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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)
Once a colleague at work gave me this acronym for fear: False Events Appearing Real. At the time I was too young to appreciate his wisdom and insight as he gave me a Biblical lesson about this important topic. As we continue on our Philippians 4:8 challenge, here is one truth I’ve experienced, one that is backed up by the data: Social media drives fear, polarization, anger, and other strong emotions. To put it simply, when I’m not doom scrolling on social media, watching endless videos about what if scenarios, or consuming podcasts about theories, rumors, and more, I can notice a dramatic difference in how I think, feel, and experience life.
Just last night I was in a study Bible authored by Dr. David Jeremiah studying for our final week in Rejoice, our study of Philippians. As I read, I stumbled on this gem from this wise teacher. In a section titled The Truth About Worry, the pastor records these thoughts:
“These are the facts about worrying:
- 40% of the things people worry about never happen.
- 30% of our worries are related to past maters, which are now beyond our control.
- 12% of our worries have to do with our health, even when we are not actually ill.
- 10% of our worries are about friends and neighbors and are not based in evidence or fact.
- Only 8% of our worries have some basis in reality, which means that over 90% of the things we worry about never happen.”
Stop for a moment and reread that list. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
I’ll admit, I don’t know where the stats were sourced from, but I’ll bet they are generous. What I mean is, I bet the percentages are even higher than they appear at first glance. Worry can consume you. Worry can hijack your life and drive depression, discouragement, and despair. As true followers of Christ, instead of a life of frenzied anxiety and worry, we are called to experience rest and peace (see Matthew 11:28-30), God’s grace and mercy (see Hebrews 4:16), and supernatural joy and peace (see Philippians 4:4-7).
If you haven’t yet, I want to encourage you to check out this devotion I wrote recently about the dangers of social media. Imagine what your life and my life would look like if instead of filling our minds with an endless supply of stress causing content, we begun to intentionally and passionately pursue Christ. I’m not sure that the importance of abiding in Christ (see John 15:4-5) and His Word (see John 8:31-32 and John 17:17) can be overstated.
Paul under the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit challenges us to trade our anxiety for prayer (a theme echoed by Peter in 1 Peter 5:6-7). It is here, in everything, by prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, that we draw near to God in faith. Surely we are called to pour out our hearts before Him and to Him, casting our anxieties on Him, and trusting His sovereign grace and love to help us. When we do this, we are promised a supernatural peace that only God can give us and this peace will literally guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
Today, I pray that God would continue impressing on our heart the critical importance of our thought life. I pray you will take the time to to reread Philippians 4:8 and meditate on the Scripture, its significance corporately and personally, and by God’s grace that you would intentionally respond to the Scripture in faith.
Shoal Creek Baptist Church is located in Canton, Georgia, and serves families throughout Cherokee County, Waleska, Ball Ground, Holly Springs, Jasper, and the Lake Arrowhead community. Join us Sundays at 11:00 AM.
