“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG)
Anxiety is my nemesis. It concentrates into a tight ball that remains stuck in the base of my chest. It gains energy by worrying, ruminating on the past, and fixating on the future. It robs me of joy and peace. I can’t ignore it. I need to displace it by paying attention to higher things.
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (Philippians 4:8-9 MSG)
I shall not worry. Instead, I shall shape my concerns into prayer. Lord, I am surrendering all the situations that are making me anxious into your capable hands. I am waiting for your peace and wholeness. Jesus, come displace the worry at the center of my life. Help me to fill my mind with things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious. Teach me to fixate on the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse; the best, not the worst. Make everything work out according to your will.
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