Finding Balance in Life

This is part 4 of a series we have been going through each week. You can look back at previous posts to go into depth, but here's a quick recap:

Week 1 - Our culture says we ought to be independent, but we all depend on Jesus for life and salvation. Whether we like it or not, we are dependents.

Week 2 - Our culture tells us we need to be handle everything on our own and not rely on others, but God provided the church so that we could have a support system and people to help us with our burdens.

Week 3 - Our culture promotes the idea of pursuing the "easy life" - looking for success and wealth so we can sit back and relax. God never promised us an easy life, even for those who follow Him, but He did promise to never leave us alone. Not only did He provide the church as a support network, but He also promised to always be with us no matter what we go through. In the midst of darkness, He is our Light.

    We each have a list of responsibilities that we have to deal with. Some of you may have a longer list than others. Here is a simple list to think about:

- School (grades, GPA, friends, teachers)

- Home (chores, siblings, parents, questions)

- Sports (practice, games, exercising)

- Instruments (practice, recitals, being reminded to practice)

- Work (shifts, coworker/manager drama, customers)

- Finances (saving up for college/car/vacation, insurance, gas)

- Hard times

    That last one ought to cover most of what may have been missed in terms of things that give us stress, worry, or anxiety. And on top of all these responsibilities, as Christians we are called to do so much more:

- Love our neighbors (and enemies)

- Help those in need

- Support our neighbors

- And one of the most difficult things: BE LIKE JESUS CHRIST.

    Why is that so difficult? Well, He was literally perfect, He performed miracles, He was patient, wise, loving and compassionate, and He wasn't afraid to call people out when they were in the wrong. He was the Son of God. He died for the sins of the world. HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD.

    He's a hard man to emulate. There's just so much going on. And yet, that's what we are called to do - to be like Jesus.

    As we put all of these together, it can very easily lead to even more stress as we try to do everything and do it like Jesus. It can be overwhelming. So what does God tell us to do?

Philippians 4:6-7 - "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."

    I don't know about you, but the advice "just don't worry about it" doesn't work for me. THANKFULLY, God doesn't leave it there. He says, "Don't worry. Instead, turn it over to me. Let me take on the stress and the anxiety and the worry. Let me handle it. Trust me with it."

    Whether it be a worldly thing we are worrying about, or a spiritual thing that we feel like we are not living up to, God says we can bring it to Him. When Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine, He took away the threat of punishment and death from those who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior. When we fail, when we mess up, when we don't measure up, God doesn't hold that against us.

The pressure is off.

    While we are called to be like Jesus, God knows that we could never measure up to that standard on our own. He knows we are going to fail at times. He knows we are going to fall short some days. He doesn't hold our shortcomings against us. Our goal ought to be to do our very best to be like Jesus, but not to give up hope or become overwhelmed by anxiety when we fail.

Luke 9:23-24 - "Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever looses their life for me will save it.'"

    The call to be like Jesus is a daily endeavor. Every day we make the decision to leave behind our old self and become more like Jesus. That's what it means to take up our cross. We are taking up death, the death of who we used to be, to then follow in the new life we have received in Jesus.

    The point of this message is to help you find a balance between God's expectations and God's grace. He expects us to be more and more like Jesus every day, but He also extends us grace when we fall short.

Think about all the people in the Old Testament who fell short, and God used them anyway:

- Moses literally murdered someone.

- Abraham was a liar.

- Gideon was a bit of a scaredy-cat and lacked trust in God at times.

- David committed adultery and then sent the woman's husband to his death in battle.

- Jonah ran away from God.

    These are just a few examples of people who God used even though they weren't perfect. We see the same in the New Testament:

- Saul (who we know as Paul) hunted down, persecuted, and imprisoned Christians (before becoming one himself).

- Matthew, one of Jesus' disciples, was a tax collector (a profession known for dishonesty and greed).

- Peter denied Jesus three times.

    Of all the people in the Bible, even the Christians, only one was perfect: Jesus Christ. We are called to be like Him, but there is grace when we fall short.

