Early in my Christian life the Lord showed me part of the tremendous power available to us when we apply Philippians 4:4-8 to our lives.

My husband was out of work, and we were making payments on a new house and car. Then I ran into a lawyer's car with that new car of ours! He sued us. We were broke and facing payments; I worried myself sick. But then I heard our pastor gave a God-sent benediction: "And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

"How can I find that peace?" I wondered. At home I looked up the verse and found it in Philippians 4:7, and the preceding verse said: "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Kneeling by my bed, I first thanked God for the ways in which He had helped me in the past. Then I fervently prayed concerning the lawsuit.

As I trusted the Lord with my worries, his peace filled my heart. Then a God-given thought came to my mind: "Call the lawyer and explain your situation."

The lawyer listened and responded, "When I saw your new car, I didn't realize you were in such a bind. It was just a dent. Just send me $20 and I'll forget the lawsuit."

That day I learned two truths that have never failed to help me all through the trouble-filled years that followed. First, I bring everything to the Lord, thanking Him for past answers. Second, I believe He knows the answers to my problems and will guide me by His Spirit. Thus I learned to have peace in every situation.

Giving thanks is a vital part of peace. As we thank God for the ways He has helped us in the past, it strengthens our faith that He will continue to help in our present problems.

THE POWER OF REJOICING

Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. When Paul and Silas sat in the Philippian jail in chains, with their beaten backs still bleeding, they rejoiced in the Lord. God sent an earthquake, and their chains flew open. When we rejoice in the Lord, it frees us from all kinds of things that keep us down. It releases us to experience Christ's joy and the fullness of the Spirit.

THE POWER OF UNSELFISHNESS

Philippians 4:5 tells us, "Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is near." The Greek word used here, "epieikes," translated as "gentleness," also means moderation, unselfishness and patience. When we are filled with the Spirit, we will have the same selfless, loving, and kind attitude toward others that Jesus had. However, I have found that if someone hurts me and I retain anger about it, I lose my peace and rejoicing spirit until I forgive that person. For we grieve the Holy Spirit unless we do so. See Ephesians 4:26-32. "The Lord is near" gives us an excellent reason for living as true Christians in respect to others.

THE POWER OF RIGHT THINKING

Philippians 4:8 tells us to think good, uplifting, Christ-like thoughts. Rejecting negative, critical, angry, hateful, and judgmental thoughts, and choosing to follow our Lord's advice for good thinking, can deliver us from mental, emotional and physical problems we may have brought on ourselves because of wrong thinking.

THE POWER OF FAITH

Philippians 4:19 tells us that our God will supply all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ. Believing this has the power to deliver us from fear, anxiety, and worry.

Philippians four holds the key to great deliverance if we follow it!

Edward Wilson, who died with Scott in the Antarctic, declared, "This I know is God’s own truth, that pain and troubles and trials and sorrows and disappointments are either one thing or another. To all who love God they are love tokens from him. To all who do not love God and do not want to love him they are merely a nuisance. Every single pain that we feel is known to God because it is the most loving touch of his hand."

Copyright Muriel Larson