Focus On God

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We could avoid many of the struggles within our hearts by implementing the principles in these verses. Paul commands us to be anxious for nothing. Anxiety is a fear of the unknown. It shows that we are not fully trusting God. When Paul says “be anxious for nothing”, he means it. Do not let anything be allowed in your mind where worry can gain control.

We need to bring everything to God. Paul uses three forms of prayer we need to use when coming to God.

1) Prayer - Jesus said that we need to ask in order to receive. There is nothing too small or too large that we cannot tell God. He is concerned about all things.

2) Supplication - Bring your request before God time and time again. When God sees your unrelenting desire to ask for something (within His will), He then knows how much you want it. A cursory prayer shows a non-interest, but persistent beckoning before the throne shows God that you are serious.

3) The key phrase is “with thanksgiving” - We need to thank the Lord, as if He had already answered our prayer. A thankful spirit gives us a Mindset of gratefulness and a positive attitude which looks at the situation as claimed victory and not defeat.

We can thank God for answering our prayers during the difficulty because we know He is in control and He knows best. Many times God answers differently than our timing. He may be preparing you or another person or situation in order to answer in His perfect way. If He says no, we can thank Him for saving us from potential danger. If He says wait, He has something better for us later.

This spirit of thankfulness keeps our minds fixed on God and does not zero in on the request. Our anxiety will only get worse if all we do is concentrate on what we do not have. We must reflect on the bountiful blessings with which God has blessed us, both now and in the past. The child of God has plenty to thank God about, because He is generous in blessing, when we walk in His ways. Concentrating on God’s generous blessings can only bring peace.

This peace is beyond all understanding. When God grants His peace in the midst of the storm, our minds cannot fully comprehend the greatness of God’s gifts. Most people zero in on what they do not have and the fact that they are lacking that one thing. When we can keep our eyes on Jesus and not the item, God can now do the work, not us. His peace will then guard our hearts from discouragement and pain, by granting us His power to bear it while He works victoriously.

Thoughts, comments, objections.



Daniel A. Smith