    God's measure of a successful life is whether or not we followed in Jesus' footsteps. He wants to see us try to be like Jesus and to try to follow His example. So, to sum up some takeaways from this message:

1. Success = following God.

2. Any "failing" on your part has, is, and will be forgiven - you are loved, always.

3. You have an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God on your side.

4. You have a community of fellow believers willing and wanting to help.

    So, as you are looking for how to live your life, and what to do in your life, make sure you are finding that balance between God's expectation to be like Jesus and His grace when you fall short. Whatever worries, struggles, or anxieties you face, entrust them to God.

What Do You Do When Life Feels Hopeless

 This post is now two and a half weeks late. Oops.

As I wasn't the speaker for this message, you get the super-condensed version that I can glean from the notes. ;) You're welcome.

    This is part 3 of a series of messages which build on each other. You can look back at previous posts to go in-depth, but so far we have talked about our dependency on God, that we all must rely on Him for life and salvation, and that we also have each other to lean on in times of trouble and strife.

    Life comes with a lot of struggles. Whatever phase of life you are in, I guarantee you're facing some kind of struggle, anxiety, or stress. When things get really bad, it can feel awful to need to rely on others for support, but it is important for us to remember that as a church, we are a support network for each other.

    The thing is, a support network can only get us so far. Ultimately, we have to go back to the first lesson and remember that we all must rely on God. When things get dark, look to the Light.

James 5:13 - "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray."

Mark 11:24 - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Matthew 6:7-8 - "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

    When we are facing darkness, in the midst of darkness, or overwhelmed by darkness, we are told to look to the Lord in prayer. He is there for you, just as He was there for the people we read about in the Bible.

    As you read through the Psalms of David, you will see him over and over crying out to the Lord in desperation, in anguish, in darkness. And often he doesn't get the answer he was looking for, but he is reminded of the steadfast love of the Lord and all the good He has done in his life, and his anguish turns to praise.

    Jesus promised all those who follow Him that He would always be with them. And that doesn't mean He will deliver us from every situation or circumstance, but it does mean He will be there with us through those situations and circumstances as a support and a comfort.

    So, if you're struggling, if life is hard right now, or you are just feeling down, I have two encouragements for you. First, share your burden with some other believers. Find a community of Christians you can trust and share your struggles with them, let them be a support for you. Second, look to the Lord in prayer. Bring your struggles, bring your sorrows, bring your anxieties, bring your strife, bring your darkness to Him and let Him comfort and guide you through. Let Him be the lamp to your feet and the light to your path.

When life feels hopeless, look to the One who gives hope to all who believe.

We Need Each Other

    In the last post we took a look at our basic need for God - our dependency on Him for salvation and eternal life. The gist of it is, we cannot get salvation, forgiveness for our sins, or eternal life on our own. The standard to get it is nothing short of perfection. If you're less than perfect (and you are less than perfect, sorry to burst your bubble there), then you cannot get to God. There is nothing you can do. And this is why Jesus came to the earth. He lived the perfect life we never could. He paid the penalty for all of our sins like we never could (His death on the cross). And He rose from the dead like we never could (and I don't mean His heart stopped for a few minutes - He was dead dead, like really dead for a couple of days). And what He accomplished in all of this was making a way for us to get to God. So, it is only by grace, through faith in Jesus, that we can be forgiven for our sins, receive salvation from Hell, and live forever with God. For that, we are entirely dependent on God.

    Ok, so that was a longer summary than I intended, but it needed to be said. I hope that puts it in perspective for you. So, if we are already entirely dependent on God for our salvation, then why do we try to stop there? Like, "Okay, God, thanks for the salvation and all but I got the rest of it on my own". No! That's not how we're meant to live, and it's not how we have to live. Jesus said to those who follow Him in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

    When we face trials, struggles, hardships, anxieties, stress, and anything else life has to throw at us, we are told by God that we can take these things to Him. We can continue to rely and depend on Him for comfort, peace, and guidance through whatever comes our way. That's an incredible hope, knowing that we can rely on the all-powerful God to see us through our struggles!

    But that's not all. Read through the following Bible verses and see if you can put together the common theme running throughout them all. (And try not to just skim, these verses are more important than anything I could say in this post - you'll benefit the most from these).

Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 - Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

John 13:34-35 – A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Acts 2:42-47 - And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 12:5 - So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Romans 12:5 -  so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Romans 12:10-13 - Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

1 Corinthians 12:25-27 - that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Philippians 2:3-4 - So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Colossians 3:13 - bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working.

