We live in a world that feels built to make us anxious, and Gen Z and Gen Alpha are carrying more anxiety than any generation before them. In this message from our Philippians series, Garrett walks through Philippians 4:1-9. He looks at how God sees our anxiety and what He calls us to do with it.

In this message:

• Stand firm and make peace (vv. 1-3): Paul calls two of his coworkers, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree in the Lord, and he asks the church to help them. When there’s conflict, we’re called to help make peace, not stir it up or feed gossip.
• Rejoice and be gentle (vv. 4-5): Believers should be marked by joy. Gentleness isn’t weakness. It’s strength under control, the way Jesus showed it on the cross.
• Feeling anxiety isn’t a sin, but feeding it can be (vv. 6-7): Paul isn’t condemning people who feel anxious. He’s teaching what to do with anxiety: bring it to God in prayer, with thanksgiving. Freedom doesn’t always mean the anxiety is gone. It means the anxiety no longer controls you.
• Replace, don’t just remove (vv. 8-9): Instead of trying to force anxious thoughts out, fill your mind with what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.
• Practical tools: Box breathing, grounding, and “catch, check, change” for anxious thoughts, all practiced in community. That includes getting help from parents, counselors or doctors when you need it.

Our peace doesn’t depend on our own effort. It rests on who God is and what Jesus has done. The Lord is near.

Resources

• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: the research behind the rise in anxiety among teens and young adults
• If you’re struggling, don’t walk through it alone. Talk to a parent or a trusted adult, or reach out to our team at FBC Boerne.