Anxiety

Anxiety

2025 Theme:  Faithfulness

Series Title:  Respectable Sins

Scripture:  Philippians 4:4-9

June 22^nd, 2025

Something to think about:

As we continue our series today, we will be exploring the unhealthy and problematic results of anxiety on individuals and communities, and some solutions to overcoming the fear that so easily consumes our thoughts and actions.  To do that, we turn to the closing instructions of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian Church in Northern Greece:

Philippians 4:4-9 (NLT),

⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.  Remember, the Lord is coming soon. ^*

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  ⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.  Then the God of peace will be with you.^[1]

The 19th-century German evangelist, George Müller, said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”  To combat the problem of anxiety, we have to address the issue of trust.

Key Point:  “Anxiety is the result of distrust.”

Warren Wiersbe, in his book entitled Be Joyful, explains that the Greek word that Paul uses in this passage, translated as “worry/anxiety” in verse 6, actually means “to be pulled in different directions.”[2]  He goes on to write that “The Old English root from which we get our word ‘worry’ means ‘to strangle.’

“If we are to conquer worry/anxiety and experience the secure mind, we must meet the conditions that God has laid down [through Paul in this passage].”[3]  And, according to Wiersbe, there are three of them:

• Right  .

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT),  ⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.  Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

• Right  .

Philippians 4:8 (NLT),  ⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

• Right  .

Philippians 4:9 (NLT),  ⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.  Then the God of peace will be with you.

Something to take home:

Warren Wiersbe writes, “There is no middle ground.  Either we yield heart and mind to the Spirit of God and practice right praying, thinking, and living; or we yield to the flesh and find ourselves torn apart by worry/anxiety.”[4]

Are you fearful and anxious?  Has it consumed you?  Have you allowed it to paralyze you and hold you back from truly living and trusting in GOD?  If so, it’s time to live in the freedom that only GOD can give through the peace He offers in complete trust in Him.  Prayer is the starting point to leaving your anxieties and worries behind.  Fixing your thoughts on things that are true and good is the next step in getting out of the pit of fear.  And finally, putting into practice the teachings of Christ clears the pathway to the peace that passes understanding.

Key Point:  “Anxiety is the result of distrust.”

^* 4:5 Greek the Lord is near.

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

[2] Warren Wiersbe, Be Joyful, (Victor Books:  Wheaton, Illinois; 1987), 125.

[3] Be Joyful, 125-126.

[4] Ibid., 132.