Philippians - Victory Over Worry

How many times have people said to you, "Oh, stop worrying," or perhaps you've said it to yourself? Well, it's easy to say that, stop worrying. How does a person stop worrying? What is worry? What is God's formula for victory over worry? Well, in Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul gives us that formula in verses 4 through 9. 

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

Let's talk now about God's peace. Victory over worry. What is worry? Well, worry is wrong thinking and wrong feeling about circumstances and people and things. Now, whatever it is you're worrying about right now, it'll drop into one of those categories. Worry is wrong thinking, that's the mind, and wrong feeling, that's the heart, about circumstances and people and things. 

The word "worry" comes from an old English word that means "to strangle." And worry does strangle us, doesn't it? It strangles us physically, it hurts us. Worry can help us to develop ulcers and heart trouble and nervousness and backaches and neckaches. We find our mind and our heart being pulled apart. That's why he says in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep," shall garrison, guard like a soldier—Paul knew something about that, he was chained to a soldier—"they shall guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus." 

The word "anxious" there in Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing," means to be pulled apart. So worry means to be strangled and worry means to be pulled apart. Our mind says, "Now, stop worrying." Our heart says, "Oh, I can't take one more day of this." Wrong thinking and wrong feeling about circumstances and people and things, and this tears us apart. 

Paul gives to us a very simple formula for victory over worry. It involves three simple factors. Philippians 4:6-7, right praying. Philippians 4:8, right thinking. And Philippians 4:9, right living. I want to repeat that now. Philippians 4:6-7, right praying. Philippians 4:8, right thinking. And Philippians 4:9, right living. 

He begins with an admonition to rejoice in the Lord, Philippians 4:4. "Rejoice in the Lord always." The atmosphere of joy comes when you see the Lord, not people, not circumstances, not things. Just see the Lord. And this ought to lead to a life of fair-mindedness, of a charitable attitude toward people. "Let your moderation," your sweet reasonableness, "be known unto all men. Why? The Lord is at hand." I don't think that means the second coming of the Lord. I think it means He's right there with us. 

So we can rejoice in the Lord. We can have a sweet reasonableness about the things of life. We're going to be merciful toward the failings of others. We're going to see the situation through the eyes of the Lord if we realize the Lord is right there with us. Now, in this kind of an atmosphere, let's consider factor number one, Philippians 4:6-7, right praying. Not just praying, but right praying. 

You'll notice he says, "Be anxious for nothing," don't be pulled apart, "but in every thing." In other words, our prayer life should touch everything. So often we think, "Well, Lord, I can come and pray about the big things in life. You know I can take care of the little things in life." Oh no, pray about everything. In fact, when you have your devotional time in the morning, and I hope that you do, pray about the whole day. Just take your calendar and just go through the whole day. Your shopping, your driving, looking for a parking place, whatever it may be. Pray about everything and the Lord will give you guidance. 

Now, he uses three words here: "In every thing by prayer," that means adoration, "and supplication with thanksgiving," that's appreciation. Right praying involves these three elements. First, adoration, worship. Don't just rush into the Lord's presence with "give me this" and "give me that" and "give me something else." Adoration, worship, devotion, just loving Him and telling Him how much we love Him and adore Him. Adoration, and then supplication. This means the earnest giving of our requests, sharing our burdens with Him. And then finally, appreciation, thanksgiving. 

"Let your requests be made known unto God." That word "requests" means definite petitions. Too much praying is vague, nebulous, general. "Lord, bless the missionaries." Now, what does that mean? Let's be specific in our requests. Now, he says, if you pray like this, if there is adoration, supplication, and appreciation, if you are specific in your praying and you include everything, then the peace of God, which passess all understanding—don't try to explain it—shall guard your hearts, the wrong feelings, and minds, wrong thinking, through Jesus Christ. 

You see, God will give peace even if He does not grant our every request. God may not give you exactly what you asked for, but He will give you peace. And so right praying is the first step toward conquering worry. I notice in Daniel 6 that this is the way Daniel prayed. He was about to go to the lions' den, but listen to how he prayed. Daniel 6:10, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men," who were trying to get Daniel into trouble, "these men found Daniel praying, and making supplication before his God." 

