Jessica Albritton, Family Connections Minister, LHBC
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Back in the 1980s, in an attempt to compete with the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, A&W began selling a 1/3 pound burger at a lower cost. Despite the burger being bigger and cheaper the product failed to sell. Why? Because most customers thought that the ¼ a pound burger from McDonalds was bigger. It reminds me of some of the marketing techniques I studied in college. It’s been found that consumers are more likely to purchase an item for $25 with free shipping than they are to buy a $19 item if they have to pay $5 shipping. Even though the free shipping will cost you a dollar more, people’s minds convince them purchasing the more expensive item is a better deal.
The mind is a funny thing, and the Bible warns us of the deception it can lead to when we don’t keep our minds and hearts fixed on the truth of God’s Word. 2 Corinthians 10 warns believers that we are at war with the enemy but the battle is not of the flesh. Our fight is in the mind. Verse 5 encourages believers to take every thought captive in order to obey Christ. Romans 12 reminds believers to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Ephesians 4 tells believers to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. In Philippians chapter 4 Paul encourages believers to rejoice always and to not be anxious. The mind is the devil’s playground where anxious thoughts and feelings are concerned but it doesn’t have to be. Verse 6 goes on to tell believers to take those thoughts and feelings to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. When we pray we are not just wasting our breath, words don’t just billow into the void. Scripture tells us the God of the universe, the creator of heaven and earth, the author and sustainer of life, hears those prayers and He guards our hearts and minds.
If you are overwhelmed by the fact that this world is a mess and there is nothing you can do except pray, then my friend, you have undervalued your greatest weapon. Don’t give into the marketing schemes of the enemy. Kneeling before the Lord is not a posture of defeat. It’s a position of power. Prayer is not a last resort, it is our first defense. What are you anxious about today? Let’s find comfort in the fact that the God we serve is big enough to handle it, even when we are not. Take your troubles and fears to Him today and trust that He will guard you heart and mind.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, rid my mind of anxious thoughts. When the troubles and hardships of this life prove to be too much, fix my eyes on You. Lord, guard my heart and mind and help me to trust You with the results because we know You have already won the war over sin and death. In You we find freedom and there is no fear. In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.