1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

1 Peter 4:8-10 - Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Common theme?

Acceptable answers include: community, bearing with one another in love, loving each other, fellowship (if you want to use the church-y word), or anything along those lines.

    Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to bear with one another in love, to carry each others burdens, to support and encourage each other. He points out over and over the importance of having a solid community of faith around you. As you read through the New Testament in particular, almost every letter from the apostles includes some kind of call to love and support fellow believers. We just read through a bunch of them above.

    Life comes with highs and lows, and just as we can go to God with these - giving thanks for the good things and seeking guidance for the bad - we also ought to share our burdens with one another. We do not have to face life - or figure it out - alone. Our faith isn't just between us and God, but is shared with every other Christian in the world. That's a big community!

    God provided the "church" (the gathering or assembly of believers) so that we could gather together as a community and care for each other, not just so we could sing some songs, play some games, or hear some messages. Those are good things, but the real purpose of meeting together regularly like we do is to love one another and worship God together.

That's why Jesus boiled down the entire Old Testament Law into two commands:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

    And just as we are loving our neighbor, they are loving us, and it's an amazing support network of fellow Jesus-followers.

    When you're at youth group, or for those of you who attend a church, do you ever feel like you can't open up? Do you ever feel like you can't share what's really going on under the surface? Do you ever feel like you have to put on your "happy face" and pretend everything is okay, even when it is not?

    I'll be honest, I used to feel this way all the time, especially in youth group. Even today, there are times when I feel like I have to shove the bad stuff down and smile. When I was in youth group, I felt like the other students wouldn't really care about what was going on, or that they would look at me different if they knew. And I know it can feel like that for you, too.

    But part of the purpose of Christian communities like a youth group or local church is for them to be a place where you can open up about what's going on in your life, where you can share the struggles and trials you're facing, and where the people around you can love and support and encourage you as you go through life.

    One of our leaders couldn't be at our meeting last night because a family in his other church had lost their child. He was with the family at the funeral, just being there for them as they mourned. When someone from our community goes through something devastating like that, we are called to show up, to be there for them in their hour of need. Likewise, when we are going through something, members of our community ought to show up, to be there for us.

    But, how can they be there if they don't know what's going on? This is why God places so much emphasis on sharing with each other and bearing each others burdens. I am not saying you have to tell every Christian you meet everything that's going on, but you should connect with your Family Group leaders, or other trusted members of your faith community, and open up about whatever struggles you're facing.

You don't have to face those things alone.

    I know that I am moving soon, and I won't be around in person after this summer is over, but just because I am not with you in person doesn't mean I have stopped caring about you. Wherever I am, and wherever you are, I want you to know that you can always call/text/email/dm me when you need someone to talk to. We are eternally bonded by our common faith in Jesus.

We depend on God.

We depend on each other.

We need each other.

Amen.

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow

 So last week (yeah, I know, this was supposed to come out on Thursday) we met outside and had ourselves a little campfire in the parking lot. It was a super relaxed evening as we tossed the ol' pigskin around and sat around the fire chatting.

I wanted to take advantage of the fire we had, so we did a little activity as a part of the message time. If you are reading this during a season where its comfortable to build a campfire (aka, Fall or Spring), I would encourage you to do so. If you happen to have an in-home fireplace, even better.

The first passage we read is where the title of this post came from, Matthew 6:25-34. This is a part of Jesus' longest recorded sermon, the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. As He is teaching, Jesus shares this with His audience: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

What is it that you worry about? Some of you have college applications due, and I know all of you have tests, exams and papers coming up. Maybe you are worried about Covid-19, or some drama going on with your friends or family. Perhaps there is a habitual sin in your life that you've struggled and struggled with, but can't seem to shake. The truth is, we all have something that we tend to worry about. Sometimes it is focused on ourselves, sometimes it is other people we worry about. Whatever the case may be, Jesus is telling us to let them go. The things of this life that we worry about, the things we get anxious over - let them go.

He makes a promise here. He says that if we seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, then all the things we truly need (food and clothing, etc.) will be given to us as well. Seek God, and He will make sure you have what you need. That promise gives us a lot of hope, and it is that promise which allows us to "not worry", so long as we believe that God will fulfill His promise. So, here's where we get to the activity. Take a piece of paper and write down the thing(s) that you worry about the most. The thing(s) pressing down on your heart day after day. Maybe you have one big thing, or a lot of little things - write them all down. Once you have done that, keep reading. I'm sure you've got some idea of what comes next.

