Philippians 4:4-9

All right, please take your copy of God's Word and turn with me to Philippians chapter 4.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

!

It just reminded me, and I just thought it would be worth mentioning this morning as we find ourselves in a kind of a troubled age as it concerns Christianity,

that today is the anniversary of the Diet of Worms, where Luther stood trial and was required to recant all of the writing that he had done,

which included the 95 Theses, but also much more that he had written about biblical Christianity and the kind of the offense to that that Rome was perpetrating.

And he famously said,

My conscience is held captive to the Word of God.

Here I stand.

I could do no other.

But you may not realize, I mean, we certainly live in a day where boldness is necessary,

and sometimes people want to point to Luther as an example of brashness.

And I don't think Luther was that at all.

In fact, before he made that statement,

My conscience is held captive to the Word of God.

Here I stand.

I can do no other.

He asked,

May I please have some more time to consider?

And that gets left out of history altogether.

He was a humble man,

and I think even timid in some respect,

but when pressed to the point, right,

he said,

Oh, no,

we must listen to God's Word.

So let that encourage us as we open God's Word together this morning.

You know, it is altogether possible to understand the gospel for the salvation of your soul,

which is its primary purpose, right?

That you would be saved from the judgment to come,

but to miss the point that the gospel has implications for the way that you think and feel and act today.

We flee to Christ to be saved from hell,

and we flee to Christ to be saved from sin,

or at least we should.

Having been saved from sin,

we ought to also want to live holy lives.

We have much opportunity as a church of the living God

to make him known in the world

through the careful application of the gospel

to the daily struggles of this life.

The gospel speaks to the every day.

Of course, doing this,

putting God on display in this way,

does not preclude gospel proclamation.

We must proclaim the good news of Jesus,

but it most definitely should accompany it.

Each of us have and will likely experience some measure of anxiety in this life.

Anxiety is reportedly on the rise in our society in massive ways.

You can just imagine the pandemic and what it may have brought out in many people.

You yourself may have experienced this or seen this in people that you know and love.

Some of us have a greater propensity toward anxiety than others,

and I don't want to be insensitive this morning to the fact that there are some anxiety disorders.

There are some people who have a medical propensity towards anxiety,

but most of us are experiencing anxiety in ways that are not medical but spiritual.

It's inevitable that fallen people living in a fallen world from time to time

will feel the weightiness of this reality that we live in.

Some people are abundantly aware that they are anxious,

but many are not.

We use a lot of kind of cloaking words for things like anxiety, worry, concern, etc.

So I hope two things for our time together this morning just before we read the text.

That you will have a clear understanding of your personal anxiety

and be better equipped to fight for your joy.

And secondly, that you will have a clear understanding of others' anxiety

and be better equipped to fight for their joy.

We are instructed to love one another,

and Paul tells us in Galatians 6-2

that if we love one another, we will bear one another's burdens.

We're to take on the trouble of others.

So if you're in a relationship with somebody who deals with anxiety,

which if you're unaware of this, you are.

You're in a relationship with somebody who deals with anxiety, right?

They're going to ask for help,

and you ought to be able to give them good biblical answers to their spiritual problems.

So our text for today is Philippians 4, verses 4-9.

Philippians 4:4–9

Before I read it, beloved, let me remind you this is God's word to us,

written for his glory and our good.

We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises

and obey its commands.

Verse 4.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I will say, rejoice.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

Do not be anxious about anything,

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 understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence,

if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me,

practice these things,

and the God of peace will be with you.

I was once at a biblical counseling conference,

and in an afternoon session,

the speaker began his lesson by saying,

very boldly, he said,

tell me what you worry about or what makes you angry,

and I will show you your idols.

Well, I found this emphatic statement just too strong

to not wrestle out its implications.

In fact, I probably would have done well

to listen to the rest of what he had to say,

but I spent the next hour writing down things that worried me

or things that angered me

and tracing each thing to its source.

I just kept asking,

but why?

Why does that worry me?

Why does that cause me to be angry?

And I was shocked to discover that most,

if not all,

of my worry was sinful anxiety.

Paul tells us in verse 6,

do not be anxious about anything.

