key ingredient to beating anxiety... three

...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:3

crown of beauty...

oil of joy...

garment of praise...

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.

The next key ingredient to beating anxiety is praise! Praising the Lord is a unique and powerful way that can bring about happiness and peace. Praising God is something that King David always did; Paul also wrote to the churches and encouraged believers to give thanks or pray for the the Lord always.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:6

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

We see Paul exhort believers to rejoice, give thanks, praise and sing songs to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we see Paul repeat himself to rejoice. Other verses where Paul tells us to rejoice include (and are not limited to) Ephesians 5:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and Philippians 4:8.

First and foremost we are to praise God because it is showing our love and service to Him. We are able to let Him know how amazing He is and how thankful we are for His compassion, kindness and love for us. But I also believe that praising God chases away all of our worries. When we praise God our minds are focused on praise and not worry. In fact the enemy and evil flee at the sound of rejoicing. It is a way to resist the evil one and pursue God wholeheartedly. (James 4:7)

God can also speak to us during praise. How amazing is it that God chooses to speak to us while we are praising Him!

So remember to praise God; even when our natural inclination is to grumble or complain, choose instead to praise. If you replace praising God every time you feel like complaining or worrying then only good things can come. It's not always easy and it may seem to have no effect at first; but its more effective than we can fathom! It's a way to give our thanks to Father God.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen