Everyone in the world faces difficult situations. There are no exceptions. Each person’s situation is different though. We never go through the same things, but our circumstances can be similar. Our reactions can be similar too. How do you react to tough situations? What kind of physical or mental response happens? Many people go through anxiety and have reactions that cause them to be anxious. In a technical definition, anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome (according to Google). Anxiety can have many different effects:
There are many more signs of anxiety someone can experience. The question morphs into “What can we do to counteract the effects of anxiety?”
What is contentment? How do we achieve peace? There’s no reasonable explanation, but Paul gives us a great verse from Philippians about anxiety:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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
It’s essential that we always take everything God whether it’s a prayer or praise. He deserves everything, and He’s willing to take all our burdens onto His shoulders. He is the only one who can carry them. If we submit and give everything to Him, He will provide us with peace. That’s only the first part of what He does for us. Once He gives us peach, He will then guard our hearts and minds. He doesn’t want us to go through anxiety or have doubts in our lives. Jesus paints a perfect picture of actions we should take when we have doubts in Matthew 6, verses 31-41:
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
While God is with us always, there is still a job for us to do. In every situation, we have to pray, petition and praise Him. For us to move to the center, we need to have contented prayers. Those prayers help lead us to a place where we can have contented thoughts.
Having content thoughts is one side effect of contented prayer. Our thoughts are what lead our actions. Negative thoughts can and will lead to negative responses. Philippians 4:8-9 describes how we should think:
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
If you think about it, there’s not a whole lot else to say about having good thoughts. Does this mean that our thoughts are always going to be peaceful? Of course not. There is still another voice whispering negative things in our ears. It’s our decision whether or not we listen and let it control our lives. Just think about it this way:
*If you’re sowing good seeds for your future, you will reap the harvest. -Pastor Kelvin Nygren
A combination of contented prayer and thoughts are two steps that lead to contented lives. All three in combination will help you learn about the ‘secret.’ Living in God’s will can help you obtain the following:
To have these things in life, it’s essential to continue to practice gratitude in all the things you receive. See your life through God’s eyes and the value He places on it. We’re his precious children, and it’s vital that we live our lives as such. Think about how many people we can impact if we’re content. Our contentment helps us live vibrant lives. We can give generously, serve courageously, and live victoriously. The ‘WE’ is critical in our lives and together ‘WE’ will conquer everything (with God’s help of course).
