4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

Consider this: you are the beloved creation of our Heavenly Father God Almighty!

The exclamation point at the end of that sentence is intentional. It isn’t just some religious platitude to say we are God’s children. It is an absolute fact. Psalm 139:13 reminds us that God personally formed each us in our mother’s womb.

None of us is an accident. Nobody is here without reason. Whether we recognize it or not, we are each created with a God ordained purpose, a role in His grand scheme of things.

We have an enemy who wants us distracted. He’d prefer we don’t see ourselves as God does.

He’d rather we were focused on entertainment or career or finances or health.

He wants us too busy for Jesus.

He wants us too wired to rest in the Lord,

He wants too worried to see and trust God.

Anxiety and worry and fear all sprout from the seeds of doubt.

And we know that unwelcome sower all too well.

This enemy is the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies, the one who comes only to steal, kill and destroy.

Instead of hand wringing, we should hand raising!

Instead of worrying about the cares of this world we should be seeking first God and His kingdom.

Will we have troubles in this world? Oh yes. But God takes our troubles and uses them for our good and His glory. God is not a man that He should lie,. So when He says “Fear not”, then fear not!

When He says “ do not worry”, do not worry!

When He says to cast our cares on Him, cast them!

Notice Philippians 4:5. Rejoicing in the Lord and keeping Him at the center of our lives, giving Him our troubles and being filled with His peace, isn’t extraordinary. It isn’t impossible.

It’s reasonable.

It’s how we should live if we are seeking God in faith and resting in His love. After all, perfect love casts out all fear.

The enemy doesn’t want you to know that. He wants you distracted and tied up in knots.

Just remember: that’s not God’s will for His children. His will is for us to put all our trust, hope and focus in Him.

Fear is just a distraction. Seek God always and don’t buy the lies of the enemy.

You are loved! Again, the exclamation point is intentional.