The Power of a Worry-free Mind [Philippians 4:6]

Read Philippians 4:6-8

Today we begin a new series on power. This will be a six part series from Philippians 4:6-8 looking at the power of a worry free mind, the power of prayer, the power of a thankful heart, and the power of Christ-controlled thinking. In a time where many of us feel powerless the bible offers and gives us the source of our true power…that is in Christ Jesus. This is exactly what we need…real power. Friends power doesn’t come from within, power doesn’t come determining to be stronger, power doesn’t come by following your heart…power comes from the Lord. So let’s read the verse we’ll focus on today and unpack it a bit. Today we’ll at one verse with our focus on the power of a worry-free mind.

Read Philippians 4:6

Death was walking toward a man who stopped him and asked, “what are you going to do?” Death said, “I’m going to kill ten thousand people.” The man said, “That’s horrible!” Death said, “That’s the way it is; that is what I do.”

As the day passed, the man frantically warned everyone of Death’s plan. At the end of the day, the man met Death again. The man said, “You said you were going to kill ten thousand people, and yet one hundred thousand people died.” Death explained, “I only killed ten thousand. Worry and fear killed the others.”

Worry is one of the biggest problems we face in life, and it tends to get worse as we get older. It’s destruction is sure. Warren Wiersbe said, “Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves; yesterday’s regret and tomorrow’s worries.”

Charles Mayo of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota said, “worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system and profoundly affects the health.”

Corrie Ten Boom knew the destructive force of worry when she said, “worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” Worries destruction starts like a little trickle through the mind and cuts out a furrow until it becomes a Grand Canyon and all other thoughts drain into it.

Do you ever engage in imaginary, “what if” thinking? Do you ever blow things up in your mind by jumping to a conclusion or making a mountain out of a molehill? Have you ever looked at a dilemma and imagined the worse-case scenario? If you engage in any of these draining, negative mind games, then you need to know that God’s plan for you is peace and joy not worry and anxiety. His plan for you is rest not stress, peace not turmoil.

The whole book of Philippians is focused on this…how to live a joy-filled life in the face of opposition. Doesn’t that just speak to where we are today during this Corona-virus pandemic? The worries of this life make us powerless.

Focusing on our problems weakens our faith because worries focus is on self, my comforts, my concerns, my health, my whatever. Worry drains our minds of joy and it keeps us from focusing on an all important truths we should never forget…Christ is coming back! Our enemy death, and Satan have been defeated by Christ Jesus…ours is the victory in Christ…and one day He will return victoriously and we will spend eternity praising Him…so why worry?

Paul urges us to have a worry free mind… “be anxious for nothing”; “Don’t worry about anything.” [v.6] Sounds good, but how do we achieve this worry free mind? Three ways…first...

We must trust instead of tremble [Numbers 13:30-33]

Anxiety and worry prevents us from doing God’s will. Take for example Numbers 13, the Hebrew people had been delivered from Egypt by the mighty hand of God, they had seen God defeat an enemy the Hebrews never could. God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey…and they were there, the land of Canaan, the edge of God’s promise to His people. Moses sent in 12 spies to scope out the land, and it was just as God said a good land flowing with milk and honey. The only problem was…the inhabitants of the land were big and strong and most of the spies feared them, except Caleb and Joshua.

Listen to Numbers 13:30-33, “30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” [worry/fear] 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

carry over into chapter 14

The New King James Version Chapter 14

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

Faith and fear are opposite each other. Caleb and Joshua had faith in God’s promise, they trusted God. The other spies…they feared the inhabitants of the land, they trembled because of them. Notice how the spies who worried and feared, when they gave a bad report the people listened to them.

In chapter 14 of Numbers Caleb and Joshua were trying to convince the people that God would do as he promised, but because of the worriers they wanted to stone Caleb and Joshua. Friends worry doesn’t just affect you…it affects everyone around you! Do you have a worrier in your family? If so they are probably very stand-offish when it comes to someone having a voice of confidence in the Lord.

The worrier/fearer is hostile toward anyone who says… “don’t worry” why? because when worry and fear fill your mind, it consumes your focus and they’ll not hear of anything else. Right now, I bet, there is someone getting upset at me just because I’ve said this… “stop worrying!” Fear is a powerful motivator, but do you know what drives away fear??? Faith!

Faith drives away fear and replaces worry and fear with our true source of power the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ brings salvation, Eph. 2:8, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” Faith brings security and peace, Heb. 11:1, “Faith is the reality of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen.” We have security and peace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That is true empowerment. Empowerment comes when we trust the Lord and not tremble with worry and fear. Next...

We must forgive instead of fume [Eph. 4:31-32]

The New King James Version Chapter 4

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

How do you handle bitterness? How do you handle anger? How do you handle wicked speaking and malice? In these two verses in Ephesians Paul gives us a pattern, which is consistent with the whole book, of putting off/on way of life, the old man verses the new man in Christ, positive verses negative and how we as Christians should and should not act.

