If you struggle with stress, anxiety, or fear of the future... God wants to write a new chapter in your story this Fall! That's why this week, we're continuing our Anxious For Nothing series by learning how to Keep Calm & Pray On! By following what Dr. Paul (aka the Apostle Paul) prescribed for us in Philippians 4:6-8, we'll be well on our way to becoming Anxious For Nothing!
AMAZING AMYGDALAE
Did you know? Your amygdalae are part of your brain's Limbic System. They're responsible for triggering certain emotions - specifically, FEAR! Your amygdalae act as a Home Security System... alerting you to dangerous threats. While limited anxiety is helpful to keep us alert to danger... what we don't need is toxic anxiety - living in a constant state of HYPER ALERT! Thankfully, the same God who created your amygdalae can CALM them as well. See, when Paul wrote Philippians 4, he knew he served a good God who was in complete control... even while stuck in a gloomy prison cell! He also knew PRAYER was the most powerful weapon when it came to the war on worry... and gave us these instructions on how we can TAKE ACTION:
#1) We Choose Prayer Over Despair
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6
In the verse above, Paul shows us God's PATHWAY to PEACE.... and it's PAVED with PRAYER! The first kind of prayer, supplication, means to get on your knees and humbly ask someone with GREAT POWER to help you. When we do this, we can:
#2) Humbly Ask For Heaven's Help
In prayers of supplication, we call on our King! We draw on his POWER because he is our Father who loves us. To be clear, we NEVER DEMAND things of God... but HUMBLY ask for Heaven's help. When bringing those requests, make sure you:
#3 Make Specific Requests
In prayer, you can tell God EXACTLY what you need. Pray the PARTICULAR aspects of your problem! When we make specific requests and God answers, we can have NO DOUBT it's his work and not ours. Remember, God is a good Father... so you can confidently tell him exactly what you need! Your sins have been forgiven by Christ and you're covered by his blood... that means at any moment you can boldly approach God's throne and ASK HIM for help.
Now, imagine with me if God were to ask you, "What do you want me to do for you?"How would you answer him? See, prayer is the difference between the best that we can do and the best that God can do in his UNLIMITED STRENGTH! Bring your requests to him, and then after you ask, you'll want to:
#4) Season Your Prayers With Gratitude
When we pray and God answers, don't forget to thank him! Gratitude sucks the oxygen out of worry's world. When we remember God's blessings and recall his breakthroughs, gratitude right-sizes your PROBLEMS and super-sizes your SAVIOR! See, through prayer, you make a trade with God... You give him your problems, and in exchange, he gives you his PEACE. You have a hotline to Heaven... Will you cast your anxieties on Him in prayer today?