Philippians 4:6 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- What is anxiety? How would you define it?
- Is anxiety the same as worry, or is this something different?
- What are some things that tend to make you anxious?
- What harm comes from anxiety?
- In this passage, we see a basic principle of discipleship: the Principle of Replacement. What are we to replace anxiety with?
- Paul uses this same word in another place, but uses it positively: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:28 (NIV) What is the difference between healthy concern and harmful anxiety?
- What is the difference between prayer and petition?
- How is life better when it is lived, “with thanksgiving”?
- What do you have to be grateful for in your life these days?
- Look at the next verse. What good things come from replacing anxiety with prayer and thanksgiving? Have you experienced that?
- Think of a prompt—a note on the mirror; changing your computer’s desktop, etc. that would remind you of this truth for the next week.
- Pray for one thing in your friend’s life that tends to make them anxious now. Pray with your eyes open.