However, in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 28,

2 Corinthians 11:28

he writes,

after a list of things that he had suffered,

he says,

The word in Greek is a very flexible word,

and that's why Paul can use the word

in two different places,

and contextually we can understand it differently,

and in our English we just get the word anxiety

in both places.

But what we can learn is that it is possible

to be faithfully concerned about a matter,

not to be flippant, uncaring,

but you can be faithfully concerned about a matter.

But the command of Paul in verse 6

to not be anxious about anything

is in reference to a faithless concern.

And this is an anxiety that must be remedied

for our good and for the glory of God.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to set aside

faithless concern,

faithless anxiety.

Now before I give you the outline for the text

and we begin our study of it,

I want you to see something significant.

Everything Paul is teaching us to do

is an expansion of what he has previously declared

we are.

Take a look back at chapter 4, verse 1.

He says,

Therefore, my brothers whom I long for,

my joy and crown,

stand firm thus in the Lord,

my beloved.

What does standing firm look like?

In verses 2 and 3,

Paul tells us it is working toward

and maintaining the unity of the church

and other things that follow in our text.

Right?

He's saying,

Therefore, live like this.

But 4.1 begins with a therefore.

Paul is saying,

Stand firm because of something.

What is that something?

is the reality of who you and I are

in Jesus Christ.

Right?

If we have placed saving faith in Him.

Right?

Because of who you are.

Notice verse 1.

He calls my brothers and he says,

Beloved.

Right?

Signifying words.

Titles for people who are found in Christ.

Therefore, stand firm.

firm.

You can back up a bit more

into chapter 3

and see verses 20 and 21.

He says,

But our citizenship is in heaven

and from it we await a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

who will transform our lowly body

to be like His glorious body

by the power that enables Him

even to subject all things to Himself.

If we are in Christ,

we are not living primarily for this life,

but primarily for the life to come.

We are part of a theocracy

being ruled by King Jesus

who is bringing all things under His reign.

Right?

Now and forevermore.

We have to have this framework in our minds.

Right?

This text, verses 4-9,

is written for Christians.

People have placed their faith in Jesus

and helps us to understand

how to deal with sinful anxiety.

So the outline for the text will be as follows.

Number one, fight for your joy.

I'll go back to these

if you're not familiar with the way

I format sermons.

Number one, fight for joy.

Number two, be gracious toward others.

Number three, turn to God

with all of your concerns.

And number four,

if you're scribbling these right now,

I'm sorry,

dehabituate by rehabituating.

I won't spell that for you.

Dehabituate by rehabituating.

All right, number one.

Fight for your joy.

Look at this in verse four.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I will say rejoice.

Lasting joy,

true joy,

the kind of rejoicing

that Paul's talking about here

is not circumstantial.

It has nothing to do

with what's going on around you.

It has everything to do

with the state of being

because of who you are.

We may find temporary happiness

in our circumstances, right?

And that's fine.

That's good.

I took the boys

to a birthday party yesterday.

We had fun.

It was an enjoyable time.

But we will just as readily

find great misery

in our circumstances.

If you're always looking

to circumstances,

you will have highs

and you will have desperate lows.

Paul here exhorts us

to rejoice always.

How is this possible?

It is possible

and it is only possible

if we find joy

in an unchanging,

eternal source of joy, right?

in the Lord.

It's the only place

this kind of always rejoicing

can come from.

And beloved,

this is a battle of the mind.

Romans chapter 12 and verse 2.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Paul says,

do not be conformed

to this world,

but be transformed,

changed by the renewal

of your mind.

This is not a battle

that needs to take place

at the level of your feelings.

You will lose that battle.

This is a battle

that has to take place

in the mind.

In our recent study

of the book of Hebrews,

we learned at the end

of chapter 10

about the bizarre behavior

of a suffering church.

Not behaving at all

like the world, right?

Not conformed to the world,

but like transformed people.

We read in verse 34

of Hebrews 10.

You had compassion

on those in prison.

So there were believers

who had been imprisoned

for their faith.

And you joyfully accepted

the plundering

of your property.

I think we could easily say,

I think many of us would go,

yeah, yeah,

compassion on those in prison.

I could do that.

But as they did this,

they were identifying themselves

as Christian, right?

