100 Verses #60 Philippians 4:4

100 Verses

60. Philippians 4:4

According to reports, anxiety is epidemic in the United States; more Americans suffer from anxiety (in proportion to population) than any other country on earth. Anxiety affects forty million Americans, and three of the top-ten drugs are for mental illness.

The Bible is a medicine chest of antidepressant verses and tranquilizing passages. Scripture is full of therapeutic theology, and this paragraph in Philippians 4 is my favorite anti-anxiety passage in the Bible, worth memorizing every word. Philippians 4:4-9 is Paul’s personal six-point strategy for mental peace.

The first step is in verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Perhaps you’re thinking: You can’t just tell someone to be happy. You can’t just command joy. Why not? Why can’t we choose our own attitudes? When we make ourselves smile, the very act of smiling lifts our spirits and makes it easier for us to pull out of discouragement.

But notice this is a qualified statement. It tells us to rejoice in the Lord.

We may not be able to rejoice in our load, but we can rejoice in our Lord. We may find no joy in our situation, but we can rejoice in our Savior. To rejoice in the Lord means we rejoice in our unassailable, unchanging relationship with the sovereign Lord and in His qualities, gifts, promises, and attributes.

Deuteronomy 26:11 says we should rejoice in all His gifts. We’re to rejoice in His goodness in 2 Chronicles 6:41. Psalm 9:14 tells us to rejoice in His salvation. Psalm 31:7 says we should rejoice in His love. Psalm 89:16 says that we can rejoice in His name all day long. Psalm 119:14 tells us to rejoice in His statutes as in great riches. Psalm 119:162 tells us to rejoice in God’s promises. Isaiah 65:18 commands us to rejoice in what God has created. We’re to rejoice in the bounty of God in Jeremiah 31:12, and Romans 5:2 tells us to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

The first step to overcoming the stranglehold of worry is to determine to do as God says here: rejoice in the Lord always.

The Bible doesn’t always give “six easy steps,” but here in Philippians 4, we have a bullet-pointed list for experiencing inner peace.

• Rejoice in the Lord. (v. 4)
• Be gracious with others. (v. 5a)
• Remind yourself of God’s nearness. (v. 5b)
• Cast out worry. (v. 6a)
• Pray with thanksgiving. (v. 6b)
• Focus your mind on what is excellent and praiseworthy. (vv. 8-9)

Two promises are connected with these principles: the peace of God will guard your heart and mind (v. 7), and the God of peace will be with you (v. 9).

The joy Christ gives is for time and eternity, for soul and body, for adversity and prosperity. —William A. Swets

100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart.

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