I think many of us were brought up thinking that if something is a “law” or a “commandment” that somehow we are being punished or deprived of what is rightfully ours. 

It started back in the garden when our enemy deceived our first father and mother (Adam and Eve) into thinking they were being deprived when they were told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It has been a struggle ever since that time and most of us still buy into those same kinds of lies. 

Fences set boundaries and sometimes they are there to protect a person who is on the other side. Think about the dangerous bull that is enclosed to keep others out of harm’s way. 

I have seen the damage a mother cow can do to a person when she thinks her calf is in danger. Other fences warn of road or bridge damage. Ignoring the warning fence could lead to an accident or even death when not heeded.

A friend of mine has been dealing with insomnia off and on for a number of years. He has asked for prayer concerning sleep deprivation and I believe he will find the keys that the Lord can give him for a solution to this dilemma. 

One of the commands in scripture, spoken by the wise apostle Paul, speaks volumes to me. Rather than condemn myself for the anxiety I have had to battle in several areas, I have learned (and am still learning) the power of choosing not to be anxious. 

Out of my friend’s mouth is the realization of how anxious he becomes when it appears that he will have another sleepless night. Philippians 4:6-7 give us some powerful strategy. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God (a fence), which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

God promises us a “way of escape” from every temptation (I Cor.10:13). When we are tempted to be anxious for any reason, Paul gives us the way of escape — prayer and supplication with thanksgiving! This “law” or formula, when used proactively, works. It alleviates anxiety and can change your whole outlook on life. It becomes a fence to corral those anxious thoughts and not allow them to continue to invade your thought life. 

God had to isolate them from the tree of Life until Jesus opened the way for full redemption. An angel with a flaming sword was placed at the entrance to the garden, forbidding them to enter.

Is it easy to bring your thoughts into submission and obedience to the Word of God? No it is not and the longer you have given place to wrong ways of thinking; the more proactive you will have to be to get free from those thoughts. It is a process of retraining your brain to think differently. Even in the natural, you can retrain yourself in areas that do not promote a healthy lifestyle.

Some years ago I was working with a number of college age kids and trying to help them be the overcomers I knew that they could be. Some of them had self-destructive habits that if continued in their new life with Christ would lead them to live their lives way below what God had planned for them.

One of the things I taught them was how to overcome a bad habit such as smoking, drinking, lust or even sex outside of the marriage covenant. 

For the guys, I would tell them to look beyond the woman’s body and begin to pray for her – for her salvation, for her success in life. If those thoughts persisted, rather than yield to them or dwell upon them, begin to intercede (go beyond a general prayer and spend time praying for her until you feel the breakthrough). Then begin to thank God for her salvation. The devil backed off these kids that were willing to take the time and make the effort to change their way of thinking, resulting in a change in lifestyle. 

I believe that could be true for any area that we are not satisfied with.

Can we apply this scripture and principle to any area of our life that seems to be out of sync with what is true or right or healthy? It may take a few weeks to begin a new habit to replace those anxious thoughts, but that is true of any change in lifestyle. If you slip up, do you have to start back at square one? Probably not. In fact the next few verses in Philippians 4:8-9 goes on to say: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of a good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” To meditate is to think about, chew upon, and receive nourishment from. It is God’s Word applied to our lives that can change the outcome of our journey. 

If we are commanded to be anxious for nothing, does that mean if we become anxious that we have sinned and moved outside of God’s best for us? Another word for anxiety is worry which means to divide into parts. James calls it a “double mind man” stating that he is unstable in all of his ways. Matthew 6:25 quotes Jesus saying “do not worry about your life.” Jesus went on to say worry is a distraction to keep you from seeking first the Kingdom of God.

If your desire is to please God with undistracted devotion, learning to lay aside thoughts that are contrary to His word, it will not always be a smooth, even journey. Many have called it “the battlefield of the mind.” In other words, there will be battles to be fought and won. There will be pitfalls to avoid (do not trespass, fences to avoid). 

But, we are called to be overcomers and I for one want to be a part of that company. Yes, I may trip and fall, but “a righteous man falls seven times and he rises again.” We just get up and continue moving forward. That is what overcomers do!