They were showing themselves

to be in relationship

with these people

who had been imprisoned

for their faith.

And as a result,

their property was plundered, right?

Their homes were ransacked.

And the author of Hebrews

says the most curious thing.

They did this joyfully.

They joyfully accepted

the plundering

of their property.

How?

How?

How are they rejoicing always,

even in a circumstance like that?

Well, he tells us.

I know you don't have it

open in front of you,

but I'll tell you.

He goes on in that verse to say,

since you knew,

in the mind,

mindfully,

you knew

that you yourselves

had a better possession

and an abiding one.

One that could not

be taken away, right?

One not based in circumstance,

but in the Lord,

an unchanging source

of joy.

John Newton,

this is on your bulletin,

I believe,

if I'm tracking my mind right,

who was an 18th century

Anglican minister.

He's famous for writing

the hymn Amazing Grace.

Use this wonderful analogy.

He said,

suppose a man was going

to New York

to take possession

of a large estate

and his carriage

should break down

one mile

before he got to the city,

which obligated him

to walk the rest of the way

to the inheritance, right?

So here's a man

doing well

and now suffering,

but he's headed somewhere, right?

He's headed to receive

a great inheritance.

Newton goes on to say,

what a fool

we should think him

if we saw him

wringing his hands

and blubbering

all the remaining mile.

My carriage is broken.

My carriage is broken.

And many of us

live this way.

We have eternal reward

promised to us

and we're blubbering

and wringing our hands

about temporal loss.

C.S. Lewis,

in The Weight of Glory,

wrote,

we are half-hearted creatures

fooling about

with drink and sex

and ambition

when infinite joy

is offered us.

Like an ignorant child

who wants to go on

making mud pies

in a slum

because he cannot imagine

what is meant

by the offer

of a holiday

at the sea.

We are far

too easily

pleased.

So we have to fight

for joy

and we have to do so

by reorienting

our thinking.

Secondly,

be gracious

towards others.

Verse 5.

Verse 5 says,

let your reasonableness

be known to everyone.

The Lord

is at hand.

Now,

the Greek word

translated

reasonableness

in the English

standard version

of the Bible

that most of us

have this morning.

If you don't,

don't feel left out.

It's okay.

But this word

is a very rich word.

Commentators

and translators

have varied widely

on its rendering.

You ready?

Here's some of the suggestions

for this Greek word.

Reasonableness,

generosity,

goodwill,

friendliness,

magnanimity,

charity,

mercy,

leniency,

big-heartedness.

I don't love that one.

Moderation,

forbearance,

and gentleness

are some of the attempts

to capture the meaning

of this word.

It is a very flexible,

expansive word.

Possibly,

the best word,

and I say this with humility,

is graciousness.

Perhaps the ESV

translates

reasonableness

because of the connection

of these ideas,

right?

If we're going to be

fighting for joy,

we're going to see

that there's a way

to do this further

in the text,

right?

Paul certainly seems

to be juxtaposing

anxiety in verse 6

with joy in verse 4

and peace in verse 7.

And then in verse 8,

he tells us to be

thoughtful and mindful

and to set our minds

on particular things.

And so I think

that's a pretty fair word,

reasonableness,

right?

If we're going to be

joyful and peaceful

rather than anxious,

we will have to be

reasonable,

right?

Romans 12,

2,

transformed by the

renewing of our minds.

But I think it is

important that we see

our reasonableness,

right,

connected to this

more expansive idea

of graciousness

or friendliness,

charity,

mercy,

leniency,

all of these ways

this word can be

translated.

We need to see

that the way

that we live our lives

should reverberate

to others

the love that God

has shown us.

God has been

gracious to us

in Christ.

Therefore,

we should display

the same graciousness

toward others,

right?

We should show

people the great

confidence that we

have in our God,

which is perhaps

why the uninspired

verse and chapter

numbers,

sometimes these drive

me crazy,

but it's perhaps

why the Lord

is at hand

is included

with verse 5,

although it sure

feels like it

belongs with

verse 6,

right?

Because God

is near,

right?

We can be

reasonable,

right?

Or,

as I'm suggesting,

we can be

gracious towards

others because

God has been

gracious toward

us.

So we need

to fight for

our joy,

for not to be

anxious.

