Don't be anxious about anything? Seriously?

"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)

In Philippians it tells us that being in Christ will help guard our hearts and minds. When we allow ourselves to be immersed in Jesus Christ’s grace and love, then we are supplied with all the armor we need to keep falsehoods from taking us down to a place we don’t emotionally or mentally need to be…namely to a place of anxiety and worry.

I used to be a worry-wart of the worst kind. I would worry if I didn’t worry enough about something; afraid that if I didn’t worry then I didn’t care enough. Talk about a vicious worldly cycle that kept me from peace and from a good night’s sleep!

The older I get the more keenly aware I am of how I need to guard my heart and mind against worldly stimulus and materialistic ideas. As I seek to keep my identity in Christ the more Satan tends to creep up on me, trying to steal my quiet time and my peace. When I let my guard down or attempt to keep the world at bay all by myself, then I can see my gradual decline into worry, low self-esteem and even anger.

Is that you? Do you get anxious often? Panic-stricken? Worried? During hormonal times via PMS and menopause, those bouts of worry can easily become worse. As you’re hitting those low points I encourage you to be prepared. It’s not like you don’t know the signs that your period is coming, correct? It’s not like you don’t know you’re in menopause, right? Then be prepared…in and out of cycle, to seek His Word and spend additional time in prayer so you can guard your heart and mind for the times when your body effects your mindset, causing your anxiety to increase.

Not sure where to start? First of all, devotionals such as this are helpful but also taking time to mark passages ahead of time that you can easily turn to when you’re feeling anxious will help. Look in your Bible for scriptures that personally feel comforting to you on a regular basis that remind you of God’s truth…that you need not fear because God’s got everything in His hands. (Suggestions: 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18, Psalms 27: 1-3, Isaiah 41:10)

For more encouragement, check out the 28 Days of PMS - Praising My Savior devotional for women.

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