Slow Down

Philippians 4:6-9 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanks giving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"

Anxiety is a very serious disorder that can affect your physical and mental health in ways that you've never imagined (google it). We live in such a fast paced world where everything HAS to happen quickly; right here right now, making it easy to be uneasy and overwhelmed by anxiety. Why must everything be so rushed? We desire to be the first, the best, or whatever at something which drives us insane in the process.

I was speaking with my supervisor the other day about how the news outlets are not as reliable anymore because everyone is so anxious and in a hurry to be the first to report it thus giving us misinformation. Just because it's the first report doesn't mean it's the best. I would rather you take your time to report accurate information than to rush and have to re-report.

Generally things tend to go terribly wrong when we are anxious, overwhelmed, and rushing so we must be careful in our actions. "Be anxious for nothing" to me means to SLOW DOWN, take a breather! I can remember as a kid being so excited and anxious to tell my parents what happened at school that I rushed over all my words and they didn't have a clue what I had said. My mom would say "stop, take a deep breath, now take your time and tell me what happened". That's what Paul is telling us here...slow down, take a deep breath and humbly go to God in prayer. There is no need to be overwhelmed by a situation and there is no need to rush a situation that's what God is there for. Although He already knows what's going on He asks that you make your requests known to Him. He wants to help you. He wants you to make good sound decisions in which you can only do when you are dependent on Him and in His timing. His purpose for you is still for YOU, you don't have to rush to it because no one else qualifies for it.

God has not been known to rush. Look at when He created the earth...He could've done it all in one day but he took His time and did it in 6 days resting on the 7th. He promised Moses that He would lead him to the promised land and He did just that, but it took 40 years. That's another thing, we have to understand our promise. If you've read the story of Moses you'll know that He did not cross into the Promised Land with those he had been leading. Why? Because God promised to LEAD HIM TO the Promised Land He didn't say he would ENTER INTO or LIVE IN the Promised Land. Even still when God promises you'll spend some time in the wilderness (Jesus did and we surely aren't better than Him) and you may not fully understand why you're there. Always remember while you are there God is also there with you so slow down, take a breath, pray, then listen!