DIGGING DEEP NO 1080 – April 22, 2025                               How To Be Free From Anxiety                                         Philippians 4:6-7

If anyone had good reason to be anxious, it could have been the Apostle Paul. His beloved friends at Philippi were disagreeing with one another Philippians 4:1-3

There were preachers in Rome who were filled with envy and strife, preaching to build their own reputations, taking advantage of Paul’s imprisonment to try to make a name for themselves. Philippians  1:15 To top it off, Paul himself was under house arrest, awaiting trial and his possible execution. Throughout the epistle in Philippians the keynote repeated again and again is “rejoice” Evidently Paul had found the secret of overcoming anxiety, and fortunately for us, he shares that secret in  Philippians  4:6-7 We shall examine what that secret is, but first, let’s take a closer look at “Anxiety” itself.

Defining the Word.

The word Anxious means to be pulled in different directions. Experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.

For example, our hopes pull us in one direction; our fears pull us in the opposite direction. Thus, to be anxious is to be pulled apart.

Worry or Anxiety has definite physical side effects: headaches, neck pains, ulcers, back pains, etc. Anxiety affects our thinking, our digestion, and even our coordination.

From a spiritual perspective, anxiety is wrong thinking and wrong feeling about circumstances, people and things. It is the greatest thief of joy. It is not enough for us to tell ourselves, “Quit being anxious”, in an effort to stop the thief from stealing our joy. Anxiety is an inside job. It takes more than good intentions to get the victory over anxiety.

The antidote to anxiety is revealed by Apostle Paul in our text, which we will now look at closely.

Winning the victory over anxiety. The antidote is the right kind of Praying in which we pray about everything. Paul counsels us to take everything to God in prayer. Verse 6. To put it another way, Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything is Paul’s admonition.

We are prone to pray about the big things, and forget to pray about the little things but little things left unattended grow up to become big things. Therefore, God would have us talk to Him about everything. We attend to anxiety by prayer and supplication.

Prayer is the general word for making requests known to God. It carries the idea of adoration, devotion, and worship. Whenever we find ourselves filled with anxiety, our first action ought to be to spend time alone with God in prayerful adoration and worship. Adoration for God helps us to remember the greatness and majesty of God. We must remember that He is big enough to solve problems we cannot. Too often, we rush into His presence and hastily tell Him our needs, but freedom from anxiety comes when we spend more time on Who He is, rather than on what our problems are.

Having spent time in prayerful adoration, we are now ready to move on. Supplication is where we begin making our requests known to God. It involves an earnest sharing of our problems and needs. Freedom from anxiety does not come from half-hearted, insincere praying. Our Father wants us to be earnest and persistent in our asking Matthew 7:7-11. An example of this sort of praying is found in Hebrews 5:7-10

Jesus offered up prayers and supplications. He did so, with vehement cries and tears, suggesting true earnestness in making His requests.

We must pray with thanksgiving. This implies appreciation on our part. Certainly, the Father delights in hearing His children say, “Thank you.” Yet so many people are like the nine lepers healed by Jesus in Luke 17:11-19. As we are we eager to ask, we must be eager to appreciate. Thanksgiving is to be offered at the same time we make our requests. Doing this serves to remind us of all the other things God has done and is doing for us. Such praying will result in a fortress guarding our minds and hearts. God may not always remove the problems that were the initial cause of our anxiety, but He promises a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that the world cannot provide, but He can. John 14:27; 16:33

It is a peace that guards our hearts and minds. Guarding the HEART which is susceptible to wrong feeling and Guarding the MIND which is susceptible to wrong thinking. This does not mean the absence of trials on the outside, but it does mean a quiet confidence within, regardless of circumstances, people, or things that would otherwise steal our joy.

CONCLUSION

This wonderful peace, this freedom from anxiety, is the result of letting our requests be known to God through the right kind of praying: Praying about everything. Praying with prayer and supplication. Praying with thanksgiving. But note well, all this is possible through Christ Jesus  Philippians  4:7. He is the source of every spiritual blessing from God, including the peace that surpasses understanding Ephesians 1:3