establish His covenant… as it is to this day.” Knowing what wealth is for is the important thing to remember. 

Wealth is a great personal blessing and a great ministry tool

 “I will bless you so that you will be a blessing to others.” (Gen. 12:2)

“You will be enriched in all ways so that you will be able to be generous on all occasions.” (2 Cor. 9:11)

Just think what a wonderful blessing it is to be able to give generously to promote God’s Kingdom! 

But wait, there’s more!  

When I told someone this recently (someone who is very religious and always struggles financially, by the way), they said, “Jesus was poor!” And I pointed out to them that he was NOT in fact poor! Even as a baby, wealthy people sought Him out to give riches to Him (the wise men in chapter 2 of the gospel of Luke). He was in fact the “King of Kings and the Lord of Lords” but, He deliberately “lowered himself” in order to accomplish His specific mission to bring redemption. (Phil. 2:7). Even so, many wealthy people followed and supported Him. And the only people who criticized him were religious people. When a woman broke a bottle of very expensive perfume onto Jesus they complained about it! (Mark 14). And later, when He was crucified the soldiers nearby cast lots for his robe because it was valuable. And he was buried in a rich man’s tomb.

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