Paul’s Antidote for Anxiety ~ Philippians 4:4-8

ATTITUDE: vv. 4-5

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

ACTION v.6

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

ANSWER v.7'

7 And the peace of God, which transcends al! understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

AFFIRMATION v.8

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

It doesn’t take a genius or a mental health professional to tell us we live in an age of high anxiety, True enough, we have lived through some good times in terms of economics, the Dow Jones and personal incomes. Yet, after long years of counseling people, I’ve seen anxiety take an increasing toll on the lives of people, Whether it is because of the hectic pace of modern living, economic pressures, family tensions, or stress at work --- If I had to come up with a one word definition for the spirit of our time it would be: "Anxious,"

 A BIBLICAL PRESCRIPTION FOR ANXIETY

St, Paul has a prescription for anxiety as vital for our time as it was the day he wrote it, In fact, though we live in a very different world, there are striking similarities between Paul's time and ours, I want to take you directly to our scripture where we encounter Paul's four keys to an spiritual antidote for anxiety.

As a preface, let me clarify the difference between anxiety and fear. Anxiety is a generalized and pervasive sense of tension and distress, It is somewhat related to fear, except that fear is focused on a specific object, For instance: If I were able to tell you for certain, "Something terrible is going to happen to you this week,"- you would feel "anxious", Fear is more specific like; fear of flying, or fear of heights – it is the condition of feeling generally "anxious" that Paul addresses,

NOW TO PAUL'S PRESCRIPTION: Here are Paul's four keys:

1. ATTITUDE 2. ACTION 3. ANSWER 4. AFFIRMATION

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1. ATTITUDE: (vv. 4-5)

Paul gives us a foundation for an attitude that can overcome the anxious heart.

"Rejoice!" He says it twice.(Also means: "Be cheerful")  Look to the things that give you joy – focus on things that are good, What do most people do? See the good - or see the bad?

Gentleness The literal meaning of the word here is "A calmness that comes from knowing things will be okay," Better is "okayness" ie: "Let your okayness be evident to all."

The Reason we are "cheerful" and "calm" "The Lord is near!"

Based on this attitude foundation Paul moves us on to:

2. ACTION: (V.6)

First a "Don't" or "Do Not"

"Do not be anxious about anything! "

Then a "Do",,,

a, In everything… (in how many things?)

b, With "thanksgiving" (Why? Because: "the Lord is near" because

we have confidence that God is able to care for the problem!)

c, "Present your requests to God" ie: Let God know specifically what troubles you – what your needs are – in all things PRAY!

Now with the correct attitude and correct action comes the:

3. ANSWER: (v.7)

Instead of anxiety, "the Peace of God" will come and it is a peace that:

"Transcends all understanding" That is to say, this Peace of God which comes to you is something NOT BASED on human understanding or rationality – it is something you would not figure out – it is divine peace which is based on God's presence and protection not on shallow, unpredictable human promises!

Paul goes on to say this peace of mind from God will "guard" your heart and mind. The word guard actually means "will stand watch over your heart and mind" In other words, the peace of God will come and occupy the place anxiety once held!

It is important for us to understand that anxiety can become a terrible habit – such a way of life that it is deeply ingrained and hard to dislodge. You wind up feeling abnormal unless you are anxiously worrying over something. So… it is a new mindset or habit of mind we need. (One psychologist suggested that it takes 21 days to instill the beginnings of a new habit… remember that when you begin to renew your mind!

Paul speaks of this new mindset in Romans 12:1-2:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ..

Paul’s formula helps us to establish this new mindset with a concluding:

4. AFFIRMATION (v.8)

We need something new to put into our minds in place of the old negative habit of worry. Paul suggests a new mental program – that we give ourselves a new way of thinking and we do this with verse 8:

In other words: Stay away from the evening news while you build a new habit of thinking – a new way of going at your difficulties. Dr. Andrew Weil suggest a "news fast" one day a week in his program, Eight Weeks to a Healthier Lifestyle".

So here is Paul’s prescription – his antidote to anxiety:

Attitude:   Rejoice! It will be okay – God is in charge!

Action:     In everything – absolutely everything – give thanks and pray!I

Answer:   Instead of anxiety, you will experience the peace of God!