Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[d] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV)
Your mind is a dangerous weapon. The question is, who are you using it towards. Often we allow our minds to be weapons against us instead of for us. We hold the controls.
In the above text, the Apostle Paul gives instruction to “Rejoice in the Lord always…” This is coming from a guy who spent a healthy amount of time in prisons being beaten and tortured for his faith in Jesus Christ. When we have the Holy Spirit within us, there is always reason to rejoice. Regardless of how bad your circumstances are… you have reason to rejoice.
Peace and joy are a choice. You have to choose peace. You have to choose joy. Regardless of what’s stacked against you, whether in reality or in your mind, you can consider joy (James 1:2). Only once we choose to meditate in joy and push away from anxiety, can we sit in the peace of God.
Its’ not going to come overnight. It may be a struggle at first. Paul says to practice! Ultimately, the victory is within you. You have to choose joy. Stop focusing on all the negative and choose joy. Experience some peace today. It’s all in your head!