The book of Philippians is one of the best mental health
manuals ever written. The book’s theme is joy or rejoicing. These words are used 8 times in this short
book. (Phil 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say again: Rejoice!”)
Joy is not to be confused with happiness. Happiness is an
emotion driven by circumstances while joy is an inner quality that even endures
hardship. Joy is the mental state where we know God is in control so there is
no reason to be fearful. Our outlook on Life becomes more and more joyful as we
mature in our relationship with God, when we see how he has changed our life,
given us a kingdom mentality, and worked in the lives of those we know. Joy is
a fruit of the Spirit – Love, joy peace… Jesus said “I have told you this so
that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Joy is more about
trusting God than just being an optimistic person or being a happy camper. Our
basic chemistry or DNA that determines our temperament is just a contributing
factor. To be a Christian is to be a joyful person. If you are not, something
is wrong.
Anxiety and its cousin Worry are the major obstacles to
being a joyful person. Anxiety is being overly concerned about what is happening
and worrying is being concerned about what might happen. They are both mental
conditions brought on by fear of the unknown. They may be real or imagined. They
affect us physically and may paralyze us mentally so we cannot carry on with
life’s normal activities. From time to time we all suffer from them but that is
normal and healthy. When they overwhelm us we need help.
Paul has the right prescription for this problem. It is
prayer. (Phil 3:6) Prayer turns the situation over to God so we can have peace
of mind. It is a peace of mind that affects
both our thinking and our emotions. It is a peace that transcends human
understanding.
How do we develop our minds to be joyful? We are to practice
filling our minds with good thoughts: whatever is true, noble, right, pure,
lovely, admirable, and excellent. Thinking about lies, revenge, malice, wrongs
done to others or others have done to you, impure or ugly things evolve into
sin, evil and depression.
Paul, the author of Philippians, says that he has sufficient courage to face the challenges of life or to even experience death (Phil 1:20). He does not dwell on the past but is forward thinker with a goal (Phil 3:14). He shares his secret about how to live a joyful productive life. Regardless of circumstances, whether good or bad, we can accomplish anything because God gives us the strength. What is impossible for us is easy for God. It stretches us.
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