As we conclude our look at dealing with stress, let's take a gander at the following scripture...
Philippians 4:4-8, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The 4th step that you need to take is to THINK ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS
In an article written by Rick Warren, he said, "To reduce stress in your life you must change the way your think. The stress is in yourself not outside. Your mind is a special gift from God. Your mind is capable of storing over 100 trillion thoughts. It can handle enormous things. You hve been given by God the freedom to choose what you think about. V. 8 "finally brothers, whatever is true ... noble .. right .. pure ... lovely ... admirable -- If anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." You need to chosoe what you think about and think about the right things. What we put into our minds affects our lives."
If you are stressed today, the question you need to ask yourself is, "What am I allowing into my mind?" The things that you look at, read about & listen to can cause you to have joy or discouragement. What you think about will determine how you feel and ultimately determine how you act. Paul is saying this involves a deliberate, conscious choice. Change the channels of your mind. When a thought comes into your mind, ask "Is this true, noble, right...?" If it's not, reject it. These eight words are eight filters. If the thoughts is not right, true, pure, lovely, etc. don't think about them. Don't allow them to get into your mind, because it's going to create stress. Proverbs 23:7 "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is." What dominates your mind? What do you think about the most? The root cause of stress is the way I choose to think. The simple truth is, whhatever I think about is what I am becoming. If you don't like the way you're headed, change what you think about. Change the direction of your thought life. Here is the result."If you do this you will experience God's Peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your heart quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." v. 7. There is a promise of guaranteed peace of mind. People are looking everywhere for peace of mind and we know we can find it by following the advice of the Apostle Paul and ultimately by trusting in Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:4-8, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The 4th step that you need to take is to THINK ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS
In an article written by Rick Warren, he said, "To reduce stress in your life you must change the way your think. The stress is in yourself not outside. Your mind is a special gift from God. Your mind is capable of storing over 100 trillion thoughts. It can handle enormous things. You hve been given by God the freedom to choose what you think about. V. 8 "finally brothers, whatever is true ... noble .. right .. pure ... lovely ... admirable -- If anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." You need to chosoe what you think about and think about the right things. What we put into our minds affects our lives."
If you are stressed today, the question you need to ask yourself is, "What am I allowing into my mind?" The things that you look at, read about & listen to can cause you to have joy or discouragement. What you think about will determine how you feel and ultimately determine how you act. Paul is saying this involves a deliberate, conscious choice. Change the channels of your mind. When a thought comes into your mind, ask "Is this true, noble, right...?" If it's not, reject it. These eight words are eight filters. If the thoughts is not right, true, pure, lovely, etc. don't think about them. Don't allow them to get into your mind, because it's going to create stress. Proverbs 23:7 "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is." What dominates your mind? What do you think about the most? The root cause of stress is the way I choose to think. The simple truth is, whhatever I think about is what I am becoming. If you don't like the way you're headed, change what you think about. Change the direction of your thought life. Here is the result."If you do this you will experience God's Peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your heart quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." v. 7. There is a promise of guaranteed peace of mind. People are looking everywhere for peace of mind and we know we can find it by following the advice of the Apostle Paul and ultimately by trusting in Jesus Christ.