Therefore encourage one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Emotional regulation sounds clinical and mechanical, but it is a core ingredient in living a healthy life! Observe a baby, in the first twelve months they learn to manage anxious feelings with behavior like sucking their fingers or holding a special blanket. Given their overwhelming helplessness in the world, it is amazing they grab the reigns and self-soothe.
God knows what a distressful world His children inhabit. Spiritually speaking, no person is a match for the forces of darkness they are up against. The devil is called the accuser, slanderer, deceiver, evil one, enemy, and murderer. Since believers in Jesus are satan’s prime targets, they need to know how to receive His peace!
The apostle Paul writes to the believers in Thessalonica about how to soothe the anxiety that comes from living in a hostile environment. He concludes his admonition to live holy lives and support each other with instructions to all followers to firmly attach their hope to the promises of God yet to come. “The Lord will descend with a cry of command… then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
In the midst of today’s troubles, be soothed today by the knowledge that your security is found in the Lord, not in this world. Find comfort in the overcoming, victorious power of the resurrected and returning Christ. Rest secure in Him. Pray that America will remain a safe place for believers in Christ to exercise their faith.
Today’s Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: 1 Peter 5:6-10
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
