Devotional by Shaquia Reed, 2018 graduate of Tower of Hope Academy
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9 NLT
- Worry is concern turned into distrust. Doubting God.
- Anxiety is deep emotional distress. Being consumed by fear and losing confidence in God.
It takes emotional maturity in prayer to make the shift from worry and anxiety to confident prayer, praise, positivity and peace.
The mind of a Childhood Trauma survivor is often anxious and determined to “fix things” out of fear. This creates an environment of impulsivity and impatience.
Impatient prayer is a presentation of begging and pleading with God instead of an agreement with what God has already planned. If prayer is not done with confidence then it is important to check internal motives and desires (James 4:1-3).
Prayer must be done according to God’s Word and His will, not what pleases us. We must consistently practice confident prayer by praising God and focusing on the positive. Then we can experience His peace.
Declaration: I refuse worry and anxiety. I walk confidently in prayer. I praise the Lord always, I focus on the positive, and I have God’s peace.