50 Commands of Jesus: Continued
#2 Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
Let not your heart be troubled—
John 14:27 It says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 6:25-26
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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Have you ever been called a worrywart? This is largely an American term, but earlier versions were used in Britain where people were called worryguts. Worrying effects our mental and physical health. My tummy has over the years before a big presentation or event, turned immediately to a bathroom need. Or if I have been stressed my hair will fall out. In my high school years, I got canker sores. My son gets sores on his mouth when he gets stressed, and my mom gets a stye or infection in her eye. Stress weakens the immune system, makes us sick. And it gives us gray hair and wrinkles! No thanks!
If at all possible if we can tap into God’s love and promises, his peace, we would be far healthier and look younger, have that childlike glow. Joy, laughter and calmness are truly medicine to the soul.
If you read the chapters around the scriptures above, you will get a fuller understanding of Jesus’s instructions.
Here is the top of the trees. As believers we should expect persecution and troubles in general. The prince of this world, Satan has a mission to mess with people. But these scripture’s reassure us that he has ALREADY been condemned. His time is limited. Your grief in this world is temporary. Jesus went to be with the Father so he could send the Advocate, which is the Holy Spirit to come to you. The Holy Spirit will lead you in the area of sin, righteousness and judgment. He will guide you into all truth. He would get you through and help bring you solutions.
What are we to do when we are stressed according to scripture?
In every situation, we are to pray, petition and be thankful. We are to make all our requests known to God. Note the word petition in this. The definition is a formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause. When I think of this in a spiritual mindset, this means get a group of Spirit Filled believers and have them petition through prayer on your behalf. So, it’s not just about you alone praying but the body of believers working together.
Then Jesus goes onto give us a teaching about being POSITIVE. He said focus your mind on what is RIGHT, PURE, LOVELY. So, he is saying watch your thoughts, don’t get caught up in a negative mindset or a self-limiting belief. We need to constantly be redirecting our thoughts on the Positive, what’s GOOD in our situation? What progress is being made in the right direction? Be patient and prayerful! God’s got this. He will lead you down the right path.
Reflection
What have you been worrying about?
- First write down what you are grateful for, what’s going right, the positives. (Progress)
- List out your requests to God, about your worries. Pray out loud on these topics. More powerful.
- Then, pick 2 friends to pray for you on that specific topic- Ask them to Petition on your behalf.
- Check your nutrition and gut health. There has been lots of studies on lack of D and B12 and an unhealthy microbiome could affect your overall mindset. A vitamin deficiency or unbalanced gut can cause depression even bipolar. Eat a more balanced diet and more water to detox.
- 10 research-backed ways to improve gut health (medicalnewstoday.com)
- Vitamin D supplementation may help ease depressive symptoms in adults (medicalnewstoday.com)