Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
-Philippians 4:8
A few months ago, I set a new habit for myself. I had read some material on how the brain stores and recalls information and the short story of what I read is this: the brain remembers the things we think about the most and sleep is the body’s natural way of pruning our thoughts. Here’s the kicker: the things we think about the most get to stay in the brain. The things we don’t think about get deleted.
Man, I love it when modern science catches up with Biblical truth.
The more we remind ourselves that God loves us, values us, sustains us, and will take care of us, the more these truths become embedded in our brain. And all the other, uh anxious, stuff just falls away.
I am an early riser. My quiet times have always been first thing in the morning. By bedtime, my brain turns to mush so I’ve never trusted myself to read the Bible, or do any other important task for that matter, after the sun goes down.
But as I was processing my diagnosis of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos and all the anxiety that came with it, I found that clinging to the Word of God at all times of the day was a dire necessity. At one point I even set a reminder on my phone to ring at the top of every hour from the moment I woke to the minute I closed my eyes. When the alarm rang, I prayed and read the Bible, even if it was just for a few minutes. It was truly the only thing that got me through those dark months.
I don’t have that hourly alarm ringing anymore, but I did keep the nightly habit of reading my Bible just before bedtime. It’s not as in-depth as my morning reading and sometimes I can only get a few verses in before my eyelids droop. But there is nothing as peaceful as falling asleep to God’s Word, His love letter to us.
What I found as I ended each day with Biblical truth, was that I woke up with it on my mind. So before I had even cracked open my Bible for the morning, God’s voice was already in my head. And boy, did this do wonders for my anxiety.
Today, for our fifteenth day of Battling Anxiety with Biblical Truth, I’m sharing free downloads for you to print and display. They are a sampling of some of our central Bible verses that we have been discussing throughout this month, and they are some of my favorite ones to read before bedtime. My only request is this: if you do choose to download and print them, display them on your nightstand. Hang them on the wall by your bed. Tuck them next to your pillow. Whatever you decide, display them to ensure they will be the last words you see before you close your eyes.
And rest well, warriors. Click on each image below to download your truth.
P.S. – Curious about that brain information I was reading? Brain research abounds, but you can start by reading here and here.
Until tomorrow, carry on warriors.
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