Have you ever lay in bed at night unable to sleep with spiraling thoughts, comparison, or uncertainty about the future?
Me too.
There’s a lot of things in this world that can make us anxious. And for those of us who are already prone to anxiety, the constant noise and bustle and headlines and controversies can feel overwhelming.
Here’s the deal: we can’t control the world around us, but we can control how we respond to it. We can learn to live with the mind of Christ.
I wrote Mindset: Learning to Live with the Mind of Christ because I’ve been there. I’ve been the girl who couldn’t sleep at night because of anxiety. I’ve fought the comparison battle, struggled with discontentment, and worried about my future. But God in His kindness has met me in the middle of my spiraling thoughts and taught me through His Word a better way to respond.
The book of Philippians has been a key passage for me in my battle with anxiety. I’ve wrestled with anxiety for most of my life, but one particular season of intense anxiety was during my senior year of high-school. For my senior graduation trip, my sister and I attended a conference in Colorado that was focused on the theme of rejoicing. One of the speakers focused on Philippians 4:4, where we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord, and shared his testimony of how the Lord taught him to rejoice in response to the pressures of ministry instead of falling into panic attacks. He shared how the idea behind rejoicing is to choose joy again and again, and how that choice can strengthen us against overwhelm. That concept of choosing joy again and again was a tool in my toolbox for responding to anxiety, and I wielded it frequently!
From that time on, I began reciting Philippians 4:4-9 to myself whenever I felt anxious:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9
Over time, I’ve added more tools to the toolbelt, like making lists of what I’m thankful for. And as I’ve grown and learned more about responding to anxiety, I’ve realized that change often starts not in what I do or in changing circumstances but in what I think.
The book of Philippians has a lot to say about what we think, with much to say on the topics of joy, peace, and contentment. And the source of all of it was Christ. Paul called his readers to live with the mind of Christ (see Phil. 2:1-11). No matter our circumstances, we can have joy, peace, and contentment when our minds are fixed on Christ and the prize of knowing Him (Phil. 3). And Paul would know, because he wrote this letter while imprisoned in Rome for the sake of the gospel!
If we want to know how to think like Christ, we go to the Word, and Philippians is a great place to start.
If you’d like some encouragement as you study the book of Philippians, I’d encourage you to check out my newest book, Mindset: Learning to Live with the Mind of Christ. It releases August 31st and is available for pre-order now! If you’re among the first 20 people to pre-order, I’ll send you some Mindset merch and a handwritten thank-you card! (For US residents only).
To get your pre-order goodies, email me a screenshot of your receipt and your mailing address (see my contact page here).
I hope you’re encouraged in your walk with the Lord through Mindset and that you’ll take some time to read the book of Philippians today. May our minds as believers be shaped by the Word of God and the Word made Flesh, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
With love,
Kelsey
P.S. We’re doing a Mindset series on the podcast leading up to the launch of my new book! Check out the latest two episodes below!
MINDSET SERIES: the Mindset of the Saint
MINDSET SERIES: the Mindset of Peace
