Day Twenty Three

Bible Reading

Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Devotional

We live in a world that gives us hundreds of reasons and excuses for why it should be perfectly normal to live in worry, anxiety and fear as part of your everyday life. Yet in Scripture we read that we should not worry or be anxious about anything. There are no exceptions to this, like: “you should not be anxious…except if you are having financial trouble, or if you got a negative health report…then it’s okay.” Why does God command us not to worry or live in anxiety? It is because of what is happening in our minds and hearts in those moments. You cannot worship God and worry at the same time…it’s impossible. Worship is declaring that God is on the throne and we choose to put our trust and faith in him, and worry is the opposite of that. Worry and anxiety is taking God off the throne and saying that he is incapable of taking care of our needs. Worry and worship cannot happen simultaneously! Whenever worry or anxiety comes into your mind, let that be an instant reminder for you to re-align your eyes on Jesus instead of the thing you are anxious about. Begin to pray right then; bring that anxiety to God. Begin to worship God and sing praises to him. Let’s be people who are quick to turn worry into worship and panic into praise!

Question to Think About

What in life right now are you most worried and anxious about? What should you do about it?