“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9 (NASB)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NASB)
As I was thinking about anxiety, I realized there are contributors to it, based on what we fill our minds with. When I asked the Holy Spirit what to write regarding anxiety, the thought came to me that we can spend our thoughts in ways that we spend our money.
Just as we can invest money in wasteful things, that don’t bring lasting profit, we can invest our thoughts in things that don’t profit our faith, but rather increase our anxiety.
In today’s scripture, Paul teaches us that there is a thinking skill to practice and develop. I have the choice to invest my thought life with information that is good, honorable, and worthy of praise, or I can allow my mind to be filled with negativity. If I practice and develop Paul’s way of thinking, I can invest in thoughts that strengthen my inner person.
I can feel the difference of being dragged down when I allow negativity to fill my thought life. One person can talk to you for five minutes and drop a load of negative thoughts into your mind. That person could be a friend, coworker, banker, lawyer, doctor, or a news anchor. Listening to or watching news all throughout the day is also a contributor to negative thinking. Some of the most negative people I know are daily news junkies.
When I listen to Christian themed radio, music, TV, or read inspiring books or scripture, I am investing in a positive thought flow where the Holy Spirit can work, creating an uplifting completely faith filled atmosphere in my mind. I hear true stories of what God is doing in other people’s lives, and I can praise Him for it, while finding renewed hope for my own miracles.
If my mind is invested in the good things God is doing, it lessens my anxiety. Everyone has real problems that cause real anxiety, but if we invest our thoughts in the really good things that God is doing in real people’s lives, it increases our faith and lifts us into a level of real peace.
If we follow Paul’s advice, and start each day with prayer, then after making our request known, we find all the things we can thank and praise God for. Verbalizing these specific blessings, defeats the spirit of worry and anxiety.
Anytime I have observed someone who is exceptionally upbeat and cheerful, they are also a verbally thankful person.
I’m actually thinking of some of you, who are recipients of these meditations. (It’s an honor to know such joyful, positive people of God.)
Thankfulness was never meant to remain only within our thoughts, but to be expressed to others, especially to the one we are thanking.
If we review our past blessings, it is just natural to verbalize our thanks and praise. A skill that I need to keep practicing is the skill of investing my thoughts in the goodness of God.
I like to listen to someone else’s true story of what God has done for them, and as a result, my faith and hope are inspired.
David believed in verbalizing praise. He spoke a lot about God’s goodness and expressed it throughout his Psalms. David knew the importance of letting praise flow out of his mouth, instead of keeping it inside. He wrote,
“Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
Lord, You know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.” (Psalm 40:9-10)
There is an enemy of our soul, who wants us to restrain our lips, and trap negative thoughts within our mind. Something changes within us when the goodness of God is verbalized, and spoken about, as David described.
When we speak of the good things God is doing, we are wielding a powerful spiritual weapon, and it’s called praise. Dark spirits are very uncomfortable around a mouth speaking God’s praises. Praise resists evil and sends the devil fleeing from us.
We can solidify our investment in a God centered thought life, if we practice what Paul and David prescribed for anxiety.
By spending our thoughts wisely, on those things that bring praise to God, and then verbalizing those thoughts with thanksgiving, we will overcome anxiety and reap true peace and joy.
Lord, lead us to a more positive thought flow and to spend our thoughts wisely and to practice verbalizing our thanks and praise. Amen
This message reminds me of this song, which is my life theme song: