Transformed: Mental Health - Day 2

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

 God wants you to be totally free from anxiety. He wants you to live without fear. He wants you to experience his peace "at all times in every situation"  (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NLT). God knows that fear and anxiety keep us from living out his purposes for our lives so he lovingly tells us, "don't be anxious about anything." Anything! Sometimes that's easier said than done.

What is the antidote to anxiety? This verse tells us to pray "with thanksgiving." So start with a heart of gratitude. Thank God for his faithfulness and that he has never left your side. Thank him for his unchanging love for you, for his forgiveness and grace. Thank him in advance for what he is going to do!

 Next, tell God what's troubling you. Most people pray prayers they think God wants to hear. But God tells us to pray about everything, leaving nothing on the table, and giving it all to him. If it's big enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about.

The result of faithfully bring your requests to God—with thanksgiving—and trusting him with the outcome that you will experience "the peace of God which transcends all understanding." God's peace is so powerful, the Bible says it will even "guard your heart and mind" from the anxieties of this world. 

 When you give your anxieties to God—your worries of the future, the guilt of your past, your hurts, heartbreaks and struggles— God in return will give you his peace, which is more powerful than any anxiety or problem. His peace will stand guard over your heart and mind like an army protecting a city, watching and keeping you safe from the outside forces that would steal away your joy. 

Next Steps. Write down your answers to these questions. 

57. What did you hear?

58. What do you think?

59. What will you do?

60. Now talk to God...

Work Cited

Warren, R. (2014). Daily devotions: Transformed: How God Changes Us. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA: Saddleback Church.