What was Daniel doing? Praying, making supplication, and giving thanks. No wonder God gave him peace. Right praying. Now in Philippians 4:8, he says you must follow this up with right thinking. You cannot have peace, you cannot have victory over worry unless your mind is controlled by the Lord. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee," Isaiah 26:3. The carnal mind is war against God, but the spiritual mind brings life and peace, Romans 8:6. 

We must have our minds filled with that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, excellence, praise. This is what he's saying to us in Philippians 4:8. Right thinking. Now, the minute you let a lie into your mind, you're going to start worrying. You hear some rumor, somebody phones you and says, "Have you heard about so-and-so in the church?" The first test is, is it true? 

You see, we have here an eight-fold test of what should go into our minds. By the way, you may think I'm somewhat of a fanatic, but there are some things I won't listen to on the radio, some things I will not watch on television, some things I will not read, simply because they cannot pass this test. It amazes me that people want to read these magazines and the newspapers filled with gossip about political figures and Hollywood figures. What is this going to do for your mind? Why do you want to receive that kind of trash into your mind? 

There are people who are addicted to the serials on radio and television, and they get all wrapped up in the imaginary problems of people and they wonder why they can't read their Bibles, why they can't pray, and why they can't get something out of church. Notice there's an eight-fold gate that thoughts must pass through if God's going to approve of them. Now, if you want to have victory over worry, if you want to have the peace of God guarding you and the God of peace guiding you: Number one, is it true? Now, if it isn't true, don't think about it. If somebody comes along with some story, find out if it's true. So often the things that we hear simply are not true. 

Is it honest? That means respectable. I don't want to read or hear about the marital mix-ups of people who are famous. That's not honorable. That's not worthy of respect. Is it just? That means is it honest and right? Will it do anybody any good? Is it pure? Not mixed up with lust or mixed up with something else. Is it pure? Is it lovely? Paul means by that, worthy to be loved, admirable. Is it something you could admire? If that thought in your mind were framed and hung on the wall, would people admire it? Does it have a good report? Is it worth talking about? Is it virtuous? In other words, does it drive you to do better? Another word there would be excellence. Is it excellent? Does it make you want to be a better person to think about that? Is it praiseworthy? Could you commend it to somebody else? 

Now, the instant you find a thought in your mind that does not pass through one of these eight doors, get rid of it. Don't feed it, don't water it, don't nurture it, just get rid of it because it will lead to worry, it will lead to your being pulled apart. Right now, you've got some thoughts in your mind that shouldn't be there. Maybe grudges, malice, criticism, ill-will toward somebody. Get rid of it. It's going to pull you apart, it's going to strangle you. Right praying, Philippians 4:6-7. Right thinking, Philippians 4:8. And then Philippians 4:9, right living. 

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do." Now, people who don't live the way they ought to live, ought to worry. The effect of righteousness is peace. When there's righteousness in your life, then there is peace in your heart. Those things that you've learned—Paul taught them the Word of God. Those things that you've received—he handed them the treasure of God's Word. Those things that you've heard, those things that you've seen—they watched the Apostle Paul, they saw the kind of a life that he lived. 

And when you and I live the kind of life we're supposed to live, simply obeying the Word of God, then we're going to have peace in our heart and the God of peace shall be with you. Now, Philippians 4 is the peace chapter of the Bible. And if you want to know where the war chapter of the Bible is, you turn to James 4. James 4:1, "From whence come wars and fightings among you?" He's writing to Christians now. Why are there divisions and dissensions in homes, marriages, churches, Sunday school classes? Well, he says, "Come they not hence, even of your lusts," your pleasures, "that war in your members?" 

James 4:3, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss," wrong praying. Down in James 4:8, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded," wrong thinking. Then in James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" Wrong living. In other words, the war that he's writing about was the result of wrong praying, James 4:3; wrong thinking, James 4:8; and wrong living, James 4:4. 

Now you can write this down and remember it: whenever you have a marriage falling apart, somebody's not praying right, thinking right, or living right. Whenever you have a church that's being split and there's dissension and division, somebody in that church is not praying right, thinking right, or living right. 

Now, the first step toward really having peace in your heart, of course, is to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you don't know Him as your Savior, you can't have peace because you're at war with God. The carnal mind is enmity against God. And so this is why he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." Can you rejoice in the Lord today? Do you know Him as your Savior? Do you have the joy of salvation in your heart? 

