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Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

I love the King James Bible – it is a good and reliable translation. Yet the Bible uses archaic language – after all, it’s last authorized revision was in 1881 (called the English Revised Version, or Revised Version, this was the only officially authorized revision). Language has changed quite a bit from 1611 and 1881. The word “careful” in the King James is the Greek μεριμνάω merimnáō, (pronounced mer-im-nah’-o) which in today’s language means:

To be ANXIOUS, or have ANXIETY, to be WORRIED,
to be TROUBLED about something

The same word is translated differently throughout the King James. From our Lord Jesus in Matthew 6:25

Therefore I say unto you, Take no THOUGHT for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Or in Matthew 6:31

Therefore take no THOUGHT, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Or when Jesus told the worrying Martha in Luke 10:41

Martha, Martha, thou art CAREFUL AND TROUBLED about many things:

The Lord does not want His people to be worried – and yet, we often are. Worry is a fertile ground that grows many dangerous plants. It can lead to:

Panic Attacks
Racing Heart,
Sweating and Shaking,
Deep Depression,
Listlessness and Loss of Joy,
even Suicidal Thoughts … or worse!

If you are a Christian – saved by faith in the Grace of God – the Lord does not want you feeling this way. The Bible tells us that:

2 Timothy 1:7 … God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Jesus did not save you so that you could be ruled by the negative. And even as I say this, I want you all to understand God does not want you to feel like less than a son or daughter because you are anxious or worried. One of my favorite Pastors, C.H. Spurgeon, often called The Prince of Preachers, suffered depression and worry. In his sermon The Christian’s Heaviness and Rejoicing Spurgeon said:

“My spirits were sunken so low that I could weep by the hour like a child, and yet I knew not what I wept for.”

King David, a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22) said:

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” (Psalm 42:5)

As Christians, there are five Biblical steps you can take to help overcome worry before worry overcomes you. Let me say this, though. If you are chronically worried, or habitually depressed, you may need to see a healthcare professional. We live in a fallen world in broken bodies. The mind, just like the heart, can become disabled. Reach out to me, to someone who loves you, and let us come together in love to find a solution. Jesus Christ gave everything for your blessing. You’ve got a lot to live for, both now, and forever!

Just Cast It On The Lord

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing
or better – “Do not be anxious or worried about anything!”

Sometimes we as humans take too much on ourselves. This characteristic started in the Garden of Eden when a talking snake convinced Adam “you really want to be like God” (Genesis 3:4). No, we do not want to be like God. But too often we try and be God, and it hurts us.

I’m sure you’ve all done this, because I’ve done it many times. I go into the grocery store or the local Walmart to get just one thing, so I don’t take a shopping cart with me. I head back into the store, pick up the one thing … then remember something else I need. I go and get that something else, and now I have two things in my hands. But as I head toward the check out line I think of something else. It’s getting harder and harder to hold what I have, and I’m struggling – but then I remember something else. By the time I get to the one register that’s open (and filled with people) I’m struggling to hold all these items in my two arms. My muscles and tensing, and I’m frustrated as the customer at the register (and I’m at the end of a long line) counts out pennies and digs through her handbag for elusive coupons “I just know I have” … and my arms stretch out of joint about 3 inches. Finally as I get close enough to the register I drop everything on the conveyor belt. The tension is relieved, and my mood starts to get better.

I never should have taken all that stress on myself in the first place!
Why didn’t I just take the shopping cart?

The same truth applies to our lives. We pick up too many stresses that don’t belong to us in the first place. We are told in:

1 Peter 5:6-7 … Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your CARE upon him; for he careth for you.

The word translated CARE is the Greek μέριμνα mérimna, (pronounced mer’-im-nah) which means “worry or anxiety”. Things happen in our lives that we cannot control. God does not want us to worry about these things. He wants us to be who we are, and let God be God. The same Greek word is used in Luke chapter 8 in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. Jesus said that some of the seeds of Grace – when cast by the Sower – fall among thorns and never produce fruit. Jesus said:

Luke 8:14 … {they are} choked with the CARES {mérimna – worries} … of this life, and bring forth no fruit to perfection.

Worry makes a fruitless and miserable life. God’s solution to worry is for me to stop trying to be God, and to cast my worries on the Lord. Let it go! You cannot fix it by worry. You cannot make it better by worry.

Express The Problem To God

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing {quit worrying};
but in every thing by PRAYER and supplication

When we cast our burdens upon God we use the spiritual disciplines of prayer and supplication. The word translated PRAYER is the Greek προσευχή proseuchḗ, (pronounced pros-yoo-khay’) which means to earnestly seek God in prayer. It is a dedicated focus – not on yourself – but on your Savior and Lord.

