Our thoughts are more powerful than we realize. What we think about greatly impacts our quality of life; we can either decide to worry and fret about a situation, or deal with it constructively and refuse to let it fill our minds with fear and anxiety. Worry is negative meditation on a problem, and it’s the opposite of the kind of faith we need as believers. When fear knocks at the door, God wants us to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us.
In the Old Testament, Job made the mistake of meditating on the wrong thing and it opened the door to evil results. The thing he greatly feared came upon him; he admitted that he had neither safety nor rest, and trouble came. God didn’t create us to carry stress and the cares of life. We make a mistake by thinking it noble or admirable to hang on to something He tells us to let go of.
Handing over to God the things that cause us stress and unease is a sign of humility; conversely, continuing to dwell on the negative is an indication of pride. Pride goes before destruction; if we’re too proud to let go of thoughts that don’t come from God, negative-thinking will destroy our peace of mind. When we find ourselves slipping into wrong-thinking, God redirects us to His Word to restore our peace. Meditating on whatever is true, honest, and lovely brings us the peace of God that surpasses understanding.
n our weakest times when doubt and fear threaten to overwhelm us, God’s grace is sufficient for us; His strength is made perfect in weakness. Our stubborn pride in hanging on to our worries blocks His blessings, but He gives us more grace when we humbly obey Him in this area. Our peace depends on whether we take this to heart or simply dismiss it.
Prayer:
Lord, we can walk in fear or in faith, but we find peace of mind when we meditate on Your Word and walk in faith. We can direct our thoughts where we wish; thank You for giving us a better alternative than meditating on the things of the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
1 Peter 5:7
Job 3:25, 26
Proverbs 16:18
Philippians 4:7, 8
12 Corinthians 12:9
James 4:6