The Guardian 

God, in His mercy, cares for us in so many unseen ways. He is gracious to give us sunshine and rain daily and is mindful that without His help, we could not live. His Fatherly love is lavished upon us as He interacts with us in beautiful ways. 

 But what do we do in times of trouble? Does He still care? Is He aware of our struggles?
 Yes, He definitely does and says He is the Guardian of our hearts and minds. 

 He gives us specific guidelines in Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness (or gentleness) be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:4-7

First, we are told to rejoice: this is a steadfast commitment to express praise to God because of Who He is. My circumstances do not change Him nor make His power or love any less.

 It is my moment-by-moment choice to be thankful and to express appreciation.

Doing so acknowledges that God is great and faithful, which increases joy in the brain’s pre-frontal cortex (the Joy Center)! When we take a Joy Break two to three times a day, detailing in writing our blessings, then sharing this with someone else, we are actually building pathways to increase our emotional resilience.

Secondly, our outward actions will reflect our inward attitude, which displays our love and obedience to the God Who made us. Followers of Christ are to be known for their reasonableness and gentleness. This character trait builds up and edifies; this is a desired and needed quality for each team member as together they reach for success. Finally, genuine words of appreciation offer value to the hearer.

Thirdly, the Apostle Paul writes that God is ever-present and that when we do struggle with anxiousness, we are to come to Him first: He already knows the situation and is willing and able to take care of it. God responds with power as I express these needs with persistent prayer on behalf of others (not just for myself) and do so with a grateful, faith-believing heart.

When I obey these words, the fruit of God’s peace, immeasurable and incomprehensible, will guard my heart and mind ~ these two areas are important centers of hope and strength for life!

Without hope, we cannot continue, so we are further instructed with these specifics:

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

We serve a God Who IS peace also shares His peace with us.

Using verse 8, take the time to list at least one thing for each “whatever.” Write these and thank God for each one. Then share it with another person, and you’ll experience increased joy!

May you thrive this day with the Guardian of your heart and mind; God, who knows you by name, calls you to walk with Him.  

Do so in His peace.
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