Anxiety robs us of our peace and
joy, spawns other negative emotions and adversely affects our physical health.
It is a "killer". God has a tip for us to use to receive freedom from
anxiety.
He advises us not to allow
anxiety to enter our soul on any level (Philippians 4:6). He shows us the
futility of worry by pointing out that anxiety cannot change anything anyway (Matthew
6:27). Then He tells us a secret.
We can avoid these debilitating,
negative emotions. The first step is to continually rejoice in the love of the
Lord and to realize that He has His best in store for us regardless of our circumstances
(Philippians 4:4).
When we realize that the Lord is
near to us, even dwelling in our spirit within, we walk in gentleness and peace
(Philippians 4:5). We lift up every concern to God in prayer.
In faith, we thank God for dealing with the
issue before we ever see the first sign of evidence that He cares
about our immediate problem. We lay out our burdens and leave them in His
capable hands (1 Peter 5:7).
He gives us the wisdom to know
how to deal with the issues of our self, or the courage to leave them for Him to
resolve in His way and time. He may just give us grace instead of resolution, the
way He did Saul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthian 12:9).
When we compare our distress with
the weightier matters of life, or the reality of eternity, we may see our
anxiety evaporate before our eyes. The magnitude of eternity's reality erases most
concerns from our troubled soul (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
God provides for the birds and
flowers of the field; and He cares about us so much more, because we are made
in His image. As we make His Kingdom our priority, He works out everything else
for our good (Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:28).
Prayer:
Father God, draw us close to You
and never let us go. Remind us of Your saving grace throughout our lifetime and
build up our faith with this continual evidence of Your goodness and provision
for us. Flood our soul with a waterfall of Your love and allow it to vanquish
our fears (1 John 4:18).
The fruit of Your Spirit replaces
our carnal nature and we find it easier to walk in Your Spirit and to trust in
Your goodness rather than to fear the future. Remind us to ignore Satan's lies
and our negative self-talk, which pull us away from faith in Your faithfulness.
Thank You for giving us Your freedom from anxiety concerning the temporal
issues of this life.
Thought for the Day:
Consumed with worry, we cannot
enter and remain in God's rest; yet, if we walk in the center of God's will, we
abide in the happiest place on earth. - Hebrews 4:10-11
