Read Philippians 4:6 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Discover
This verse has a lot to unpack, which we’ll do over the next couple days. Today, we’re camping out on the first phrase: “Don’t worry about anything.” This can seem impossible because worry and anxiety feel impossible to control. So let’s talk about what worry means, what it doesn’t, and what it might mean for you.
It’s important to draw the distinction between anxiety and anxious feelings. Clinical anxiety may require additional treatment. Anxious feelings or worry come and go, usually depending on circumstances. Worry is rehearsing worst-case scenarios in our minds and spending enormous amounts of emotional energy on things that may never happen. Why do we worry? Because it’s a form of control. It’s a mental habit.
When we worry, we’re believing the subconscious lie that if we worry today, we’ll have peace tomorrow. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. To have joy in the midst of worry, we have to first get to the root of our anxiety, understand where it comes from, and then turn it over to the One who can handle it far better than we ever could.
• Know your anxiety roots. Think about your typical patterns of worry or anxiety. Would you say they might indicate clinical anxiety, or are they better represented as anxious feelings? Be honest with yourself and God about the roots of anxiety in your life. Take a look at the resources on our website, and if needed, follow through on a next step for further help: tpcc.org/anxiety.
Respond
Use your Philippians Guidebook to reflect and respond. For a digital copy of the guidebook, visit tpcc.org/rebels-guide.
Want to go deeper? Look up the following verses for a reminder of how much you are known and loved by your Creator. How does this speak to you in the midst of any worry or anxious feelings you’re facing? Note what you observe and then continue with your time of response.
• Psalm 139:1-14