Paul's final words of encouragement to the Philippians are worth simply quoting out and commenting on. He encouraged them to; "always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice." Philippians 4:4. Joy is contagious. Joy is also a choice, it is not the product of anything that has happened physically outside us. Joy comes from the inside, from the one who is in us. Joy shapes your attitude. Joy increases our strength and help us know tomorrow will be alright. Halleluyah! Be full of Joy today. Another advise; "don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:6. This advise is so profound. I realise that the last thing we want to do when things are not working is to pray and then thank God, for what is not working? We would rather try; worry, anxiety, and complaining about the situation than to pray. When we pray, we are able to talk to our Father about the happenings in and around us. We are then enable to receive his own perspective to the issue. Whenever I practise this scripture, I find I just tend to see the good or positive in the situation. So instead of worrying, pray about everything. Let's take one more; "and now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippuans 4:8. This one is huge. You will have heard the saying that; "you are the product of your most dominant thoughts." Paul is telling us here that you have a choice what you think. You also have the responsibility to what you choose to think about. Use this simple stress test in this verse to purge yourself of the negative thoughts that are constantly pulling you in the wrong direction.