In Philippians 4:6-8, Paul says, "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. Finally, brothers and sisters, 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."

He says that rather than sitting in our worry and anxiety, we should cast all our worries on God. Present them to God. Turn them over to God. He wants us to give up our anxieties and fears to God. So, take that piece paper upon which you wrote down your biggest sources of worry/anxiety/fear, and pray to God. Lift them up to God. Entrust them to God. Trust that He will take care of your needs and that He has your future in His all-powerful hands. Once you have done this, cast your paper into the fire and watch it burn away. Let your worry/anxiety/fear burn away with it as you trust in God to provide for you.

Now, there is one other important aspect which both of the passages share: we are called to turn our focus away from our anxiety and toward God. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..." and "Whatever is true...noble...right...pure...lovely...admirable...excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Jesus wants us to focus on Him, because when we do, we get an eternal perspective about the things around us. He helps us to see the big picture of His plan for us, and to know that in the end, we will get to spend eternity with Him. That is where our peace comes from, a peace which doesn't always make sense, but that will most definitely guard our hearts and our minds from anxiety, worry, and fear.

So, anytime you find yourself struggling with anxiety, look back to these verses and look to God. He is there for you, He will provide for you, and He alone will give you peace.

God bless yall!

Friends Tell Friends EVERYTHING... Right?

 Heyo! I know a bunch of you are a little bummed that we brought masks back last night, but on the bright side, at least we still get to meet every week! With the way that schools have to handle covid exposure, we didn't want the Summit to be an unnecessary risk. So, I hope you can understand our reasoning and I hope to see yall next week!

Last night was our Parent's Night, so I know I was a bit scarce throughout the night. Since I was in with some of your parents, we pulled out a video from "The Skit Guys" on YouTube - before you read any further, go look up "Friends Tell Friends Everything by the Skit Guys" on YouTube and watch it. Don't worry, it is hilarious and completely worth your time. Seriously. Stop reading. Go watch. I'll wait.

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Well? What did you think?

To be honest, I've never been one of those people who tells anybody everything. I have always kept certain things to myself and not shared them with anybody, not even my closest friends. And I am sure we all have those things that we keep hidden or secret, either because we're ashamed of them or because we just don't want anyone to know everything about us.

But in the skit, the two guys had grown up together and their friendship mantra was centered on "friends tell friends everything". And yet, right at the end we find out that "Danny" had kept his faith a secret from "Stevie" the whole time. He had never had the courage to open up and talk to his friend about the biggest news of his life. And even at the end, as they are about to graduate high school, he still can't find the courage to do it.

I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your friends, whether its a "friends tell friends everything" kind of friendship or a much more shallow one. But if what we believe is true, that mankind is in need of a Savior and the ONLY way to be made right with God is through faith in Jesus Christ, then what are we really doing when we "chicken out" of sharing our faith with our friends?

Like, "Hey, I know how to live forever but I'm not going to tell you."

It's easy to make excuses (I've made them, too). "They're going to think I am some kind of religious nut." I was called a Bible Thumper by my best friend in elementary school when he found out I went to church. "They won't want to be friends with me anymore." "It would just be such an awkward conversation." "I don't know what to say." "What if they ask something and I don't know the answer?" "What if they laugh at me?"

But let me put this out there: What if they believe you? You have vital information that could forever change their lives for the better. Don't be afraid to share it! 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." Additionally, Romans 8:14-15 says "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

Every Christian has the Holy Spirit of God living inside of them. If you are a Christian, then you have the Holy Spirit of God living in you. When we give in to fear, or anxiety, it means we are relying on our own power to do something. But when we rely on the Spirit of God living inside of us, he empowers us to do what needs to be done - not by our own strength, but by his! So as you continue to hang out with your friends, look for ways to talk about what you believe. And don't worry about what to say, or how to say it - let God's Spirit handle that part. Just get the conversation started and see where it goes. Who knows, God may use you to bring your friends to faith in Jesus.

Anxious Much?