We're to be

gracious towards

others by

displaying our

confidence in

this gracious

God.

And we're to

turn to God

with all of

our concerns.

Verse 6

and verse 7,

right?

The Lord is at

hand.

You want to

insert here a

therefore at the

beginning of verse

6, right?

Because God is at

hand, because he

is a present help

in times of

trouble, we

can go to

him in our

anxiety.

Do not be

anxious about

anything, 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

understanding, will

guard your

hearts and your

minds in Christ

Jesus.

There is an

alternative to

your anxiety

and mine.

Faith.

The alternative

to our sinful

anxiety is

faith.

We can not

be anxious about

anything, but

in everything, we

can turn to

God because he

is at

hand.

Now, the

prayer and the

supplication and

requests were

meant to take

their troubles to

him with our

synonyms that

refer to direct

petitions made

of God.

God, I

believe that

Paul uses the

repetition to

note that our

going to God

with all of our

concerns will be

often and it

will be varied.

There are a lot

of things for us

to be concerned

about.

To not be

anxious, we

will need to

pray and we

will need to

pray and we

will need to

pray.

Paul also

instructs that we

should do this

with thanksgiving.

The fact that

God has done

so much already

ought to give us

the confidence

that he will

continue to

do so.

Why are we so

prayerless so

often?

I think we've

forgotten God's

goodness to us

already.

We ought to be

driven to prayer

when we remember

how very kind

he's been to us.

We are in the

midst of a tough

circumstance.

It can be

difficult to

remember or to

notice anything

positive.

I will tell you

for myself, I

have to put a

great deal of

mental effort

into remembering

all of God's

goodness to me.

As we say

often, we are

slow learners and

we are quick to

forget.

We far too often

find ourselves

prayerless in

trials.

No wonder we

become anxious.

Prayerlessness is

a sign of

faithlessness.

When we don't

pray, it is

because we

have forgotten

who is in

control.

We too often

think that we

are in control

and when that

illusion comes

crashing down,

you think you

can, I got

this, and

something outside

of your control

just comes crashing

down.

I'm not in

control of

anything.

I can do so

little.

We become

anxious.

Of course we

do.

We think we

can control

our world.

The world is

falling apart.

We ought to

rightly be

anxious in

those moments

except that

we know who

is in

control.

It is a

very good

thing that

we are not

in control

when we

recognize who

is in

control.

Peter writes

in 1 Peter

1 Peter 5:6

chapter 5

verse 6

and following,

humble yourselves

therefore under

the mighty

hand of God

so that at

the proper

time he may

exalt you.

Humble yourself.

Recognize who

you are under

God and his

might.

Verse 7,

casting all

your anxieties

on him

because he

cares for

you.

Peter goes

on to say,

be sober

minded, be

watchful.

Your adversary

the devil prowls

around like a

roaring lion.

Seeking someone

to devour.

You may be

familiar with

verse 8 of

1 Peter chapter

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

5.

It's often

disconnected from

this idea of

casting our

anxieties on

God.

Who cares for

us?

So recognize

that your

anxiety is a

spiritual thing

happening.

The devil

wants to

steal away

your joy

and your

peace because

it doesn't

display who

our God is

to us in

Christ.

We become

ineffective

witnesses when

we're as

worried about

the things

that the

world is

worried about.

We're all

tied up in

knots because

of the

coronavirus or

the next

election cycle.

Our God

continues to

reign.

He is who

he said he

is and will

continue to

be forever.

We sing a

song often on

Sunday mornings

called What a

Friend We

Have in

Jesus.

And it's

a little

sing-songy so

maybe we

miss sometimes

the beauty

of the

words.

I love

this verse.

Oh what

peace we

often forfeit.

Oh what

needless pain

we bear.

All because

we do not

carry everything

to God

in prayer.

We can

take our

anxieties

to God.

Verse 7

says in the

peace of

God which

surpasses

all

understanding

will guard

your hearts

and your

minds in

Christ Jesus.

I think

Paul means

for there to

be some

duality in

what he's

saying here.

I think

he's first

referring to

Romans 5

1.

Therefore

since we

have been

justified by

faith we

have peace

with God

through our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

The peace

we have

with God

ought to

inform the

rest of

the way

that we

live.

