June 1: Be anxious for nothing

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   (Philippians 4:4-7 — New American Standard)

If you believe in the Lord Jesus and have given your life to Him, you have much to rejoice about. You have a Savior who has forgiven all your sins and who has made you a child of God. You have His continual presence and help in your life right now — and you are going to live forever. So do as the apostle says, “Rejoice in the Lord always"! Don't worry. Don’t be anxious about anything. Instead, pray about everything. After all, you are God's child and He has promised to help you and answer your prayers. If you worry — and allow fear and anxiety to bounce around in your heart and mind — you are blocking God's work in your life. Even worse, you are opening up your life to Satan's work and lies.

You can control your thoughts (though you may be used to thinking that you can’t). Refuse to worry or to be fearful, and choose to believe and trust God. The promises of God's word are true; millions of people have tested them and found that they really do work. Let God know what you need, thank Him for what He has and will do, then allow His divine peace and confidence flood your soul and guard you from all of Satan's deceptions. Don't allow worry and fear to dominate your thoughts — reject them! Cast them out! Replace them with prayer and faith.

Some people have a hard time controlling their thoughts. You may have been a “worrier” all your life, and may even have had parents who worried. But you can change. Jesus told us that we cannot accomplish anything through worry — we cannot add a day to our lives or keep one hair from falling out. So get busy and break the habit of worry. Avoid negative people and negative thoughts. Fill your mind with God's promises. Read His Word and talk to people who’ve seen the greatness of God.

Few people in this world know what a real prayer is — the one that’s described in this verse. Most people pray, present their problems to God, ask for what they need, and then get up from their prayer and act as if they had never prayed. There is no peace, no freedom from concern, and no confidence about God’s answer — all in stark contrast to what the above verse says about true prayer. There is a peace that “surpasses all comprehension”, which “guards our hearts and our minds” in Christ Jesus. This is not a feeling. It is a decision to trust in God; a decision to be at peace. If we don’t have that, then we haven’t really prayed. — So let’s be obedient and rejoice in every situation, knowing that it will all turn out for the very best because of our faith in the Lord Jesus.