Caroline Leaf says, "When God said he gave you a sound mind he wasn't joking." But what do you do when you're not feeling that? It's no secret that anxiety and depression have skyrocketed in recent years. And obviously, life is stressful and sometimes our concerns can feel overwhelming. It's normal to feel that way sometimes, but if we don't know how to handle anxiety and depression that can be a vicious cycle to try and break free from. So what do we do?
Did you know that Scripture tells us exactly how to deal with this?
"Do not worry at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to YHWH." -Philippians 4:6
"Don't worry about it," That's definitely easier said than done, but when Paul said this he meant it. Mentally running through 'what ifs' and worst-case-scenarios does absolutely nothing beneficial for us. It's a miserable way to spend time and it's definitely a downward spiral of negativity that's hard to get out of. So how do we stop this when we're worried? Take a look at the rest of the sentence: start praying and be thankful!
If you're in a bad situation, pray about it and ask YHWH to help you get through this in a healthy way. Ask him to transform your thinking so you can look at things from his perspective. Ask him to show you what he's doing in this and in you. Thank him for his promise to work all things together for good. Praise him for his faithfulness. Pray that others would have their eyes opened to truth through this. Ask him to help you trust in him and have peace in this.
And don't miss the "with thanksgiving" factor. Start thinking about what you do have to be thankful for...and get really specific with the details. Start with small things like seeing flowers growing outside or wearing your favorite top, and go from there. When you're having a bad moment this is a great reset, reminding you that while you may have had a rough shift at work or bad ten minutes your life isn't bad. There are good things. Literally count your blessings by making a list to look over when it's hard to remember.
"And the peace of YHWH, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through the Messiah." -Philippians 4:7
Maybe you're skeptical about prayer being helpful or don't see a point in mentally enumerating things to be thankful for. That's okay. YHWH's peace goes right on over our understanding. It might not make sense, but thanks to the Messiah, that's how it works. I like the bit about this peace guarding us. This compounds. Start praying and being thankful when you don't feel like it, and peace will come in and you will be better protected for next time something stressful comes up.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is righteous, whatever is clean, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any uprightness and if there is any praise - think one these." -Philippians 4:8
Literally. Do this. Think about good and lovely things. Happy family memories. Visiting a beautiful garden. Think about the dreams you have for your life. Memorize an encouraging verse. Make up plans for a dream home or vacation. Remember your time at a beautiful lake or in the mountains. Scripture tells us that we need to take our minds off the negative and sad thoughts and replace them with good things. Don't just take a two minute prayer break and go back to focusing on the difficult or disappointing. Work to reroute your focus to righteous and clean things. Fill your mind with Biblical truth. Maybe you make a list of things to turn to. You could read a favorite book or watch a happy movie. The things you direct your thoughts to absolutely affect your emotional state.
"And what you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, practice these, and the YHWH of peace shall be with you." -Philippians 4:9
So all the stuff we just went over? Put that into practice, even when you're not feeling down or anxious. Think of things that you're thankful for from each day. Pray continually. Ask YHWH to help you have a grateful heart. Make it a point to find encouragement and peace in Scripture. Don't inundate yourself with garbage from television or toxic people, instead let your thought life be filled with the righteous and the lovely.
Try these things and see YHWH work in your life!
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