Now, if you don't, right where you are, you just bow your heart and say, "Lord, I'm a sinner, and I believe that Jesus died for me. Now come into my heart and save me." And He promises that He will. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Then you can apply this formula in your own life. Right praying, that means adoration, supplication, appreciation. Right thinking, test every thought by this eight-fold test in Philippians 4:8. Right living, Philippians 4:9, practicing the Word of God. 

Now in Philippians 4, he says that we can have joy in our ministry because of the means that God provides. There are five resources that are listed here. First of all, the people of God, verses 1, 2, and 3. Those who are going to labor with us in the work of the Lord. Thank God for His people. Oh, how Paul loved the people of God even with their problems and their burdens. 

And then the peace of God, verses 4 through 9, which involves right praying and right thinking and right living. Now today we'd like to take verses 10 through 19 and here we have three more resources that God has provided for your ministry. This third resource is the providence of God, verse 10 and then verses 14 through 18. 

"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me," your thinking of me, your concern for me, "has flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity." Down to verse 14, "Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did share with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus," he was their messenger, "the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God." 

The providence of God. Here was Paul in Rome. Paul did not have a telephone, a telegraph. Paul did not have the privilege of contacting his friends over in Philippi by some quick method. He had to pray and say, "Father, You know what my needs are, and I pray now that You'll speak to the hearts of Your people." And a wonderful thing happened. There was a stewardship revival at the Philippian church. Verse 10, "Your care of me," your concern about me, "has flourished again." The picture there is the picture of a tree in the spring blossoming. All winter long that tree has looked so dead and so dull and so useless, but the roots are still good, and now that tree is blossoming again. 

You know, this needs to happen in our churches. Giving ought to be the result of life that is flowing through the body. He should be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. And then he also compares the giving that they sent in verse 14 to a family sharing. "Notwithstanding ye have well done, in that ye did share with me." Verse 15, "no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving." 

Now, we often think about churches giving—giving to missions, home missions, foreign missions—giving to various schools and ministries. But what about receiving? Well, here's the third picture that he gives. Not only is giving the flourishing of a tree and a family sharing with one another, but giving is also an investment that pays dividends. He pictures a banking situation, verse 17. "I desire fruit," dividends, "that may abound to your account." 

You see, when you give to missions, when you give to the work of the Lord, you receive. "Give and it shall be given unto you." And when you share with others in the name of the Lord, then God shares with you. Then in verse 18 he gives us a beautiful picture of what giving is. Giving is not only a tree blossoming forth, verse 10, and a family sharing, verse 14, and it's not only spiritual investments that involve giving and receiving, dividends, verses 15 through 17, but it's also a sacrifice presented to God. 

"I have all, I abound, I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you." Now what were those things? We don't know. Food, clothing, we don't know. Money. But when Paul looked at them, he said they are "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God." In other words, when we give to the local church, when we give to the work of the Lord, it's like a priestly offering. We are putting our offering on the altar. Oh, let's be sure we give Him our best. 

You know, you wouldn't want to bring to the Lord that which has cost you nothing. The Prophet Malachi was criticizing the priests in his day because they were bringing to the Lord sacrifices that were blind and maimed and sick. He makes a sarcastic statement, he says, "Take those things to your governor. Give those to him as a birthday present and see if he'll accept them." So often we spend much more on ourselves and on others. We're unwilling as God's people to bring all of that to the Lord. 

Oh, may the Lord help us to realize what a blessing and a privilege it is to give. Now, giving is a part of the providence of God. When the Lord stirs your heart to give, you obey. God may be speaking to you about sharing with some ministry, sharing with your church. God might be speaking to you about helping someone who's in need. Now you follow what God tells you to do because God's providence is in control. What is providence? What comes from two Latin words: "pro," beforehand; "video," to see. 

Providence means to see beforehand. "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last your care of me has flourished again." Now, who was the one who caused that tree to blossom? The Lord. Who was the one that stirred the family to give? It was the Lord. Who was the one who said to the Philippian church it's time to invest in the ministry of Paul? The Lord. Who was the one who said bring your sacrifice, lay it on the altar, give it to me? It was the Lord. 

Many times in my ministry, I have seen the providence of God work in amazing ways. We've been through church building programs, church missionary programs. We've wondered sometimes where the next dollar was going to come from. In our own personal lives, we've seen the providence of God work in a remarkable way. Now my friend, you're worrying today about some circumstance or some need. Just remember: God's providence is at work. All things are working together for good. And you can have joy in your ministry knowing that the providence of God is at work.