Can you trust your instinct?

Today, we’re concluding our series on overcoming worry based on Philippians 4:6-7.

Now that worry has lost its power, the final step is to make sure your heart and mind are guarded.

The closing part of our verse of the week tells us that Jesus provides the peace to do so:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then 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 4:6-7 NLT

But why is it so important that your heart and mind are guarded? Proverbs provides insight:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23 NIV

Unlike God’s faithfulness, love and goodness–which are vast and unshakable–our own hearts and minds are not nearly as reliable.

Our thoughts and especially our emotions can deceive us.

What might seem like a good idea when we’re hurt, angry or excited might seem like lunacy to someone who’s thinking more clearly. Fears can make us act irrationally, and some people base their entire lives on beliefs we know to be wrong.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

The world might tell you to trust your gut, your heart, your feelings, your instinct or your sixth sense… But I’m here to remind you: trust in the Lord instead!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Guard your heart and your mind, give all your worries to the Lord and receive the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Hey! You are a Chamatkar.*

Jenny Mendes

P.S. This is the final day of this plan. The texts from this reading plan come from the daily email subscription Chamatkar* Every Day. If you'd like to receive a daily encouraging email, I invite you to subscribe here.

*Chamatkar means Miracle