Philippians 4:4-7  

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;  ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

One of my favorite iPhone apps is YouVersion The Bible App.  I can access many different versions of the Bible at any time from my phone.  Some of the versions can even be listened to, which is great in the car!  Another reason I really enjoy this app is because of the reading plans.  Users can choose reading plans that are topical (like Scriptures about love, hope, stress, or fear), plans that are sections of Scripture (like reading through the Psalms, the Minor Prophets, or the Gospels), or plans that take the user through the entire Bible.  It’s great!  The plans I’ve read through include Decisions, God’s Goodness, and the Old Testament – Minor Prophets.

Another great tool in this app is Bookmarking.  Users are able to bookmark passages that really hit home so they are easy to find later.  I just received an email from the company this morning and the top bookmarked verse is Philippians 4:6.  I think this goes to show just how stressed our lives have become.  Our lives are so busy.  Between work and family, activities and workouts, paying bills and balancing the checkbook, going to the grocery store and making dinner, updating fb and reading blogs – we rarely have time for ourselves…let alone time for God.

We need to make sure we take God’s instruction here.  Do not be anxious about anything.  We won’t get anywhere by being anxious and worrying.  There isn’t anything that has ever been solved by being anxious.  All you get is an upset stomach or an ulcer.  But we can’t stop with not being anxious.  The rest of the passage is extremely important as well, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be make known to God.”  We need to day by day, sometimes moment by moment, talk with God about what is making us anxious; asking Him to take control…and thanking Him for taking control.

When you’re stressed, ask for peace and calm.  When you’re uncertain what to do, ask for direction.  God is always with us and just waiting for us to let go.  I know it’s cliché, but we just need to “Let Go and Let God.”

So – what are you anxious about?  What are you stressing about?  Stop it! J Ask God for His help and rejoice and give thanks because He will…and His peace will fall upon you!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy