Local Vineyard Church

How do you train your attention? Capture the thought and bring it before Jesus. Challenge it: is this actually true? Redirect it by renewing your mind.

Step two: choose what gets your attention. Worry trains our eyes to look for what could go wrong. Paul says train your eyes to notice what is true, beautiful, good, and where God is at work in your life. Joy grows where your attention goes.

The instead is where your transformation happens. It's where you go from "this is never gonna work out" to "I'm gonna pray about it and watch God be faithful in my life."

Step one. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." Paul isn't saying you'll never have worries, and he's not preaching "pretend everything is fine." When worry shows up, pause and pray.

This week we learned the joyful three-step:

1. Give my worries to God.
2. Choose what gets my attention.
3. Put it into practice.

Paul wrote these words from a prison cell, his future unknown. Joy isn't controlled by everything that's happening around you.

Philippians 4:8–9

This week's message is now available online! Check it at the link in the comments.