Philippians 4:6-7

Please turn with me to Philippians 4, verse 6. Another characteristic of a faithful Christian is enjoying the peace of God. Notice Paul's words in Philippians 4.

Different things happen to us all: trials and sorrows, disappointments and failures. We all have our ups and downs. Things go well and things go wrong. And when the trials come, we are distracted and distraught, possibly with a certain amount of disorientation. It is common for people in this condition to ask, why is God doing this to me? Why is He allowing this to happen to me?

God lets us suffer mentally and physically so that we and others may learn lessons and fine-tune our characters. Nevertheless, we have the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds from suffering more than we can handle, and giving us peace of mind while strengthening us to calmly handle what does come our way.

I always thought this was a curious thing. That He promised not to put us through more than we can handle, but yet He promises to give us the strength to bear up under whatever He does put us through. So to me, it is unlimited in His promise there.

If the peace of God is not present, we have limited God, and we have set a mark or a limit or boundary on what we believe God can do. It is a spiritual problem of a lack of thankfulness, faithfulness, and contentment. The children of Israel were always unhappy and restless, not knowing the peace of God. And it was because they were limiting the Holy One of Israel. They did not know His comfort because they did not trust Him. And they turned away from Him instead of turning to Him.

The peace of God which passes all understanding is not necessarily relief from physical pain and suffering. It is peace of mind and comes from a content, humble, thankful attitude that does not limit His comforting spirit of power and a sound mind. Paul told the Romans the same thing that we should understand and know: that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Not believing this limits our mind on what God has made possible for us.

Philippians 4:6-7

Now we can overcome the world and its moods by using the stabilizing, strengthening tool of prayer several times a day. Please turn to Philippians 4 and we are going to read verses 6 and 7.

So that is a guarantee we have. It is very important to show our thanksgiving in our prayers, to thank God for what He has given us, with the blessings He has provided. God promises He will guard us and give us peace of mind, but we must ask in faith, believing God's promise. We ask in what we think is faith, but we do not believe - truly believe - in God's promises, then our faith is useless.

He knows no one can grow out of depression with unforgiven guilt hanging over his head. Paul encourages us in Philippians 3:13 to forget our past guilt for the sins and mistakes that we have previously made and repented of, and to reach for our future spiritual goals and godly character.

The Bible contains many encouraging and inspiring examples of the faith of people who faced virtually insurmountable odds and yet overcame with God's help. Still they had to ask in prayer, in faithful prayer. The Bible reveals God's greatness and the vastness of His master plan which He has lovingly designed for the entire universe. It shows His mercy, His compassion, and lovingkindness for His creation. It shows that God promises to provide all our needs and does not want us discouraged.

Let us turn over to Romans 15, verse 4. The more we read His written Word, the more we adopt the mind of God. It is God speaking to us. And this is why daily Bible study is essential. We need to make the Bible the foundation of our behavior and the basis for sound, uplifting thoughts that dispel discouragement.

Philippians 4:6-7

He is saying here that when we go back to God in prayer because of things that are happening in our world, in our families, in our relationships with others, that one of the things that comes back to us is the peace of God. And it is interesting here. It is beyond understanding. It surpasses all understanding. How can a God millions or billions of miles away at the time of our prayers send peace? How does that work? What is the mechanism for that? I do not understand.

Well, it is obviously through His Spirit. But He can give us at that moment, in that instant, peace, an inner satisfaction, an inner contentment, a confidence. Paul admits, I do not understand it. I do not understand it fully. But it happens. And you know what? That peace guards our minds and our hearts. It guards us from slipping away, from doing wrong. It is not going to reach out and say no and stop you from doing something, but it will certainly undergird and strengthen you to do what you need to do. But we still do not understand it. Just enjoy it. Just make use of it.

Philippians 4:6-7

1. We can give God our worries. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to replace anxiety with prayer. “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours] (Amplified Bible).” Every burden becomes lighter when placed in God's hands.