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“Anxious
Now, Xpect Immanuel's Emancipation Touch You! (A.N.X.I.E.T.Y)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher
SCRIPTURE:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what commands does Paul give for the
good of the Philippians as he is shackled in chains?
1. Do not be anxious about anything!
2. In everything by prayer, present your requests to God.
3. In everything by petition, present your requests to God.
4. In everything by thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Interpretations:
I asked myself the significance of Paul's
actions?
Being in prison
can give people worries about what is happening in the outside world and what is
going to happen to them. Not so with Paul, he tells the Philippians to
rejoice
in the Lord, let their gentleness be evident to all, and not be anxious about
anything.
I asked myself what does it mean
not to be anxious about
anything?
For me it means not worrying about anything from small things to big things that
people are faced in their life. Paul knows just
telling people not to be anxious will not curb their anxiety so he gives them an
alternative solution to follow when they sense anxiety. This is evidenced by his
commands following ‘In everything:
1. By prayer,
2. By petition,
3. By thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
I decided to look at each one separately.
Point 1: I asked myself, what does Paul mean by prayer?
What came to my mind is talking to the Lord whatever they are faced with rather
than subjecting each other to an anxiety attack. Whether it is a small thing or
a big thing, the Lord is there to listen and that’s why they are told to turn to
prayer foremost when they are about to worry. It is profound for me that they
are told not to be anxious about anything but turning to the Lord in prayer
one-one between themselves and the Lord. It turns into a PERSONAL PRAYER. Paul
does not end it there but goes a step further which is evidenced by point 2.
Point 2: I asked myself what does Paul mean by petition?
What came to my mind is people having others sign petitions for a cause
of theirs. Rather than focusing on the problem and be paralyzed in anxiety, they
are moved to action to get others involved to help them resolve the problem. The
same principles apply here indirectly.
When the Philippians are faced with anxiety, they can petition others too for
help. But for me this is a different type of help. They should pray on their own
but also now they should go a step further and share their request with other
people for prayer. I believe the more prayer that is petitioned, the awesome it
is. Now this turns into an INTERCESSORY PRAYER. There is nothing wrong asking
others to intercede on your behalf before the God of Heaven rather than focusing
on the worry. This is exciting that we are told to petition!
The other thing that came to my mind as I thought about petitioning is that
making the requests as specific as possible giving the reasons behind why they
want the Lord to answer that particular request. Paul does not end it there but
goes a step further which is evidenced by point 3.
Point 3: I asked myself what does Paul mean by
thanksgiving?
What came to my mind is thanking the Lord personally and corporately for the
request to be taken care of even before the answer is seen. It is believing in
the Lord to handle it and leaving the results in His Hands. It is an
acknowledgement that the Lord is watching over us and knows everything that
concerns us as He cares for us. This is awesome to know!
After giving the commands to the Philippians, he does not stop there but gives
them reasons to rejoice after they do those 3 things without being anxious about
anything. This is evidenced by v.7
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what are the promises that are given after
the commands are followed?
1. Peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your
hearts in Christ Jesus!
2. Peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your minds in
Christ Jesus!
Interpretation:
I asked myself what does the promise of
‘Peace of
God which transcends all understanding’
mean?
What came to my mind is whatever people’s understanding of the circumstances
they are faced with cannot be compared to the peace they receive from God. It is
not like the peace the world gives but an inner peace. For Jesus promises His
disciples in John 14 that the peace He gives will not be like the peace the
world gives, so they should not be troubled or afraid! That is awesome to know
that they can experience that kind of peace in their lives.
As they experience the peace of God, I asked myself what
would happen and the significance of those happenings?
What came to my mind are 2 things:
1. Peace of God will guard their heart in Christ Jesus.
2. Peace of God will guard their mind in Christ Jesus.
I asked myself what does the
‘guarding of their heart’
mean?
What came to my mind is without the Lord’s intervention when we try to
handle things in our own anxiety our heart can be broken sometimes beyond human
repair. This is because that anxiety will eat at our heart and people just may
give up on life. But now the Lord Jesus can guard their heart. That is exciting
to know but it does not end there but with the mind.
I asked myself what does the
‘guarding of their mind’
mean?