And I

do also

think he

means a

feeling.

A feeling

of comfort

in the

midst.

of trial

because this

is a

peace that

surpasses

all

understanding.

People ought

to look at

the way we

walk through

trial as

Christians and

think us

strange.

Like those

Christians that

the author of

Hebrews writes

to joyfully

accepted the

plundering of

your property.

People ought

to be looking

at us that

way and

asking us

about the

hope that

we have.

Jesus talks

about anxiety

in Luke

Luke 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12.

You may be

familiar with

much of

this passage.

It's so

good for

our souls

to hear

it again.

Beginning in

verse 22.

And Jesus

said to his

disciples,

therefore I

tell you,

do not be

anxious about

your life,

what you

will eat,

nor about

your body,

what you

will put

on.

For life

is more

than food

and the

body more

than clothing.

Consider the

ravens.

They neither

sow nor

reap.

They have

neither

storehouse

nor barn.

And yet

God feeds

them.

Of how much

more value

are you

than the

birds?

And which

of you,

by being

anxious,

can add a

single hour

to a span

of life?

If then you

were not

able to do

a small

thing as

that,

why are you

anxious about

the rest?

Consider the

lilies,

how they grow,

they neither

toil nor

spin.

Yet I tell

you,

even Solomon

in all his

glory was

not arrayed

like one

of these.

But if

God so

clothes the

grass,

which is

alive in

the field

today,

and tomorrow

is thrown

into the

oven,

how much

more will

he clothe

you,

O you

of little

faith?

And do

not seek

what you

are to

eat and

what you

are to

drink,

nor be

worried.

For all

the nations

of the

world seek

after these

things,

and your

Father knows

that you

need them.

Instead,

seek his

kingdom,

and these

things will

be added

to you.

Fear not,

little flock,

for it is

your Father's

good pleasure

to give you

the kingdom.

The Lord

is at

hand.

He is

working

grand

purposes

for the

sake of

his name

and for

our good.

We can

take

everything

to him.

And the

promise as

we're doing

this is

that we

will have

an

un-understandable

peace.

Great joy

accompanies

recognizing

your position,

your place

in the world,

your inability

to control

your circumstance.

We act,

the birds are

actually looking

for food,

but God's

providing it.

We're not

ultimately in

control,

ever.

The account

of the

conversion of

Blaise Pascal,

who was a

17th century

French mathematician,

a wonderful,

fascinating man,

was found on a

piece of parchment

sewn into his

coat eight years

after his death.

I love that he

wrote this down

and had it

sewn into

his coat.

It was found

this many years

later.

This is what

he wrote.

Year of

Grace,

1654,

Monday 23

November,

Feast of

Saint Clement.

From about

half past

ten at night

to about

half an hour

after midnight,

fire.

God of

Abraham,

God of

Isaac,

God of

Jacob,

not of

philosophers

and scholars.

Certitude,

heartfelt joy,

peace.

God of

Jesus Christ,

God of

Jesus Christ,

my God

and your

God,

joy,

joy,

joy,

tears of

joy,

Jesus Christ,

Jesus Christ,

may I never

be separated

from him.

Isn't that

cool?

I'll write

that on the

inside of my

jacket.

So we need

to fight for

joy.

We need to be

gracious towards

others.

We need to

turn to God

with all of

our concerns.

And fourthly,

dehabituate by

rehabituating.

Verse eight

and nine.

Finally,

brothers,

whatever is

true,

whatever is

honorable,

whatever is

just,

whatever is

pure,

whatever is

lovely,

whatever is

commendable,

there's any

excellence or

there's anything

worthy of

praise.

Think about

these things

which you have

learned and

received and

heard and

seen in me.

Practice these

things and the

God of peace

will be with

you.

Right?

So he's

talking both

about thought

and practice.

Right?

And you see,

we could,

I mean,

we don't have

time this

morning to talk

about all

these things,

true,

honorable,

just.

But what he's

saying is take

you worry and

put them on

things that

are worthy

of your

thoughts.

Right?

You're

dehabituating

by

rehabituating.

You're

changing the

way that

you think.

You're

focusing on

these wonderful

promises of

God to

us in

Christ.

