Inside Voiceনমুনা

Peace Of Mind

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges in society today.  The essence of anxiety is worrying about a potential threat in the future.  Generally, in anxiety, we overestimate the chance of something bad happening and underestimate the chance of something good happening.  Have you ever noticed your imagination jumping to the worst possible scenario?  It’s called catastrophizing. 

How do you counter anxiety?  Stop and ask yourself - am I catastrophizing? What’s most likely to happen?  Am I trusting God to protect me? A deep sense of God’s protection, knowing that you and your family are living under the covering of Almighty God is the antidote.  

In Philippians 4:6, Paul tells us that we should not be anxious for anything, but instead in every situation, cover ourselves in prayer.  Present your needs to God - Lord, protect me on the road today, watch over (the person you are anxious about), Lord, help me get through the lockdowns financially ….  WHATEVER you are worried about. Often people who struggle with worry spend a lot of time ruminating about possible events. Imagine if all that time and energy were instead used by turning concerns into conversations with God? If you identify with this, why not try to turn those negative thoughts into prayers. 

The following scripture in Philippians 4:7 is our promise from God about what happens when we do – that then, the peace of God, which goes beyond and transcends our human reasoning, our human understanding, will guard, protect, and keep your hearts and minds encapsulated in perfect peace as you abide in our Lord Jesus.  Have you experienced that peace before? It is available to all who ask, and all who seek. Jesus, after all, is our great Prince of Peace.

Questions:

1. What are the worries that frequently go through your mind?  Write down the worries and take them very specifically to God in prayer.  

2. Do you regularly spend time in prayer covering yourself and your family in the protection and provision of God?  

3. What are some things that you can thank God for?  Write those down and keep a praise list of all the things he has done for you.  This is especially helpful to recall when you are feeling low.