Are there days when you feel like everything is falling apart around you? You find that your life is full of chaos and frustration; worry and anixiety...the total opposite of "peace of mind." Are you desparately trying to change people and situations in your life - but failing terribly? Are you using all your resources and energy to make things happen when it's obviously not the right time? We can lose our peace of mind when we keep trying to do something about something we can't do anything about!
Isaiah 26:3 gives us the formula for keeping our peace of mind. "You (G0d) will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (focused) because he trusts in you (God)." When we stay focused on God, recognizing His power and watching His plan unfold, what do we have to worry about? What do we need to try to control when we know the Creator of the Universe has everything under His control?
Are you a worrier? Do you feel guilty when you don't have something or someone to worry about? Have you ever experienced peace of mind? The Apostle Paul had plenty of reasons to worry when he wrote the book of Philippians from a Roman prison cell. But instead, he shares several effective steps we can take to find peace of mind in Philippians 4: 4-9:
1) Rejoice - Gratitude is important to our peace of mind because it leads to a change in our attitude. We can't grumble, complain and worry about a person or situation when we're rejoicing!
2) Be anxious for nothing - A mind full of worry and anxiety is the opposite of a mind focused and steadfast on God and His promisies; which leads to a mind filled with peace.
3) Pray about everything - Have you ever thought prayer just wasn't enough? Even after praying, you still felt the need to worry and fret? You still tried to figure out how to change the problem yourself. God wants us to bring all our concerns to Him and leave them with Him.
4) Give thanks for all things - Worry has the tendency to invite all its friends into your life - stress, disappointment, anger, frustration, doubt, etc. When we switch our focus on being thankful for the things He has done for us - big and small - we send worry and its friends packing.
When we put these steps into action in our life, Paul tells us in verse 7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus." These first 4 steps help guard our heart. When we are rejoicing, not worrying, giving everything to God in prayer, with thankful hearts - God's peace washes over us.
5) Think about these things - Verse 8 tells us what we must do in order to guard our mind - the place where all worry and anxiety begins. We must think and focus on things that are true, pure, right, holy, friendly, proper, worthwhile and worthy of praise. I don't see worry in that list!
Peace of mind is something God desires for us. Worrying about and trying to control people and situations in our life distract us from where our real focus should be - on God and His goodness!
5 comments:
I don't know what I would do without my, "Peace" of mind. I just learned that we cannot enjoy, all that God has for us, until we come to Him, with a heart full of Praise, and an attitude of gratitude..As we come to Him, with
grateful hearts, He will give us that Peace, that only He can give..
He created us for His pleasure, and it definetly pleases Him, when He sees us Praising Him, with grateful hearts..When I feel I am not where I need/want to be, with the Lord,..I go to my "prayer closet", and start praising Him, and thanking Him, for all that He has done, and will do in my life..I, then begin to feel that "Peace that surpasses, all understanding", pour over me...
God is good!...Praise!
Thank you. The article is very helpful.
Just having in my devotions this am about giving all my cares and and frustrations over to him and he will direct HIS path for me.
Then the message from Tonia about the scriptures that Paul laid out, I know that God is speaking to me to give him all things that I can't control and want to, to him, so I can be grateful knowing someone else is going to get the praise, God himself!! and I won't need to worry and fret but can rejoice and see HIS fruit in me.
I have learned if you look for any sense of belonging and peace or place in people you will always be let down. People are people...they are inherently selfish,and human; but God is faithful and can be trusted.
Thank you sooo much for these words. They have put things in focus for me. They are a great reminder that I am NOT in control but He is and He already knows the outcome! Thank you again!
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