Anxiety seems almost inevitable when you consider all of the covid variants, mask mandates, vaccine debates, the Afghanistan debacle, the tragedy in Haiti, and the general political and social unrest that our country is experiencing. When you couple these things with the focusing of our attention on the daily struggles that are unique to our situation then it is no wonder why we end up being stressed, anxious, and tired. So, are we helpless and doomed to suffer at the hands of our own emotional state? Is our only course of action to accept our issues and do our best to cope? God did not leave us helpless, and in fact, He left for us a potent cure for the anxiety problem we are experiencing today. Let’s take a look at God’s cure for anxiety:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.—Philippians 4:6–8 NKJV
“Be anxious for nothing”—this is not a suggestion. This is not on Jesus’ “21 steps for living a better life.” He did not say, “do your best not to be anxious,” or “try to be free from anxiety.” He said, “Don’t Be Anxious”! This is a directive, a command, a decree of God. DO NOT BE ANXIOUS! God has never told us to try to do anything. He knows what we can do. He knows what we can’t do. So, if He says to do something, then that means you are fully capable to do it. We buy into the false narrative put on by the world that we are helpless to anxiety. The world, the unsaved man or woman, is helpless to overcome anxiety, and satan wants to convince you, through them, that you are too. This is not the case. Jesus said:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 NIV
Jesus left us with the same peace that He walked in—a peace that surpasses all human understanding. A peace that keeps you free, happy, and secure in the midst of life's greatest difficulties. Even this peace, the tranquility derived from heaven, has a command attached to it:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Again, this is not a suggestion. It is a command. The peace that passes all understanding is conditional on a simple choice not to let our hearts be troubled and afraid by what we see and hear. There is a battle associated with entering into peace or staying in peace. Yet, we’d rather let our thoughts and emotions control us instead of us controlling them. We’d rather play the victim in our lives and seek ways to cope with our unhealthy thought life instead of changing it. We’d rather medicate our weakness instead of meditate on God's strength. After all, if it is not our fault for having an unhealthy thought-life, then it can't be our responsibility to fix it…
The key to overcoming anxiety resides in the verse Philippians 4:6–8:
Prayer:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
Thanksgiving:
with thanksgiving,
Request God's help:
let your requests be made known to God;
Then what happens as a result?
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And finally, what keeps us in that perfect peace?
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
We are to pray, give thanks, request God's help, and control our thought life. Prayer connects you to the Source of all hope and power. Any and every situation holds no sway over the King of kings. He supersedes every authority. So then, anxiety is evidenced by our out of touch estimation of the problem in comparison to the magnitude and awesomeness of our Father God. When anxiety attacks, quiet your soul with praying. Talk to God. He is your Father. He loves you and will help you. There is comfort in His arms. Whatever is causing you anxiety in your life is no match for God.
The second thing you do to remove anxiety from your life is being thankful. Thanksgiving
comes on in many forms. The most prevalent way is praise and worship. It’s hard to feel anxious when you pour out your love before the Father while praising and worshiping Him. When you are caught up in His presence, all problems seem to melt away. Thanksgiving can also come out as an expression of faith; you can laugh at the thing that is causing anxiety. Laugh out loud and begin to thank God for His joy, even when you have feelings to the contrary.
Thirdly, “supplications,” or requests, are simply asking God to help. This is a part of prayer but not the only part. Prayer is communion with God, and too many times, people think that asking God for help is all prayer is. The moment you begin praying, don't ask God for something, praise God for something. Set the tone with thanksgiving. Then talk to Him, as you would to a friend. Then bring your issues before the Lord. It is less about a ritual or formula on how to pray, and it is more like applying common sense for how to have a conversation or relationship with someone to prayer. Once you let God know what you need help with, anxiety gives way to His peace which surpasses all understanding. And you garrison a wall around your heart and mind with that peace through Christ.
Lastly, it is up to us to stay in the peace that God has given us. You should not feel convicted or like a lesser Christian if you battle anxiety. Anxiety, however, is a defeated foe, and you should not yield or succumb to it on a daily basis. If you take medicine for it, continue to do so, but begin to take God's medicine with it. Begin to monitor what you are spending your time thinking about. The Bible lets us know what to think on:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
You cannot meditate on the problems and issues of life all the time and wonder why you are always battling anxiety. You have to replace those worried, fearful, and anxious thoughts with God's thoughts expressed through His written Word: the Bible. Refocus your thoughts on how big God is instead of how big the issues are. Trust God to take care of you, even when things look bleak. Lean on His help when your needs are dire. Victory over anxiety is ultimately up to your choices—not your genetics or your environment. Choose Peace.
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