Notice on the negative side, verse 31, these things listed destroys unity and love and rob us of the power we have in Christ Jesus. Notice the words Paul uses...

Bitterness [Greek pikria] means bitter taste, here towards someone else. Wrath [Greek thumos] outburst of rage. Anger [Greek orge] smouldering stewing anger. Clamor [Greek is an outcry or shout, i.e. verbal abuse, quarreling, complaining. Evil speaking [Greek blasphemia] blasphemy, also slander. Malice [Greek kakia] is ill will toward someone else. These hindrances are to be put away, this is a list of things fit for the old man but not the new man in Christ Jesus. Don’t you see how these things are hindrances to our joy, they are roadblocks to our peace, and they rob us of the power that is ours in Christ Jesus. Fuming destroys Christians fellowship and service.

But forgiveness is the antidote to fuming. [v.32] Notice the words of this verses…which are the appropriate characteristics of the new man… i.e. the Christian.

Be Kind [Greek chrestos] means practicing graciousness, being considerate and accommodating. It’s the opposite of bitterness, don’t be bitter towards others be kind. Tenderhearted [Greek eusplagchnos] kind of funny it means ‘good bowelled’ the ‘bowels’ in that culture referred to the depth of one’s inner being. the word was used to convey one who could be touched in the depths of feeling…one who is compassionate, not a surface level concern, but a deep compassion. Forgiving one another, is literally ‘exercising grace [Greek charizomai] showing grace to others just as God in Christ showed grace toward us.

Forgiveness is the essence of grace, in that it awards favor to someone when the opposite is actually deserved. Take the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Those who know themselves as forgiven are ready to forgive others. Forgiveness opens the door to power.

And finally…

We must release instead of retain [1 Peter 5:6-7]

The New King James Version Chapter 5

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you

Peter tells us in verse 5, to be clothed in humility. His appeal is for believers to have a submissive, humble spirit toward each other, “be clothed” in the Greek literally means to tie a garment around your outer body. It was often used in reference to a outer protective apron that slaves tied on over their clothes, i.e. Peter is inferring that we take on the attitude of a servant. Perhaps even hinting to a time when our Lord Jesus tied an apron around His waste and took the place of a servant and washed the disciples feet. Therefore, as believers, we must follow the masters lead.

Humility is akin to meekness. The difference is humility represents a right understanding of oneself, while meekness is the manifestation of humility in relationship to others. Literally, humility is “lowli-mindedness” the veiwing of oneself properly. Not demanding my rights, my wants, my desires first, but taking the attitude of a servant, and subjecting oneself to serve others.

Peter here urges us to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God in order that God might lift us up in due time. The idea is God will lift up those who place their lives at the feet of Christ. Friends the world says the opposite, the world says, “you deserve better!”; “you deserve to be served”; “you should be on top”; whereas God’s word says, humble yourself and serve and God will exalt you in His time.

A story is told of two brothers who grew up on a farm. One went away to college, earned a law degree, and became a partner in a prominent law firm in the state capital. The other brother stayed on the family farm. One day the lawyer came and visited his brother, the farmer. He asked, “Why don’t you go out and make a name for yourself and hold your head up high in the world like me.” The brother pointed and said, “See that field of wheat over there? Look closely. Only the empty heads stand up. Those that are well filled always bow low.”

You see, “The branch that bears the most fruit is bent the lowest to the ground.”

In that sense, humility is releasing of our pride to serve God and others. Not only is it releasing our pride but it’s also releasing our worry…verse 7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Now Peter was writing this epistle to Christians who were being persecuted for their faith, but this applies to every aspect of our lives. We can cast our cares on Christ and be free of them. Isn’t that just a wonderful word? We can be free of our worries and anxieties simply by casting upon Jesus.

Holding on to cares, worries, anxieties weakens us and makes us weary…releasing them to Christ…that sets us free…that empowers us. True power comes by releasing cares to Christ and not retaining them in our pride. Let go of your worry and give it to Christ!

You have an option brothers and sisters…hold onto your worries…or let it go and give it to Christ. We can give it to Christ…why? How do I have the confidence to say that? Look at the last part of verse 7 in 1 Peter 5… “God cares for you.” God cares for you. He cares about your worries, no matter how big or small, He cares about your well being, He cares about your job, He cares about ever aspect of your life…He cares for YOU! I don’t know if you’ve heard that lately or not…but God cares.

God loves you…Jesus died for you…the cross proves God’s loving care for you and for me. Cast all your cares upon Him. When we trust instead of tremble, when we forgive instead of fume, when we release instead of retain God’s power flows through us to others.

A worry-free mind is not a fantasy…it’s trusting, forgiving, releasing. Friends not only is God in control of all things, He can be trusted to exercise His control for the good of His people…cast your cares upon Him.