As we move into part 5 of our 6 part series on dealing with worry, stress & anxiety the way God wants us to, we find ourselves reading verse eight of Philippians four:

Finally, brothers, 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.

In this fourth part of our six part series on how God wants us to overcome worry, we come to an amazing verse with an absolutely life changing promise in Philippians 4:7:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is part 3 of a 6 part series on worry from Philippians 4:4-9.  Today as we examine verse six of this passage, we will take a hard look at the two clear commands given in this passage.  The problem with today’s study is this:  When we see clear commands in Scripture the onus of obedience is placed on us.  In other words, when you know the truth, God expects you to live it.  James said it like this,

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

The great news is, as you and I learn to apply these commands from Scripture, we will learn to replace our fear, worry and anxiety with joy, gentleness and the peace of God.  So be readers AND doers today!

As we continue in our study of Philippians 4:4-9 trying to tackle worry, we read verse 5:  

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand

As we begin this six part series on worry from Philippians 4:4-9, we begin with a key truth:  Joy is the anti-worry.  When we are choosing and experiencing joy, we have no place for worry.  They key is choice.

As Christmas approaches and anxiety arises it seems like this might be an appropriate verse for us to ponder today.

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.