God’s Anti-Anxiety Prescription
By Kathy Howard on September 30, 2013
“Just don’t worry about it.”
How many times has someone said that to you when your circumstances truly warranted a little bit of worry time? If you’re anything like me, you probably thought, “Yeah, right. Easier said than done.”
By the way, it was probably a man who said it. My engineer husband seems to be able to simply tell himself not to feel a certain way and then follow his own advice. Good for him, but unfortunately he expects me to possess the same testosterone-based super power.
If you’re more like me and not able to turn off the worry quite so easily, hang in there. The Bible gives us an “anti-anxiety” prescription.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then 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.
8 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. 9 Keep 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. Philippians 4:4-9
Like Christians today, the believers in Philippi struggled with anxiety and worry. In this passage of Scripture, Paul gives them a 4-step anxiety cure.
- Choose Joy – We often face physical circumstances that would steal our joy. Thankfully, Christians can always find joy in our unchanging and eternal spiritual circumstances we have in Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
- Practice Gratitude – The Bible repeatedly connects joy with a thankful attitude (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God has always known what numerous contemporary studies have shown – gratitude increases feelings of wellbeing and happiness. So count your blessings!
- Talk to God – Our heavenly Father invites us to bring all our troubles and concerns to Him. He cares about each one, no matter how small. He has the desire and the power to meet our needs. Tell Him and trust Him to provide (Matthew 6:25-34).
- Discipline Your Mind – What we think about will impact how we feel and how we act (Romans 12:2). We can choose what to think about. And what not to think about.
This may take some practice. You may have to apply and then re-apply. But God has promised results. When we… choose joy, practice gratitude, talk to God, and discipline our thoughts…
His peace will overpower our anxiety. His peace will guard our hearts and minds. We may not understand how it works, but we can benefit from His miraculous provision!
Have you found this “prescription” to be effective in your own life?
Originally posted on Kathy Howard.
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