By Mallory Mattingly
Los Angeles Lakers center Trey Jemison challenged his fans to “focus on above” in his latest Instagram Bible study.
Jemison began the video by sharing Philippians 4:6-7:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“A lot of times, I won’t lie, we sit there and all people read is ‘Don’t worry about anything,’ and they give you that verse and be like, ‘Go crazy with it,'” the basketball star explained. “However, you gotta realize this. Read the whole verse and understand that you have to add these things to it.”
“The thing that I’ve learned, I’ve been studying, is that you have to do this with thanksgiving. Being thankful that the God who can fix anything has entered your problem now. The God who created the heavens and the earth is in the ring now to fight your fight,” he continued. “What we must understand and what we must go through is that the ‘Don’t worry’ and the peace comes from you letting God do His thing.”
“But the problem is people like me — who I used to be, I’m set free from this, no relapse — I’m trying to control it, I’m trying to figure it out myself. But God’s like, ‘Nah, big fella. Let me step in.'”
“So, now God has stepped in. What do you do next? ‘Cause that’s the demonstration of faith, ’cause it doesn’t look like it’s working out yet. You still see the problem,” Jemison continued.
Jemison then read the next verse, Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
“You gotta focus on those things,” he said after he read the verse. “When I used to worry, I would focus only on the negative. It would be all these good things happening and then one bad thing, and I’m like, ‘Let me focus on this.’ Nobody who focuses on the negative can have true peace because you are concerned with the negative impact.”
Jemison continued, “But all these positive things going around, you need to focus on those things. God’s telling me, ‘Hey, Trey, focus on the positive. Focus on the new thing I’m doing right now.’ Because he’s doing a new thing, focus on that. Focus on how God is moving. You can’t sit there and worry about what all went bad, what all went wrong, what might go wrong. You present it to God. Be thankful God has stepped in now. God is in the equation. Now go focus on the things that are pure, that are lovely, that are commendable, that are honorable, focus on those things.”
In a world full of worry and things that pull us away from God, Jemison wants us to keep our eyes on God. It will make all the difference.
Read Next: ‘But God’: Lakers Trey Jemison Releases Powerful Bible Study
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