"Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 (NIV)
In Philippians it tells us that being in Christ will help guard our hearts and minds. When we allow ourselves to be immersed in Jesus Christ’s grace and love, then we are supplied with all the armor we need to keep falsehoods from taking us down to a place we don’t emotionally or mentally need to be…namely, to a place of anxiety and worry.
I used to be a worry-wart of the worst kind. I would worry if I didn’t worry enough about something! (Yea, seriously.) I was afraid if I didn’t worry then I didn’t care enough. Talk about a vicious cycle that kept me from peace and from a good night’s sleep! The older I get the more keenly aware I am of how I need to guard my heart and mind against worldly stimulus and materialistic ideas. As I seek to keep my identity in Christ the more Satan tends to creep up on me, trying to steal my quiet time and my peace. When I let my guard down or attempt to keep the world at bay all by myself then I can see myself go into a gradual decline of worry, low self-esteem and even anger because I feel out of control of my emotions.
Is that you? Do you get anxious often? Panic-stricken? Worried? During hormonal times via PMS and menopause, those bouts of worry can easily become worse. (And yes, for women AND men, hormones can really effect your emotions.)For women, as you’re hitting those low points I encourage you to be prepared. It’s not like you don’t know the signs that your period is coming, correct? It’s not like you don’t know you’re in menopause, right? Then be prepared…in and out of cycle, to seek His Word and spend additional time in prayer so you can guard your heart and mind for the times when your body effects your mindset, causing your anxiety to increase.
Not sure where to start? First of all, devotionals are helpful but also taking time to mark passages ahead of time that you can easily turn to when you’re feeling anxious is a great idea. (You wouldn't go out in the desert without water would you? Then why go into a cycle of raging hormones without midol and the Word to encourage you?) Look in your Bible for scriptures that personally feel comforting to you on a regular basis and that remind you of God’s truth - that you need not fear because God’s got everything in His hands. (Suggestions: 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18, Psalms 27: 1-3, Isaiah 41:10)
For more encouragement check out "28 Days of PMS – Praising My Savior" – a humorous, uplifting devotional for women.
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