The key to Joy, Happiness and Peace!
The key to no worries and a long life!
Text: Philippians 4:5-7 NKJV
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
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.
The Greek "Epieikes" - mildness; patience; kindness; moderation; meekness; gentleness.
1 Timothy 3:3 NKJV
3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
Titus 3:2 NKJV
2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.
James 3:17 NKJV
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
1 Peter 2:8 NKJV
8 and “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
Philippians 4:5 NKJV
5...THE LORD IS AT HAND. - This phrase is similar to Maranatha
NOTE: Here it means the Lord is Judge, and is at hand to punish.
Philippians 4:6 NKJV
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let; your requests be made known to God.
The Greek "Meden merimnate" be anxious about nothing. Translation: Be careful
Luke 10:41 NKJV
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
NOTE: Have care
1 Corinthians 7:32-34 NKJV
32 But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.
1 Corinthians 12:25 NKJV
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
NOTE: Take thought
Matthew 10:19 NKJV
19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
NOTE: Do not tolerate anxiety or worry, for it will injure your own soul. God alone can help you and He will do it if you will pray about everything that happens to you and give thanks for everything.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
NOTE: We are commanded here to let all requests be known to God—requests for material, physical, and spiritual needs and wants—everything that concerns us in this life along any line.
Philippians 4:7 NKJV
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
TEN LAWS FOR CURE OF WORRY—PHILIPPIANS 4:7
The Greek "Phroureo" - Like a soldier on guard. On duty to keep watch.
Galatians 3:23 NKJV
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
1 Peter 1:5 NKJV
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
2 Corinthians 11:32 NKJV
32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me;
- These truths applied, Permits the peace of God to garrison/guard; keep your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.
- Renounce all worry and by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make all requests known to God.
James 4:7 NKJV
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Humility Cures Worldliness
- Think on the right things commanded in the Scriptures.
- Keep your mind stayed on Christ.
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
3 You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
5. Use the weapons of spiritual warfare.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 NKJV
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
NOTE: Pulling down strongholds is destroying the reasoning of pagan philosophers, Catholic traditions and Jewish rabbis and their dogmas that nullify the word of God and the facts of the Gospel. These fortifications we pull down and demolish. We put to flight the demon powers and alien armies, raising the banner of the cross on the field of battle.
Casting down imaginations is demolishing all theories, reasoning’s, and any high system of ethics, religion, mythology, metaphysics, sublime doctrine, or philosophy set forth to defy the knowledge of God.
Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. We take every thought prisoner and lead it into captivity to obey Christ. Lascivious, vain, and evil thoughts of all kinds are brought down and made obedient to His Laws. This includes any thinking which is contrary to virtue, purity and righteousness. Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-22; 1 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 5:19; Philippians 4:8; Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 15:26; Isaiah 55:7; Jeremiah 4:14
Having in readiness to avenge all disobedience at all times, ready to speak, to court-martial any opposing the Gospel of Christ, after separating ourselves from them.
- Put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18
- Have faith in God. Matthew 6:25-34; 7:7-11; 17:20; 21:22; Mark 11:22-24
- Live and walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 6:14-23; 8:1-13
- Do not cast away confidence. Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 6:11-12; 10:19-23, 35-39
- Cast all your care upon God. 1 Peter 5:7
CONCLUSION: God promises us total peace, but there are conditions. It takes action on our part to consciously think about and recognize when our emotions are wrong, causing us to be anxious, worry, and be angry. We, like a soldier on guard, are supposed to willfully, with all our spiritual strength; draw on the Holy Spirit to resist the temptations of the enemy of our soul. We must not lean on our own understanding/pride and allow these attacks of Satan to defeat us momentarily, just as the disciples, on the raging sea, began to doubt and become anxious and fearful. They woke Jesus and He reprimanded them saying, “Oh ye of little faith, how long do I have to be with you?”
We are in a daily battle, but with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we can ascertain the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
Dr. Jonathan Hansen