What came to my mind is without the Lord’s intervention when we try to
handle things in our own anxiety we open our mind to anxiety disorders if that
pattern continues in our lives. This is because all our mind is focused on is
the anxiety at hand. We just cannot let it go which affects the brain signals,
causing anxiety disorders. But the Good News is that we need not have to ever
deal with anxiety disorders if we allow Jesus Christ to handle those requests.
He will be the guard of our mind. Now that is exciting!
IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
I was reminded
that when I am anxious, I should lay all my requests before Him, in prayer, petition, and
thanksgiving from whence I receive my peace because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His
intervention. I praise the Lord for that.
Exams have always been a big source of fear for me
because I have always wanted to have an A+ or A. That comes with having a
perfectionist attitude which is not healthy and could border on pride. Anyway,
my worry would make me paralyzed from doing anything else because of 'What if's':
What if I got this question wrong, what if I answered it that way, etc.
To make the story short,
when I took exams few years ago, I would not even check my grades 99% of the time
because I knew I could not change the results. Rather, I wanted to give my
best to the Lord as I take the exam asking for His Help and leaving the results
in His Helping Hands knowing He is in control.
If I had seen my grades and they were not good, I would
get so anxious whether I could make an 'A' or not. It did not do me any good
except give me restlessness. The way to peace was trusting in the Lord Jesus as
I had the desire to give my best to the Lord and leave the results in His
precious Helping Hands.
I share about grades because a lot of you will be finishing
up finals this week where anxiety may consume you if you do not have the right
perspective on life. Jesus loves you so much and wants to take your anxiety.
Come as you are friend to the throne of grace and find help in time of need.
Sometimes we cannot keep ourselves from anxious
moments. In those moments, we need not think we are out of hope! For Jesus, the
Hope for the nations will be your hope too. He knows what you are going through
and what you will go through even before you do. Trust in Him laying all your
worries and cares before Him for He is always thinking about you and watching
everything that concerns you. Anxieties are not limited to just exams but
different aspects of life. The same God who can give students peace through
their exams is the same God who can give you peace through your anxiety as you
trust and rest in Him! Amen! Praise the Lord!
I ask you now dear friend, how do you handle anxiety in
life?
Dear friend, anxiety can be handled in different ways but not all ways lead to
peace. Some handle anxiety with the bottle, others with sleeping through it,
others with pills, but all these are temporary solutions which will eventually
hurt the heart and mind. I do not know how you handle anxiety but I have good
news for you. There is the best medicine offered for free from the Great
Physician Himself.
I am talking about Jesus Christ, my friend. Jesus loves
you so much that He paid the ultimate price with His blood to redeem you and set
you free, free from the bondage of sin, free from anxiety, etc and find your
freedom in Christ from the peace, He alone gives. Yes, friend Jesus loves you as
you are and He tells you:
"Let not your heart be troubled, you are trusting God,
now trust in me!" (John 14:1)
"Peace, I leave to you! The peace I give you is not
like the peace the world gives so don't be troubled or afraid!" (John 14:27)
"Let Him have all your worries and cares for He is
always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you!" (1 Peter
5:7)
I don’t know friend what you are facing right now that is causing anxiety. It
could be that you just wrote an exam and feel like you did not do well and it
may affect your Q.P.A, it could be that you just had a relational issue with
someone close that has gotten out of hand, it could be that you are about to
graduate and the job search is becoming a pain and a hassle, it could be other
things that you are faced with. What happens now is anxiety waits to creep into
your life and control you but the Lord Jesus does not want you to be controlled
by the anxiety.
It is a bold command to say not to be anxious about anything but the Word of God
says it for a reason. Jesus Christ wants to be there to intervene in your life.
No matter what you are going through even when you sense things are just going
to crumble, His peace will flow in your lives as you turn to Him. Yes, it will
friend! His peace will surpass all understanding including all the ‘what ifs’
that come to our mind when we look at the circumstances. But that can change as
we look to Jesus who has a
handle on everything we face!
I know it is not easy for me not to worry but what comforts me is when I focus
on the promise of the Lord to "Let Him have all
your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns
you", that helps me
a lot! That is awesome to know. He is there to help you too friend! I know He
is! Thank you Jesus!
Not worrying in life can be like not breathing. It is automatic but you can
turn it into manual drive as you turn to prayer when worry comes. Rather than
dwelling in the anxiety, turn that anxiety into PERSONAL, INTERCESSORY, and
THANKSGIVING prayer. We will be amazed with the results! Yes, we will friend for
the Lord’s promises are for us to claim and rejoice in.
