More CALM, less fret ...

It seems as if I go round and round with these same versesas I "think on these things" and hope to uncover the key to CALM

... Philippians 4: 4-6-7;  Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  5Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  7Then 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.

followed by these verses in my November "Pause: Gratitude" of

... Philippians 4: 8-9 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. 9Keep 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.

[the new book my Jennifer Tucker is focused on verses 8 and 9]

But it is blatantly obvious that I need 
Philippians 4:
the 
Exhortation, Encouragement and Prayer
followed by
God's Provision
then to
"... Stand firm in the Lord ..."
yet this is written first to us in verse 1, not after or at the end;
A Defiant JOY
perhaps
this may be why I am drawn to Asheritah Ciuciu's upcoming book and her current (12.1-13) podcast
however
I need to stick with and find the
CALM
in
2024

still in 2024

I shared Max Lucado's acronym for CALM a few times already this year here and here and ... which follows Philippians 4:4, 6, 8 (and the definitions even more) yet I still could use something more and some CALM. Since the passage from Philippians is the most highlighted passage, I'm not alone (nor are you) apparently we all could use a word of comfort as we seek CALM in this earthly dwelling place, and for me, the whole world is just becoming more and more unsettled and upside down and highly concerning to me of our future here. Another book I have from Max Lucado and a great quote is "Less Fret, More Faith" (2017) so that's what I plan to do but know 2024 will not resolve with more CALM for my life, however, I have more tools and just need to keep working at applying all I have gleaned from this One Word this past year, holding on to it even more as we approach and enter what I consider to be a tumultuous time in 2025 forward until Jesus rescues us so I might still be searching for more CALM day by day until that time, but the by product is "More Faith" - "standing firm in the Lord"; learning to "keep my heart steadfast and CALM" but let's not overlook that this comes "through confident Trust" in Him. Since this book by Max was written pre-covid and also before many others that he's published since and "What's Next?" the most current one I have, I just sense that they all line up with helping me cope. 

FRET: to be grieved, troubled or displeased. Constantly or visibly worried or anxious. [Angst (unease) and xious]. To burn or to be kindled with anger. [various sources in my book Notes] 

So for right now, I am checking out my coping strategies and accessing my tools. Yes, I'm starting over again and praying for His "...peace that passes all understanding" with more of His reassurance "Everything is secure. You can rest now." Max wrote "five verses with four admonitions that lead to (that) one wonderful promise" in verse 7 from Philippians 4:4-8 and I add 9 to complete this. My problem right now is I struggle with verse 4 and letter "C" of CALM to Celebrate ... "Rejoice in the Lord always" but this is closely followed by "A" to "Ask God for help. (verse 6) but I immediately do upon reading that Rejoice always ... so it's definite that I really need to Learn to "L" Leave my concerns with Him. So Lord ... (from Max's Intro only in this 11 week action plan) {I probably already shared but I need to pray again ...} 

"Dear Lord, You spoke to storms. Would You speak to ours? You CALMed the hearts of the apostles. Would You CALM the chaos within us? You told them to fear not. Say the same to us.*** We are weary from our worry, battered and belittled by the gales of life. Oh Prince of Peace, bequeath to us a spirit of CALM ... will you turn a new leaf in our lives? Quench anxiety. Stir courage. Let us know less fret and more faith. In Your name, amen. "

*** I have much more FEAR in my life now in November than I did when I started 2024

I am beyond thankful always for His aMazing
Grace
Thank You Lord Jesus!
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"LORD
Grant me the wisdom to remember
that You are not the source of *anxiety (or *whatever)
Rather, help me remember that resting in You
provides relief from all worry.
Give me courage to choose what is
good and pure, even when it is hard or inconvenient."
end of Week 1, Max Lucado, Less Fret, More Faith

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I'm sure come December
I will need more JOY and fa-la-la
but this November
I'll keep giving thanks for ...
the C.A.L.M. 
(any and all CALM)
and my Faith in Jesus, standing firm 🙏