Our Lord Jesus chose twelve men to be His choicest leaders – called Apostles – and of these twelve chose three men – Peter, James, and John – to be the leaders of the leaders. These twelve were to be the beginning of Christ’s Church. One day Jesus took Peter, James, and John up into a high mountain apart from the other 9 men (Matthew 17:1). Jesus’ intent was to teach these three men of His inner circle that He and He alone is Messiah. While these 3 men were on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus the other 9 men were in the valley. While Jesus and the inner three were on the mountaintop a man with an insane, demon possessed son came to the nine Apostles. The 9 did what they could, but in the end did nothing. As Jesus came back from the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John, the father of this poor boy came to Jesus saying:

Matthew 17:15-16 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

Jesus rebuked the father and the 9 disciples for their failure, and stepped in, rebuking the devil and curing the child (Matthew 17:18). Right after this the 9 disciples asked Jesus “Why couldn’t we do what You did?”. Jesus told them:

Matthew 17:20-21 … Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by PRAYER and fasting.

Jesus uses the same word for PRAYER that is used in Philippians 4:6 – proseuchḗ, (pronounced pros-yoo-khay’). The prayer that moves the heart and hand of God is the prayer focused on God, not on oneself. In fact, Jesus includes FASTING with prayer. When you FAST you do without something so that you can focus purely on God. This type of prayer is POWERFUL!

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing {quit worrying};
but in every thing by prayer and SUPPLICATION

The word SUPPLICATION is the Greek δέησις déēsis, (pronounced deh’-ay-sis) which means to to seek for, to earnestly request something from God. Déēsis, (pronounced deh’-ay-sis) is the cry of the broken heart totally submitted to God.

A wonderful example of this is found in the Old Testament in the life of a woman named Hannah. The name Hannah means “Grace”. Hannah had a problem. Hannah was childless. She wanted a child more than anything in the world, but was unable to conceive. It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t her husband’s fault. She was just unable. The Bible says Hannah was bitter in her soul. Her inability was destroying her outlook on life. She had a good life, a good husband, but felt less than because of her perceived failure. Do you know what Hannah did?

1 Samuel 1:10 … Hannah prayed unto the Lord, and WEPT SORE.

Hannah laid her burden on our Heavenly Father, Who’s shoulders are able to bear whatever weight we may have. Hannah promised to honor the Lord in her surrender. She humbled herself before Him – and He blessed Hannah with not just a child, but one of the greatest Prophets who ever was: the Prophet Samuel. What did the Psalmist say?

Psalms 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

You are not gods, so stop trying to be that way. Let the Lord have the burden!

Sing And Praise The Lord

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

The Bible does not tell us to rejoice or be thankful only while we are on the mountaintop. It’s easy to praise God on the mountaintop. But when we are in the valleys of life we often express our gloom rather than remembering how good God our Father has been to us in the past. There are a lot of times that hard things happen to my life that I do not understand. Nonetheless, I am to thank God anyway. We are told in Ephesians:

Ephesians 5:15-21 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

The will of God our Father is that we not be like the dark world around us, but that we walk as light in the Lord:

1 John 1:5-7 … This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Jesus calls His followers to come together frequently and to worship God in song and praise. When I have a blue day it lifts me up to come into this place and celebrate Jesus with others. When I am down singing – both private as well as public singing – releases my heart from despair and to the control of God the Holy Spirit. God calls His people to work TOGETHER. What better way to be TOGETHER than for us to sing TOGETHER and praise our Savior and Lord TOGETHER.

We as believers are not called to walk in darkness, but to walk in light. What does the Scripture say?

Ephesians 5:8 .. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light …

We walk together looking to Jesus. We work together for His glory. When you are down, pray. When you are depressed, seek out God’s people, and sing praises unto Him TOGETHER. Our God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). Praise Him!

Understand That God Is Absolutely
And Always In Control

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto GOD.

When the great Pastor C.H. Spurgeon was depressed he always looked to the Sovereignty of God. He said:

“It would be a very sharp and trying experience for me to think that I have an affliction which God never sent me, that the bitter cup was never filled by his hand, that my trials were never measured out by him, nor sent to me by his arrangement of their weight and quantity.”

Take your requests to God, for our God is able. The Apostle James told us that when trials come:

James 1:2-7 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ASK of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

When tried we are to understand that God worketh in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). The Bible says:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God works in us to bless us and make us more like Jesus. It is through trials and faith that we are shaped. God wants us to be like Jesus, to shine like Jesus, to enjoy life like Jesus.

Study or Meditate On God’s Word

Philippians 4:6-8 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What we dwell on effects how we feel. If we muse or meditate or study on negative things we will feel less than or negative. Let us focus on our God and His Word. Jesus prayed for His Church before going to Calvary, saying:

John 17:16-17 … {My Church is} not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

What you set your mind on is what will influence your heart. Let the Word of God infiltrate your soul. Let God’s truths be engraved on your hearts by His Holy Spirit.

As we close, let me restate these five steps:

Just Cast It On The Lord
Express The Problem To God
Sing And Praise The Lord
Understand That God Is In Control
Study or Meditate On God’s Word

Dear friends, give it all to Jesus! Look unto Jesus. Pray to the Father through Jesus. His Kingdom will never fail. May God richly bless you as you seek Him this very day!