IBS Philippians 4:6-7 (9-2-14)

Inductive Bible Study for Philippians 4:6-7 (9-2-14)

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ."

I have directly disobeyed this verse my entire life up until about 8 months ago. I thought that if I surrendered to God and let Him have control, then I would no longer have a say in things and He would take away all my fun. I didn't believe that He could actually give me peace. I thought God lied when He said He does things for our good. I ignored Him when He said He thinks more thoughts about me than there are sands in the sea. When I prayed, I felt like my words were bouncing off the ceiling. When I did bad things, I felt like He was disgusted with me and went far away. The only time I felt like He was close was when I did good things. 

There is a HUGE difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. I knew all the things above were unbiblical, but that's how I felt and I couldn't change that. My feelings and guilt overrode what God said. So what changed? My family was falling apart at home and not only could I not do anything about it, I also couldn't even be there to comfort my sisters. I was overwhelmed with anxiety, fear, anger and confusion. I couldn't handle it anymore - I needed someone besides myself. It was on a night during training in Guatemala that Pastor Mike was inviting people to surrender to the Spirit and allow Him to fill them. I wasn't planning on going up and I fought the tug in my heart. After several minutes of fighting - I broke down, started bawling and went forward. 

That was the very first time I ever fully gave control to God. I gave Him everything. I can't describe the peace that filled me - that's why it passes our understanding I guess! I was free of the responsibility to fix my family. I knew that somehow, in some way, God would take care of everything. I didn't have to be afraid because it was all in His hands. It's funny to see that even if I hadn't surrendered to God, He would still be in control. It was just a matter of Him asking me if I trusted Him. He was asking me - "Do you have faith that I AM Who I say I AM?". God gives us a choice - we can trust Him or try to be independent. 

God knows our needs, so my question was "Why do I need to ask Him for things then?". I'm learning now that it's because He desires for us to rest in Him, receive His peace and allow Him to guard our hearts and minds. When I'm not trusting in God, I'm questioning His sovereignty and my mind starts to blaspheme Him Name. I'm also learning that I need to trust The Lord for EVERYTHING. Not just with the bit stuff, but also with the little things that I sometimes think don't matter. One of my favorite songs is Whole World in His Hands - it goes "I fear no evil, for You are with me, strong to deliver, mighty to saved, He's got the whole world in His hands". I am going to memorize these verses to remember these lessons I'm learning.