Fixed on Truth

In Daily Devotional by Stephen Arterburn

Theme of the Week: Freedom From Fear and Anxiety

Bible Verse: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 NLT

Scripture Reading: Psalm 139:23-24; John 12:35-36

Sometimes when you feel anxious or fearful, your thoughts can swirl around the worst-case scenario and all the questions of what might happen. We fix our minds on the endless possibilities of what could go wrong, rather than what could go right. If you have experienced life at all, you know that things can go wrong sometimes—and awareness of that creates more fear and anxiety!

If all you do is keep a running list of all the things that could go bad, you will be overwhelmed.

Instead of putting your head in the clouds or the sand, it’s sensible to look at the risks or challenges in the situation you’re facing. Consider what this passage of scripture says: Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise. What a list! This will keep you from letting your anxious thoughts take over.

A time when you do not feel pressured by anxiety and fear is a good moment to practice refocusing your thoughts. Remind yourself of something simple, like “God loves me” (true!) or “I am healthy” (and God is worthy of praise). Be creative—write them down as you put into practice fixing your thoughts.

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day, as if nothing had yet been done.” – C.S. Lewis

Prayer: God, You have made our brains so complex and able to handle so many things. Help me to focus my thoughts on one thing at a time.

Reflection: How can you begin to think about the small things that you can focus on that will make a difference? Instead of being overwhelmed by too much or too big, start with one thing at a time.


Some content taken from 100 Days to Freedom from Fear and Anxiety. Copyright © 2021. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commission from qualifying purchases on Amazon.ca. Learn more.


Copyright © 2023 Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada. All rights reserved.

About
Stephen Arterburn
Stephen Arterburn is the founder and CEO of New Life Ministries. He is also a best selling author of books such as Every Man’s Battle and Preparing Your Daughter for Every Young Woman’s Battle.
Image
Stephen Arterburn
Stephen Arterburn is the founder and CEO of New Life Ministries. He is also a best selling author of books such as Every Man’s Battle and Preparing Your Daughter for Every Young Woman’s Battle.