Do you struggle with worry? Does anxiety seem to dog your steps, no matter how much you try to overcome it? Is it hard for you to maintain your peace of mind?
All of us find ourselves in some particularly tumultuous times right now—not only personally, but also in the world around us. There are plenty of reasons why we could be worried and concerned! Even so, as we face these unsettling days, we hear the words of the Apostle Paul from Philippians 4:6 ringing in our ears: “Be anxious for nothing.”
Can what Paul recommended be possible? Does nothing really mean nothing?
An Imagined Conversation
Dick’s comments: “Be anxious for nothing.” This phrase came to me recently at an unexpected time. I was sitting in church listening to a pastor give a message on the book of Esther. (If ever there was a person who “deserved” to worry, it was Esther.) But as her plight was being described, this unusual thought came to me: nothing means nothing.
My apologies to the pastor, but my mind drifted from his sermon to an imagined conversation between Esther and the Apostle Paul. “No, Paul, you just don’t understand. There’s an edict to kill all of us Jews on a certain day. The only way to prevent it is for me to talk to the king, and that could mean certain death for me. If anyone has reason to be anxious, it’s me!” In my mind, I imagined the two of them standing face to face. Then I saw Paul simply lift his shoulders and say, “Nothing means just that: nothing.”
What situation are you facing right now? It may not be something as horrific as the annihilation of your entire race; but it’s still monumental to you. Is it worthy of your worry and anxiety? Or is perhaps the Apostle Paul right? Nothing means nothing.
Anything and Everything
Philip’s comments: A companion Scripture from Paul’s letter to the Romans comes to my mind in line with what Dick has shared about the Philippians passage. The words “anything” and “everything” sync up with Paul’s use of the word “nothing.”
Romans 8:35 asks these questions: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Some modern translations, such as the Contemporary English Version and the New Living Translation ask the question this way: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?” Nope. Nothing. As Paul has implied: “anything” means nothing.
Earlier in Romans 8, Paul tells us that if God is with us, nothing can stand against us. Moreover, in verse 32, he says God will “also freely give us all things.” Why are we not to be anxious about anything? Because God provides everything we need, including His peace, which guards our “hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
Facing Our Challenges
Philip and Dick together: Please know that we are not being flippant about all these uses of nothing, anything, and everything. What you are going through in following Jesus Christ is not a small matter—not a nothing. Your issues are not the kind that evaporate with simple “name it and claim it” solutions. They are real and substantial.
What we are talking about in this letter is a foundation for facing every challenge you will deal with in life. Even those approaching the magnitude of what Esther faced in her day. What is the Lord telling us? “Be anxious for nothing.” Nothing means nothing.
Is it easy? Rarely. But is the Lord faithful? Always. As we follow Him in obedience, placing ourselves as living sacrifices before Him, the Lord promises to be with us. He will not allow anything to come between us and Him. Jesus will provide everything we need for life and godliness. Nothing can stop Him. And nothing means nothing.
Mental Peace
In the first part of a powerful radio series called “Walking Through the Land of God’s Promises,” Derek Prince addresses this subject of overcoming anxiety. In an installment called How to Enjoy True Peace of Mind, Derek sheds some helpful light on some of the Bible verses already cited in this letter.
Because God was willing to give Jesus, His most precious treasure, His only begotten Son, then we know that such love as that will hold nothing back that is good for us or that we need. If God gave up Jesus, there is nothing good He will ever withhold from us. God is on our side. He is for us. The resources of heaven are at our disposal. That is the basis of mental peace.
Once we really comprehend by faith that we have been reconciled with God, that we are justified, that we are reckoned righteous with the righteousness of Jesus, that we can say, “Justified, just-as-if-I’d never sinned,” then we can move on into the complete and full provision of God for our mental peace.
This provision is stated as clearly as anywhere I know by Paul in Philippians 4:6–7 NASB 1995), where he says: “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 comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Notice that significant and beautiful phrase: “the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That is in line with what I said about the danger of a vacuum. You can't leave your mind empty, because if you do, some evil influence or pressure will come in. You’ve got to fill it with the peace of God and the peace of God will guard your mind. The Greek word means “garrison your mind,” hold your mind so that no evil pressures or tormenting influences can find access to your mind.
Asking the Lord for Help
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus, our High Priest, sympathizes with our weaknesses. He understands the pressures that tempt us to give in to worry and anxious thoughts. Let’s go to Jesus now to ask for His help in this important matter.
Lord Jesus, I confess that I have been anxious and fretful about many of the situations facing me in life. I ask for Your forgiveness, trusting that You know and understand the spiritual turmoil that has caused me to waver and worry.
Strengthen me, Jesus, as I face the challenges of life, and give me peace of mind. I want to live confidently, without becoming worried about what the future will hold for me. Help me to obey the biblical admonition not to be anxious about anything, but to trust everything—and every outcome—to You. Through Your help and strength, I make the decision that I will be anxious for nothing, and I boldly proclaim that “nothing means nothing.” In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
Keep On Believing
That is a courageous prayer we have just offered together. Don’t feel ashamed or defeated if you lapse back into anxiety on occasion. Jesus will be faithful to help you.
We speak for all the staff here at Derek Prince Ministries when we say that we are also standing with you. All of us are on the same pathway, making our best attempts to stand in confidence rather than lapsing into worry. We know what the struggle is all about, and we want to be of maximum assistance to you.
One of the best immediate steps to take would be to download the entire message from which we drew Derek Prince’s quote: “Walking through the Land of God's Promises, Part 1.” (use the link below) Providing Derek’s Bible-focused teaching is one of our greatest joys. All of us at DPM are honored to be stewards of Derek’s archives, and getting these materials into your hands is our way of thanking you for your prayers for us and your financial contributions.
Miraculous Interventions
We neglected to give one more reason why we shouldn’t worry when we are facing insurmountable obstacles. What is that reason? The miracle-working power of God.
Throughout the Bible, we see examples of the Lord’s miraculous intervention when everything looked dismal and impossible. One of the most inspiring of those occurrences in the Old Testament is the account of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20.
Informed that a huge invading army was about to descend upon him, Jehoshaphat “set himself to seek the Lord” (v. 3). In the prayer that followed, Jehoshaphat stood before all Judah and extolled the Lord for His power and faithfulness. He concluded his prayer with these words in verse 12: “For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
Jehoshaphat positioned all of Judah to watch for an outpouring of God’s miracle-working power. They may have felt anxiety, but they knew where their help would come from—the Lord God Jehovah who would defend them. He did—with a miracle!
The same can be said for us as we obey Paul’s command not to be anxious. What do we know? There is nothing like God’s miraculous power. And nothing means nothing.
Sincerely in Christ,
Philip Wyns
President, DPM-USA
Dick Leggatt
Executive Consultant/Senior Editor
