KEY 5: MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MIND
We all experience stress in our modern, fast-paced, information-overload world. How can we cope? We must clearly understand that, to an important degree, our mental health is a matter of choice. You can choose to maintain a positive and tranquil mind.
You may have read some of the many “quotable quotes” about exercising a positive attitude. My wife gave me a framed picture of lightning bolts with the title “The Power of Attitude.” Listen to this helpful principle as given by its anonymous author: “Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens; not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst… a spark that creates extraordinary results.”
Have you made a conscious choice to maintain a positive attitude? The Apostle James reinforces that principle. He gives us positive advice to help us face stress, trials and problems. What are we to think when we face trials? We read: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2). The trial certainly may be painful, but you view the process with joy. Why? Because “the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (vv. 3–4).
You can have a positive attitude, knowing that your character and patience are being strengthened. How many times have I told myself when facing a stressful situation: “Maintain a positive and tranquil mind”? God then helps me through the trial. It is also helpful to learn to smile and have a sense of humor, and to be ready to pray at an instant’s notice. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
KEY 6: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
One way to help maintain a positive frame of mind is to remind yourself of the many blessings God has given you. Is your life perfect? Do you have every success you have hoped for? Probably not. But if you focus instead on the many blessings you do have, you may come to see that the life you have is perfect for you right now, and that you can be grateful for the circumstances God is using to help you develop His very character in your own life.
When you pray (see Key 2), counting your blessings is a vital part of your contact with God. Just as you can overcome worries by sharing your anxieties with your Creator, you can strengthen your positive attitude by thanking Him for your many blessings. We read: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
Some of you may be familiar with the old nineteenth-century hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” Here are some of the words: “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
Count your blessings and express heartfelt gratitude to God. What are you thankful for? Do you thank God for the awesome revelation of His truth, the Holy Bible? Do you thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins? Remember how John the Baptist referred to the Messiah: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Thank God that He can take away your sins if you repent and accept Jesus as your Savior.
KEY 7: CLAIM GOD’S PROMISES
The Apostle Paul writes, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Your Bible is a gold mine of God’s promises to you. You just need to go in prayer to the throne of grace in heaven and claim those promises.
But to claim God’s promises, you need the faith to claim them. God has given this promise: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). As you humbly and earnestly read your Bible, the word of God, He will give you more faith. That’s just one of His many, many promises to you. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2–4).
Your Bible records hundreds of promises God wants you to acknowledge, embrace and claim! Yes, He has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises”!
Jesus reminded us to choose the spiritual over the material. He made it plain just how much God loves us; He can easily provide all our physical needs. But to receive this blessing, we must first seek God’s Kingdom, and then all our material needs will be provided. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [all our physical and material needs] shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
When you apply these biblical keys in your life, you will be able to meet the challenges that face us all. God has promised that if we practice true Christianity in all that we do, we can have a peace of mind that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). In this world of turmoil, stress and danger, you need God’s peace of mind. Be sure to apply all seven of these keys for peace of mind!
Article Appeared @http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/magazines/2016/july-august/seven-keys-for-peace-of-mind