Jesus said in Matthew 11 that He came to give us rest or we could say peace in our souls. Are you enjoying that kind of peace of mind? Or are you full of anxiety, restlessness, and discontent? If it’s the latter, it turns out that learning to enjoy God’s peace of mind is neither impossible nor mysterious. You can read more in today’s post.
Today’s Readings:
Jeremiah 3 & 4
Psalm 116.15-19
Proverbs 27.2
Philippians 4.1-23
Why You Don’t Have Peace of Mind
Philippians 4.1-23:
Pray & Be Thankful
Yesterday I talked about some of my favorite passages in Philippians. Today I want to share a few more from chapter 4. The first one is in verses 6-7:
Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.
“Be anxious for nothing …” That’s a command, not a suggestion.
Worry is a sin! Unfortunately, it has become what Jerry Bridges has called a “respectable sin” (from his book Respectable Sins). Worry is a lack of faith and trust in God (Heb. 11.6).
We’re to put off (Eph. 4.22) fear, worry, and anxiety (v. 6). In its place, we’re to put on (Eph. 4.24) prayer and thankfulness (v. 6).
When fear and worry come against us, we are to go to God and ask for His wisdom and help. Then we are to trust Him to work in our lives. And when we’re tempted to pick that worry up again, to give it back to Him by continuing to pray.
Be Thankful
While most of us know we’re supposed to pray about our concerns, how often do we think about the second part of that command? Be thankful.
Everything in our lives is filtered through God’s hands. Our trials are uniquely designed by a sovereign God to grow us into the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8.28-29).
Are you thankful? Are you thanking Him for His work in your life? In fact, James said we’re to count it all joy when we encounter tests and trials (Jas. 1.2-5). As believers, we can do just that because we know that God is up to something good in our lives in every situation.
And the more we come to know Him, to trust in His sovereignty and goodness, the more His peace will guard our hearts and minds. The level of our peace depends on the quality of our relationship with Him and our willingness to humble ourselves under His hand (Jas. 4.10).
But the battle for peace, contentment, and joy doesn’t stop when we pray. So, what is our responsibility after we have prayed and given the situation to Him?
The Battleground
The battle for peace ultimately takes place in our thinking. The enemies of peace are discontent, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, a lack of trust in God, and other sinful thought patterns. Paul goes on in verses 8 and 9:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Instead of playing the video over and over in our mind of that hurt, sin, or some real or imagined wrong done to us, we must learn to meditate on what God says about our situations. Instead of thinking about what someone has that we don’t or something we think we deserve and believe God is withholding, we need to think about the blessings in our lives. We need to be thankful for what we have.
Be Careful What You Think
Proverbs 4.23 in the New Century Version says:
Be careful what you think,
because your thoughts run your life.
What do you think about? Where does your mind drift when you aren’t busy with other things? Where do your thoughts go when you are tired, mistreated, or disappointed?
Do you think God’s thoughts about your situation? Or are your thoughts full of self-pity, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, or revenge?
Be careful what you think. Your thoughts run your life.
But let’s look at a couple more verses.
Trust & Contentment
Verses 11-13:
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Most of us are familiar with and may even like to quote verse 13, but notice it follows God’s call to be content and that contentment follows right thinking (vv. 8-9).
And, finally, verse 19:
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
If we take God at His Word, there’s no need to fret about anything. There’s no need to envy what someone else has. There’s no reason to hold a grudge. Our God has things under control.
So what’s the state of your mind and what does it tell you about your relationship with God? Is there an area where you need to repent and go God’s way? Are there promises you should memorize, meditate on, and believe? Is there a command you need to obey? And are there thoughts you need to take captive (2 Cor. 10.3-5) and replace with God’s thoughts (Is. 55.8-9)?
Getting a handle on these truths is vital. Our very peace of mind is at stake.
Today’s Other Readings:
Jeremiah 3 & 4:
Return to Me!
Even in the Old Testament, it was always the heart, the inner man, about which God was most concerned. Chapter 3:
12 ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.
For I am merciful,’ says the LORD;
‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your iniquity.
Chapter 4:
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts.
18 “Your ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart.”
God wants our hearts because it’s out of the heart or inner man, including our thinking, that everything else flows (Matt. 12.34-35).
Psalm 116.15-19:
How We Should View Death
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints (v. 15).
As human beings, we struggle with the idea of death. Perhaps it’s the unknown or perhaps sin keeps us from the assurance of salvation God wants us to have.
But for those of us who belong to Him, it’s not the end, it’s a homecoming, and it is precious to Him! In fact, if we are truly His, there should be a yearning for “home.” When that time approaches, we should look forward to seeing our Savior face to face instead of clinging to this life.
Proverbs 27.2:
Boasting & Bragging
Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
Boasting and bragging are not only unbecoming but unbiblical.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we will look at how the truth can become a reproach to some, the itching ears about which Paul wrote to Timothy, who the queen of heaven really is, how to test ourselves spiritually, the importance of standing up for the truth, and we’ll look at the question, “Should you follow your heart?”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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