“But I have stilled and quietened my soul….” Ps. 131:2;
“An anxious heart weighs a man down….” Prov. 12:25
“Do not 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.” Phil. 4:6-7;
“What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labours under the sun?” Eccl. 2:22.
God has given the believer the ability to choose what his attitude and perspective will be in every circumstance of life. That choice, whether conscious or ignorant, will determine the ‘state of his/her soul.’
Our emotions and feelings follow our thoughts. Where the mind is full of anxious, fearful, confusing, or distressing thoughts, the feelings and emotions sink to ‘low places,’ and we realise we are sad, angry, despairing, frustrated, worried, anxious, or numb.
The Psalmist above, tells us that we can still our anxious thoughts or ‘quiet our soul.’ How do we do that? It is simple…O so simple. It is however, a choice. We choose to replace our distressing thoughts with ‘new material’ to focus on—from the Word of God. The ability to be aware of negative emotions or feelings is given to us by God, as an ‘early warning signal,’ that something is ‘not right’ and that we should turn to Him, so that ‘righteousness’ might enter our thought stream again.
Right thinking produces the best emotional state we could ever have. Meditate in Ps. 119 and discover how much the ‘life-giving’ Word of God (i.e. laws, commandments, precepts, and ways) produces such an amazing, blessed life.
Get back to being in charge of your soul!