Isaiah 26:3 gives us a key to peace.
It’s fixation.
Do you know that fixation causes generalized anxiety disorder?
When our focus, our fixation, is on the negative, what ifs, the untruths about ourselves, others, or the future, and the worst case scenarios that run unchecked through our minds, we experience anxiety!
How do we change our focus?
Mindfulness. It’s a buzz word today. But it really means clearing and refocusing.
Paul understood this practice when he instructed the church to “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” Roman’s 12:21
That is being mindful. It is recognizing when negative, worrisome thoughts pop up. Instead of mulling them over and over again, we change our focus. We can fix our thought instead on the Lord which brings perfect peace.
How can we do that?
1. Focus on God’s word. Find a scripture to mediate on that speaks truth over the negative thought. God’s promises never fail. Believe!
2. Spend some time remembering all that God has done in your life. Make a list and give thanks!
3. Pray. Use the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Give Glory, honor and praise to God. Pray for His kingdom will to be done. Pray for our specific needs.
4. Worship. Turn up the music and fight the battle for our minds with song. We can’t worship and worry at the same time!
Mindfulness takes practice. Lots of practice. It’s way too easy for me to get fixated in a cycle of anxiety and worry. And lose all my sense of peace when I am not mindful of my thoughts.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) tells us to throw off everything that hinders us - that includes those negative fixated thoughts. And, run the race marked out before us with perseverance by fixing our eyes on Jesus!
He is our peace.