Follow After These, Romans 14:17, 19

¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

     Throughout His ministry here on earth, Jesus taught us to keep our eyes focused on God and on heavenly things, not on the things of the earth. He taught that we should first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and that all the things we are in need of on earth will be provided for us by God. And now Paul reminds the Romans that the kingdom of God is not meat nor drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy. He goes on to say that we should therefore follow after the things that make for peace and the edification of others.

     To follow after things that make for peace, that make for edifying others, is not a passive act, rather, it is an act of the will and of determination. One has to consciously decide that they are not going to pursue the things of the flesh, the things of this world, but that they are going to devote their time and energy into following after those things which bring peace and edification for others.
     Such things that would bring peace and edification are praise reports-- that is, sharing the wonderful things God has done in your life with others around you. Praying for others and comforting them in their times of need will bring edification. Speaking the word of God to one another builds us up as well as those around us, and singing songs to the Lord strengthens and edifies as well. Things that point people to the kingdom of God are things that make for peace and edification.
     The things that do not make for peace and do not edify are things that do not point to God, but rather point to things here on earth. When we dwell on ourselves, on our circumstances, on our hurts and our problems, we are not building anyone up but are tearing down ourselves and burdening others around us. When we let ourself drown in our sorrows and sink deeper and deeper into depression and despair we are creating turmoil within our souls and stifling God's glorious peace...
     Don't do this! Follow after the things which make for peace and joy! Praise the Lord! Think on His kingdom and on His goodness! Make a conscious effort to redirect your mind! Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ-- don't just let any old thought run amok in your head and wear you down. Put on the full armor of God! It is a matter of the will to fight off the attacks of the enemy and even the attacks that come from our own minds. Don't let Satan use your own mind against you, but use your mind for the glory of God! Philippians 4:8 says,

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is anything of virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things."

     When you are tempted to think about your problems, stop and give that thought to the Lord. Think of His word and what it says to do in that situation. Refocus your mind on those things which are true-- and "what if" and "maybe" thoughts are not true. Truth is reality. If it's not reality, it's not truth. If it's a maybe, it hasn't happened, is not reality, and therefore not truth. We are not to meditate on things that are not true! It will only hurt us and cause our brains to become cluttered with unbeneficial thoughts that don't lead to peace and don't edify. Think of what is pure and true, praiseworthy and virtuous: Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord for all His goodness.

     We will all go through times of doubt, times of discouragement, times of fear, and times of depression. But God would not have us sit and stew in our emotions and sink deeper and deeper into despair; that is the work of the enemy, for it is then that we become ineffective for the kingdom of God. Get your eyes off yourself and back on Jesus-- die to self and be raised in Christ to the glory of God. It is for His pleasure we were created, and it does not pleasure Him to watch us become miserable. When temptation strikes and your mind is bombarded with doubts and worries and fears, just stop those thoughts right in their tracks and don't even let them take root. Hand them over to Jesus and praise God for His wonderous mercies!