Anxious for Nothing Week 1 — Rejoice in the Lord Always

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7

Peace is within reach, not for a lack of problems, but for the presence of a sovereign Lord. ~ Max

Welcome to the Anxious for Nothing Online Bible Study with Pastor Max Lucado!

Hi, friends! My name is Laurie McClure and I’m the editor at FaithGateway and one of your Online Bible Study (OBS) leaders. Just in case you’re new to OBS and we haven’t met before, I’m a Jesus follower, a Bible study junkie born into a family full of preachers and Bible nerds, I love sand between my toes, ice-cold Perrier, being a single mama of five (three grown, two littles)), and my favorite comfort foods are movie theatre popcorn and pizza with sausage, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, and tons of garlic.

I count it a privilege to be your leader for the next five weeks of this study withMax Lucado. Max has a way of communicating with such empathy for your circumstances and passion for Jesus and His Word. I know you’ll be encouraged and strengthened by his illumination of Scripture and his exhortation and encouragement to walk in the truth and might of the Word. Are you ready to get started?

Anxiety seems like the normal and natural response to the stresses and concerns of life, doesn’t it? That’s why the Apostle Paul’s word to be anxious for nothing is… discombobulating. What? Anxious for nothing??? How is that even possible?

When we don’t have peace, we assume the problem lies within us. Then we not only feel anxious, but we feel guilty about our anxiety! ~ Max

Doesn’t it seem like a solid, devoted, determined Christian should be stress-free? We hear those Christian slogans like “Too blessed to be stressed” and feel like failures at walking in the peace of Jesus when life becomes overwhelmed with worry-inducing problems.

In the hospital? In a high-tension conflict at work? At a marital crossroads? When facing a financial crisis? When a teenager is getting more than a little “loose in the turns” and is headed for big trouble? Can we still have peace? Yes.

This week we get to launch into a new season of practicing setting down the strangle-hold of anxiety with simple, Scriptural practices:

Prayer

Supplication

Thanksgiving

Even when facing impossible situations, white-knuckle fears, and disappointing hardships, we truly can enjoy the fruit of peace, rejoicing always because “the Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5). He’s in control. And with our hearts fixed on Him, we can be anxious… for nothing.

This week in your study:

1. Watch the video for session one on our study home page or live with other participants… Take notes in your study guide on pages 15-17.
2. Go through the study questions and activity with your group or on your own on pages 17-22.
3. Read Chapters 2-4 in Anxious for Nothing.
4. Enjoy your personal study this week on pages 23-31.
5. Watch parties on Mondays at 8pm CST.
6. Join the conversations about the study and get to know fellow participants in the private Facebook group!

Scripture this Week

Philippians 4:4-8

Prayer for the Week

Jesus, we love You… Help us to follow the biblical pattern of prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving keeping our eyes laser-focused on You when troubles seem to overwhelm us and anxiety threatens to steal our peace. We want to be anxious for nothing as Paul teaches. We want to find calm in You. We love You, Lord. Amen.

Do you have prayer requests? How can we pray for you? There’s a place each week where you can submit post your requests in the private Facebook group. You can also pray for others as they’re going through the study with you.