•GOOD MORNING

•Philippians 4

•Making God central in prayer is the precursor to His blessings

•Paul instructs his listener to worry about nothing but instead bring everything to God

•Where are our own personal “holes” within this teaching? Do we hold back and keep things from Him? Worry and anxiety is a result of that

•A common mistake is that we only come to God when things are real bad … or … real good. But scripture tells us in one breath to bring our trials and joys both to God

•Prayer should be a primary coping mechanism in the life of the believer

•We cannot “go at it alone”. Our own ability is not enough to handle the multitude of things that life throws at a person

•Even Christ demonstrates the need to retreat back to God when going through things

•In the garden–nailed to the cross even–Christ was in communication and prayer to the Father

•Disassociation has trumped God in today’s culture. We turn to our shows, our phones, social media to distract us from what’s in front of us

•A soldier doesn’t ignore the battle he is actively involved in. This only ends one way…

•Prayer should be looked at as an tactic in warfare

•James 4: 2-3

•Sin, our own finite understanding … these are ways in which we’ve come to view prayer as anything but the certainty that it is

•Peace doesn’t necessarily come in answered prayer … but knowing the truth of who God is and being good with it despite our limited understanding of God’s will and timing

•God knows what we need him to know, and even what we don’t want him to know!

•The language Paul used when he addressed the people of Philippi was appropriate given their militaristic background

•Prayer – the tactic used in guarding the heart and mind so that it would not be conquered

•1 Peter 5: 6-8

•Prayer enables us to receive God’s blessing of peace. The peace we need, even if not the one we think we want

•Peace that God is central in ALL THINGS (joyful and difficult) empowers us

QUESTIONS:

1. HOW DO WE TIE TOGETHER OUR WORRIES AND THANKSGIVING WHEN WE TALK TO GOD?
2. HOW CAN YOU BETTER LEAN ON PRAYER AS A HEALTHY COPING MECHANISM?
3. WHAT SITUATIONS CAN YOU USE YOUR GOD GIFTED PEACE AS A SOURCE OF GODLY POWER IN YOUR LIFE?