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?
I want to have the faith that Paul has for it is just amazing to me that he is willing to write the words of God down as he is in prison. 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. It is easier said than done. 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 be 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!

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING A.N.X.I.E.T.Y:

Recently, I was worried about the Fall 2009 Activities Fair from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug 30, 2009 and who can help me there! While I studied these verses this morning, I got ideas and the Lord Jesus gave me so much peace knowing that I can leave the results in His precious Hands. I also was reminded that I should lay all my requests before Him, in prayer, petition, and thanksgiving 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 would try to give my best to the Lord as I take the exam asking for His Help and leaving the results in His Hands. Since I don't know how I did, I would try to study hard in my subjects. I would tell myself to work hard for the Lord and learn knowledge to help others! It really helped me a lot to wait for my transcript rather than checking my grades. A word of caution is that I never did that with classes that involved revision of papers. You know why!

If I had seen my grades and they were not good, I would be so preoccupied with 'how to get the grade' instead of 'how to make a difference' in the lives of others as I depend on the Lord. I would be consumed by worry. I thank the Lord for the idea about not checking my grades but keep working hard in my subjects not knowing whether I failed or passed. Amazingly, when my transcript came, I made the Dean's List, etc. I also had the peace of the Lord which surpasses all understanding. You can too in 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:

"Lord 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!

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”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!