Exchanging Your Stress for Joy

The Apostle Paul says, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NLT).

When Paul wrote this, he wrote it from prison. He doesn’t say you should be joyful only in good times. He says you should be full of joy always. But how can you do that?

The Bible teaches that—even when times are tough—you can be joyful if you follow these four simple strategies:

Thank God in all things. When you pray, do it with a thankful heart. The healthiest human emotion is gratitude.

People who are grateful are happy. But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They’re never satisfied. It’s never good enough.

But if you cultivate an attitude of gratitude—of being thankful IN every circumstance—your stress will lessen. There is always something to be thankful for, even when times are hard.

Don’t worry about anything. Worrying doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t help solve any of your problems.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (NIV).

In other words, live one day at a time.

Pray about everything. Instead of worrying, use your time to pray.

If you prayed as much as you worried, you’d have a lot less to worry about.

Is God interested in your car payments? Your work deadlines? The laundry pile that’s looming over you today? Yes, he’s interested in every detail of your life. And because of that, you can take any problem to God that you face.

Think about the right things. If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change the way you think, because the way you think determines how you feel. And the way you feel determines how you act. The Bible teaches that, if you want to change your life, you need to change what you’re thinking about.

This involves a deliberate, conscious choice to think about the right things. You need to choose to think about positive things and focus on God’s Word.

What is the result of not worrying, praying about everything, giving thanks, and focusing on the right things? 

Paul says, “You will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NLT).