 What is anxiety? This past Wednesday we took a closer look at what anxiety is, what it does to us, and what causes it. Then we dove into the Word of God to find out how we, as believers in Jesus Christ, should handle anxiety. Spiritual leaders often tell us to look at the Bible for answers to life's questions, and yet usually that's not our gut reaction. Why look to some old book when my friends are right here? But, when it comes to the difficulties of life, who should we trust more - the God who created this world or our friends who have about as much life experience as we do? The obvious answer to that question is that we should trust God more. But do we? Do we trust that God knows our problems and how to deal with them the right way?

Hopefully, if you are reading this, you are at least curious to know what the Bible has to say about handling anxiety in life. So, let's take a look at what we discussed at the Summit last Wednesday.

Anxiety defined: "Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness." Notice that it doesn't say "or" there. Anxiety is all of these things mixed together.

What does it do?

Some of the effects of anxiety: sweating, feeling restless and tense, rapid heartbeat, trembling, breathing rapidly (hyperventilation), weakness or feeling tired, difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, a tendency to avoid the triggers (avoiding thinking about what you're anxious about), etc. Feel free to add in some of your own experiences of when you get anxious. Usually, anxiety causes different effects for different people. When I get anxious, for example, I get sweaty, tense, I feel weak and I have trouble sleeping. In an attempt to "avoid the triggers" I will try to distract myself by watching a show or playing an immersive game. What does anxiety do to you?

Now, sometimes anxiety can be a good thing - it can force us to prepare for things to come (like when we are anxious about a big test so we go overboard on the studying) or it can light a fire under our butts to start working on a paper before the deadline. Unfortunately, anxiety is usually a bad thing. It paralyzes us from doing anything other than worrying. We call this crippling anxiety. The feelings of fear, dread, and uneasiness are so strong that we get physically sick or just feel trapped and unable to do anything.

Does anxiety ever solve our problems, though? No. Worrying, by itself, doesn't solve anything. Like, I can worry about my test all I want, but unless I actually study for it, that worrying isn't going to help me get a better grade. Or, I can worry all I want about the church van breaking down on its way to HCBC, but worrying isn't going to stop it from happening. <= I proved this on our second attempt last year as I worried about the van breaking down, and it still broke down...

What causes anxiety?

The short answer: stress. Anxiety (and worry) is a natural response to stressful situations like a problem at work, a test at school, relationship drama in your friend group, or an upcoming important decision. Sometimes anxiety can be caused by a medical issue (although this is rare). As I said earlier, anxiety is a form of fear. It shows up when we are worried about something, something that we feel like we can't control. Its that feeling we get when we don't know what's going to happen.

How do we deal with it?

Here is where we start looking to God's Word. Before we do, though, I want you to do something. I want you to think about a situation that gives you anxiety. What are you dealing with right now that is making you anxious? Is your friend group going through a fight? Are you having trust issues with a boyfriend/girlfriend? Is it something at home, either with your parents or siblings? Maybe you're just worried about what your future is going to look like. Whatever it is, I want you to have a specific situation in mind as we look at what God has to say about dealing with our anxiety. Do you have it? Good.

The passage we are about to read together is a familiar one to many Christians, and honestly, I think it gets taken out of context too much in the church. The book of Philippians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to a church in the city of Philippi. He talks about a lot of good stuff like the mindset of a Christian, how Christians should interact with each other and with the world, and what our priorities should be. And here, as he is getting to the conclusion of his letter, he gives this advice to Christians as they experience trouble in this world.

Philippians 4:4-7 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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."

Let's walk through this advice together, step by step. First, he says to rejoice. This is so important that he feels the needs to repeat himself! REJOICE! What do we have to rejoice about? Well, think about your life right now: what are some good things you have to be thankful for? Some things that bring you joy? We have life, that is cause for celebration in and of itself (why else do we celebrate birthdays, after all?). We continue to have breath in our lungs. Through Jesus Christ we have a restored relationship with God, life everlasting, and the promise of an unending future with God. We have a family (who may be troubling at times, but they are usually there for us in one way or another). We have friends (some better than others). We have access to education, food, clean water, a roof over our heads. As we get more specific, we find many more things to rejoice over than we probably thought at first. Paul says that the first step to dealing with anxiety is to rejoice - to think about the joy in our lives.

