PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

OBSERVATION: What am I dwelling on? To dwell is to live in a place, to linger or think about something incessantly. When we dwell on something, it can be a place of strength and encouragement, or it can produce worry, anxiety, and fear. It is the difference between living a life filled with the peace of Christ or the unrest of this world. Where I dwell is not where I am forced to be.

Where I dwell is a choice I make!

We are all familiar with the wonderful promise of prayer that is found in this fourth chapter of Philippians.

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses  all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

How many times have I prayed, brought my heartfelt petition to the Lord, sensed His peace, and then wandered back to a familiar place where I quickly lost it? I wandered back to the place where it is easy to dwell. This is the place where my faith is challenged and my peace is jeopardized. It is the place where I have to choose what I will dwell upon.

Will I dwell upon God’s Word, His promises, His faithfulness, His love…or…will I dwell upon the negative noise of fear and anxiety that is beating at the door of my heart?

Too many times, I open the door to see who is knocking. Just like a pushy salesman, the enemy lodges his foot in the doorjamb and begins to whisper words of doubt. I am like Peter walking on the water, and I begin to take my eyes off Jesus. The peace I was experiencing as I looked upon Jesus and took a step of faith into the storm was quickly replaced by the wind and the waves that began to fill my heart and mind.

This is not a call to ignore my circumstance or to pretend the issues surrounding my prayers do not exist. Some teach a false application of these verses. They say, “Just speak it into existence!” “Name it and claim it!” “Use the power of positive thinking!” I have tried all of these and have miserably failed. These hollow teachings ignore the depth of one’s human plight and the testimony of Scripture. The Psalms are filled with David’s brute honesty with God and the cries of his heart during his most difficult circumstances.

Yet, as one reads the Psalms carefully, something beautiful emerges. Although David faced doubt, fear, and anxiety, he honestly shared these feelings with the Lord. David struggled with his faith and many times found himself in the valley of doubt and despair.

YET…David did not dwell there!

David’s heart always returned to thoughts of God’s faithfulness and love. David recounted God’s mercy and grace and the times God had delivered Him. David was confident that what the Lord had done, He would do again. While David exhaled his fear and anxiety, he inhaled God’s Word and dwelt in the shadow of the Most High!

David chose to dwell in the good things of God!

Listen again to Paul’s exhortation and think of David.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 CSB

God knows we will struggle with our feelings. He knows that anxiety is always knocking at the door of our heart. The Lord does not expect us to pretend that everything is ok when it is not. The Christian life is not one of repeating a mantra until we see something happen. The Christian life is boldly entering the throneroom of the Father, through the blood of Jesus Christ, to find grace and help in our time of need. It is to humble ourselves, be honest about our struggles, lift them before the Father in prayer, and then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, choose where we will dwell.

We can walk out of the throne room and return to the den of our doubts or dwell in the promise of His presence. Where we choose to dwell will determine our peace. Once we empty our minds and hearts honestly before the Lord and lay all our burdens at the foot of the Cross, we need to begin to fill them with the goodness of God. David understood this, and this is why he wrote this in the Psalms.

“Those who live (dwell) in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Psalms 91:1-4 NLT

As I walk through life, I have a choice of where I am going to dwell. Will I dwell in the shelter of the Most High, or will I dwell in my anxiety and fears? When I pray, will I begin to dwell on His promises and faithfulness, or will I be drawn back into the familiar den of doubt and anxiety? David, in all of his human suffering and amid his honesty and transparency in sharing with the Lord exactly how he felt, always returned to the shelter of God’s promises.

David was called a man after God’s own heart.

Lord, help me to be like David. Grant me the grace to lay all of my doubts and fears at the foot of the Cross…and leave them there! Let me turn my heart and my thoughts to “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy…”, and dwell on these things. Help me to live in the shelter of the Most High God and the peace of Christ that surpasses all human understanding.

In Jesus’ Name!