And the

things that

they've seen

modeled in

the life of

Paul,

that you see

modeled in

the text and

in leaders in

your life,

that you ought

to practice

these things.

Be about the

work of

God as

well.

We are

creatures,

of habit.

When I

drive into

Dahlonega,

when I

hit that

first light

in town,

I instinctively

turn right.

It's hard for

me not to

get into that

turning lane.

If I'm

heading right

into the

middle of

downtown or

I need to

go left

out towards

52,

I've got to

make a

real mental

effort as

I'm coming

down the

hill.

Don't go

right,

don't go

right,

don't go

right.

Because we're

creatures of

habit.

We just

do things

instinctively.

I bet that

each one of

you put on

a particular

shoe this

morning first.

any thought

to it at

all.

I challenge

you to

start paying

attention to

what you

do.

I put on

my right

sock and

my right

shoe and

then I

put on

my left

sock and

my left

shoe.

I don't

put on

both socks.

I don't

know why,

but it's

the way I

do it.

And if there

was something

morally wrong

with the way I

was putting

on my socks

and shoes,

I would have

to train

myself to

do it

differently.

I would

have to

rehabilitate

myself to

do it.

The scripture

said you must

put on your

left shoe

first.

I'd have to

really work

at doing

such a

thing.

And so

if we're

to not

be anxious,

if we're

to set

our minds

on the

things we're

to set

our minds

on,

we're going

to have

to work

at this.

Paul said

in 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

or 7,

train yourself

for godliness.

Train or

discipline

yourself

for godliness.

In a book

called The

Christian

Counselor's

Manual by

J. Adams,

he addresses

this,

this

re-habituating

and there's

a he in

here.

He's talking

about a

counselee

and he'll

mention the

counselor.

But he

says this,

how may I

discipline

myself,

he,

the

counselee,

may ask

insistently.

First,

the counselor

must indicate

that the

word discipline

clearly shows

that godliness

cannot be

zapped.

It cannot

be whipped

up like

instant

pudding.

Godliness

doesn't come

that way.

Discipline

means work.

It means

sustained

daily effort.

The word

Paul used

is the one

from which

the English

word gymnastics

and gymnasium

have been

derived.

It is a term

related to

athletics.

An athlete

becomes an

expert only

by years

of hard

practice.

There are

no instant

athletes.

It takes

years of

regular practice

to achieve

athletic

skill.

And so

in the

same way

as we

wrestle

with the

anxiety

in our

life,

and again,

I'm not

talking about

disorders,

I'm talking

about the

spiritual

anxiety

that most

of us

are going

to experience,

right?

We're going

to have to

train ourselves

to think

differently.

most of

my life

next to

the sink

in our

kitchen,

Philippians

Philippians 4:8

chapter 4

verse 8

was written

on a

note card

and stuck.

We lived

various places

and that

same note

card was

stuck in

that spot.

Whatever's

true,

whatever's

honorable,

whatever's

just,

etc.

was up

there.

And as

a child,

I just

never thought

to ask

my mother

why it

was put

there.

But now

as an

adult,

as a

pastor,

I just

thought,

Mom,

Philippians

4.8,

why was

that there?

And my

mom shared

with me

her lifelong

struggle with

anxiety.

What my

mom was

doing was

retraining

herself.

She was

rehabituating

by going,

this is not

what I need

to be thinking

about.

What I need

to be thinking

about are

things that

are true

and honorable

and just

and pure

and lovely.

She was

changing the

way that

she thought.

So,

beloved,

if you want

to fight

your anxiety,

it's not

going to be

found in

popular

psychology.

It's going

to be

found in

knowing the

promises of

God to

you in

Christ and

thinking about

those things,

meditating on

those things.

You've got to

change the

way you

think.

It's a

shocker by

changing the

way you

think.

God's

empowered word

retraining the

way you

think.

So,

we need to

fight for

joy,

be gracious

towards others,

turn to

God with

all of our

concerns,

and dehabituate

by

rehabituating.

May we

be a

people who

lay faithless

anxiety down

for joyful,

peaceful

faithfulness.

May we

be a

people that

live in a

way that

the world

would see

how very

reasonable

we are

because of

how great

Jesus Christ

is.

Let's pray

together.