May you know no matter what you are faced with, the Lord Jesus is looking after
you and you can turn to Him. He loves you so much and wants to reign in your
life. Oh, yes He does so much more than we can imagine. He is the Lord of all
that we are! Amen!
This week could have been a anxious week throughout if I
had allowed it to be because I made a terrible blunder at work that could have
put my job in jeopardy. If I had let the worry consume me, I would not have been
able to concentrate on anything. So, instead of focusing on anxiety, I focused
on the Lord who wanted to handle my anxiety and praised Him through this storm.
I kept claiming the promise, "Just as you have trusted Christ to save you, trust
Him also with each day's problems. Let your roots grow down deep in Him. Live in
vital union with Him!" This promise from Colossians 2 became such a blessing for
me to continue my job not knowing what discipline awaited me. Every hour I was
able to work, I praised the Lord. I am thankful to say that the discipline for
the blunder was not as harsh as I expected it to be. It is by God's grace and
mercy, I was able to come through this event. It is His peace that moved me on!
Thank you Jesus. May you look to the Lord Jesus for your peace through worry!
Peace for Worry (Read Matthew 6:25-34)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Please leave to the Lord your worry (1 Peter 5:7)
He is never busy nor in a hurry. (Psalm 34:4)
Your worry Jesus will bury. (Psalm 55:22)
Don't have to for yourself feel Sorry. (Matt 14:27)
Trust in Him (Prov 3:5-6)
Even when your chances are slim (Matt 19:26)
And the future looks dim (Psalm 43:5)
Cause Christ has the cure. (Isaiah 40:29)
That you can be very sure. (Psalm 34:4)
He loves you very much I can tell (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Cause he died to save you from Hell (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Hear Him ringing your Hearts bell (Rev 3:20)
To give Salvation freely not to sell (Ephesians
2:8)
"Anxious Now, Xpect Immanuel's Emancipation Touch You!"
(A.N.X.I.E.T.Y)/"How do you handle A.N.X.I.E.T.Y in life?"
PRAYER:
Jesus, I thank you for wanting to have all my
worries and cares. Thank you that you do not want me to be anxious about
anything but by prayer and petition with thanksgiving to let all my requests be
known to you Lord and your peace which surpasses all understanding will guard my
heart and mind in Christ Jesus! Lord that means a lot to me. Oh Lord, you know
the worries we have and what it does to us. Please help us please to turn to
thee with them always. Thank you for being there for us. I pray for the one that
is faced with so much in their life that worry has become like breathing to
them. Please Lord Jesus, intervene in their lives healing them in a mighty
powerful way. May your peace rest in their lives whatever they are faced with.
Each of us needs you Lord and the power of your love. Draw us close to you and
never let us go but focus on you. Let us know that as we live our life here on
earth letting you guide us and lead us, you will take care of us. We give our
lives to you and ask you for your help in all that we need to do. I thank you
Jesus for forgiving us, answering us, as we confess our sins and turn to you for
a change in our lives. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace,
Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a
life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I
need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround
me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your
presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you
love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek
your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for
your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case.
Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!
(Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)
May the Lord Jesus guide you in
His love leading you! Amen! If you have never confessed your sin to the Lord and
want to give your life to the Lord for the first time, make this your prayer.
Don't wait for some other time. Now is the time of Salvation! The Lord waits for
you friend so come as you are to His throne of grace to find help in time of
need!
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so
much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of
Man and LIVEd here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to
death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You
died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your
blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being
my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried
to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you
for all that you have done for me. The cross is the place, a wonderful place
where accused and condemned find mercy and GRACE. Thank you Jesus, it is at the
cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the
cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you
gave your life for us. I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to
life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving
me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something
that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to LIVE
for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never
repay you. I want to LIVE for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I
thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me.
Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you
Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray
precious Jesus! Amen!
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith.
Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! I
recommend Oakland International Fellowship with
Pastor Hugo Cheng. Our service starts at
9:30 a.m. with Prayer, 10:30 a.m. with Sunday School, 11:30 a.m. with
Worship Service, and 12:30 p.m. with lunch fellowship. We are located in
the heart of the University community on North Dithridge St.
May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com
if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-641-9426
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
Express Your
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