We can also rejoice because of what Paul says next: "the Lord is near". We can rejoice because God is near us. And we can choose not to be anxious about anything because the Lord is near. Even as you are reading this, God is there with you. He is on your side. And if God is for us, then who can be against us?

This next part is the "famous" part, and gets quoted a lot: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation..." pray. Paul's advice here is not to just "stop worrying". That's not exactly what he means when he says "do not be anxious about anything". Instead, its more of a "rather than be anxious about this or that situation, pray about it". Remember, anxiety is a form of fear. Being anxious about something means that we are afraid of what is going to happen. So, instead of being afraid, pray about it, ask God to step in, and trust that God is in control.

Then what happens? "And the peace of God...will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." When we follow this process, we will find peace. The situation may or may not be resolved, yet we can have peace of mind because we know and trust that God is in control, so we don't need to be afraid anymore. We don't need to worry anymore (especially since worrying won't actually change anything).

So, in dealing with anxiety, we need to move along this path:

1. Rejoice - find what's good in your life and rejoice in it.

2. Remember (remind yourself) that the Lord is near. God has not abandoned you. He is right there with you, even now. He is there even when you can't feel Him there. Let that comfort you.

3. Identify what you are anxious about and pray to God that He would handle the situation. Entrust it to Him. Stop worrying about the situation and trust that it is in God's hands.

4. Embrace God's peace. Peace is like the opposite of worry. I often picture it as the calmness of the sea after Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23-27 (go read it if you want).

Now, let's read the next few verses in Philippians 4: "Finally, brothers and sisters, 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."

You ever notice how when someone tells you not to think about something, it becomes the only thing you can think about? Anxiety is just like that. If I said, "Just don't worry about it", or as the New Yorkers say "Forget about it", would you just stop worrying about it? Would you forget about it? NO! Of course not! Paul doesn't just say, "Hey, forget about it." He says to stop thinking about this, and start thinking about that, instead! He says to stop thinking about the situation you're anxious about, and instead start thinking about the things of God. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy - think about those things.

All of this comes down to a mentality shift. When we are suffering from anxiety, it means we are solely focused on what could happen - usually what we are afraid is going to happen. Then, we become paralyzed because we feel like we can't do anything about it! The Bible tells us to stop. Stop focusing on what might happen, and what you cannot control, and start thinking about what God promises will happen, and what He can control. As Christians, we have already trusted God with our souls and our eternal future. We know that God wins in the end, and we are on the winning side. So, why can't we trust Him with everything else?

Do you still have that specific situation in mind? You know, the one I asked you to think about before we looked at Philippians? Okay, what I want you to do is to walk through these steps with that situation.

1. Rejoice - make a list of things in your life that you are thankful for (and don't settle for just what I listed above, try to be more specific to what you have).

2. Remind yourself that God is near. We are forgetful, and often forget that God is always with us. As anxiety creeps in, remember that God is next to you and you can talk to Him about it.

3. Identify what you are anxious about (name it and be specific about the situation). What are you worried is going to happen? Once you have named it (this works best by either writing it out, or speaking it out loud), talk to God about your fears. Talk to Him about the situation, what you fear might happen, and your feeling powerless to do anything. Turn it over to Him as you talk, saying something like "God, I can't do anything about this, but I know You can. I know You know what is going to happen. I trust that You are in control and that no matter what happens, You have my back."

4. Embrace the peace of God. As you are talking to God about your situation, you are allowed to ask for peace. But, even if you don't specifically ask for it, when you entrust your situation to God, His peace will come to you. For me, it usually feels like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. What's weird is that most of the time, nothing about the situation has actually changed. The situation is still the same, its my mindset that is different. I am no longer looking at it from a "what if" perspective, but rather from a "God's got this" perspective. 

5. "Think about such things" and "put it into practice". Move on. Don't linger in the worry and anxiety. Look to what God is doing in the world, or perhaps even in the situation you were anxious about, and go join Him.

I hope this has been helpful to you. I hope that you are able to let go of your anxiety and turn it over to God. And I hope you are able to move on with your life, to move forward. In the comment below I have shared some additional verses from the Bible that touch on this topic of anxiety. I hope they are helpful to you as well. I have found that talking about our anxieties with other believers can also help, so if you need to talk, just reach out.