THIS MEANS WAR
Matthew Griffin
Today’s Scripture: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6, ESV
Theme: We fight anxiety about having enough by praying and asking God to battle with and for us!
STAY IN THE FIGHT!
It seems that for many of us, life is just a war. Every day, we fight battles! As soon as we wake up (if you are anything like me), once that alarm goes off in the morning, it is a full-on battle (in my head) to get out of that bed! Throughout the day, we fight battles with our bosses, families, coworkers, kids, TRAFFIC! I use the terms “war” and “battles” because that is truly what it is!
Paul explains this war to us in Ephesians 6:12 (ESV): “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The anxiety (battles) that we deal with every day can ultimately make us want to just quit. See, that is what the devil wants. He wants us to stop giving, stop loving, stop caring, and stop telling people about Jesus. Today, I want to encourage you to STAY IN THE FIGHT!
USE YOUR WEAPONS
The Good News is Jesus knew we were in for a fight (John 15:19-20) and He left us with a powerful weapon. John 14:16-17 tells us the Spirit will come, helping us, revealing truth, and He will be with us always. He has given us spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:13-18). And Philippians 4:6 tells us to take our requests and anxieties to God. In other words, God wants us to invite Him into the battle with us! How encouraging is that?! When we pray, we openly invite God to fight with us in our battles. Spoiler alert, HE’S UNDEFEATED!
CHANGE THE MINDSET
The first part of Philippians 4:6 tells us plainly what our first step should be: “Don’t be anxious!” Paul doesn’t expect that we will never have worries, or never be anxious. Instead, he reminds us that those things have no authority or power in our life. They have no jurisdiction to hangout in our heads.
Make it Personal: Throughout your day, when you begin to get hit with the anxieties that life brings, use your weapons! What battle have you been trying to fight on your own? I encourage you, begin to offer those worries to your Heavenly Father and thank Him for always being in the fight with you. Trust me, friends. When God steps on the battlefield with you, it's “over” for the enemy before it begins.
Pray: God, I am so thankful that You are my Guardian and my Protector. Today, I thank You for the battles that You have won already. And tomorrow, I will continue to be thankful for the battles that You will lead me through. Take these burdens from me and remind me of the joy You have promised to me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: Philippians 4:4-7; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 6:13-18
Weekly Memory Verse: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9, ESV