Philippians 4:5,6 - Do not be anxious

4:5

“Let your gentleness be evident to all”. We do not seek to overcome evil with evil, but with the goodness of the Lord. Jesus told us to love our enemies. Now the temptation to use worldly weapons when faced with opposition will be strong, but we need to resist this. Gentleness is the opposite response to what the world expects. It expects either bitterness, cowering fear, or similar reactions. It does not expect gentleness. Why can we adopt such an approach? Because the Lord is near. We are not in this on our own.

4:6

It is part of our fallen nature to be anxious about all sorts of things. If a church is facing opposition, then part of our reaction will be to worry. Paul offers a counter to that reaction in this and the following verse. First of all there is an instruction not to be anxious about anything. Sometimes we may hear sermons saying that worrying is a sin. In one sense it is, for it is a denial of who God is, of His perfect care for us. However, I am not sure that this is a helpful way to look at things. Worry is not a sin that anyone willingly chooses to do. No one thinks it is beneficial to them! People may sin sexually thinking it will be fun, someone may lie thinking it will help them in some way, but no one wants to worry. Worry is just part of our fallen condition. So what are we to do instead? We are to present our prayers and petitions to God, and to do so with thanksgiving. We should also take strength from the command not to be anxious about anything. When faced with testing circumstances we will feel that we almost have a duty to worry, that it would be irresponsible not to. Whatever the situation we are faced with we have been told not to worry, so that includes whatever circumstances we are facing now. On a positive note, I find it helpful to make an extra effort to pray for others, to pray for their needs, and their blessing in the Lord, and to do things for others, or for the church. Worry is a tactic the enemy uses to distract us from doing what we are meant to be doing.