140713 Overcoming Anxiety

Matthew 6:24-34 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

One of the greatest problems in the church today, indeed in the world today, is the problem of anxiety. Don’t think that I am immune because I certainly am not! Worry is common to almost everyone and it often leads to a lengthened time of anxiety. Jesus begins this passage with a simple statement: No one can serve two masters. For an example he gives us these words. You cannot serve God and money. The word translated “money” can mean possessions or the material world around us. Since it is true that no one can serve two masters, we need to see how to avoid trying to serve two masters. And the first step along the path is, do not be anxious…

Most people who suffer from anxiety, or worry, would – and do – say, “I don’t choose to be anxious. You just don’t understand.” Without recognizing it, we often do choose anxiety. Too often we simply slide into a worried, or anxious condition without fighting back. Folks, we need to argue with our own feelings and by an act of our will resist those negative feelings. We need to walk in the truths found in the Bible. That is exactly what Jesus taught. Any argument you have with what I am going to share with you is an argument against Jesus, not me. If I were you I wouldn’t go there. I just deliver the message! Don’t shoot the messenger. Let’s look at the arguments Jesus puts forth. You can use these same arguments against the rising clouds of worry, anxiety and fear.

First, deal with the day-to-day concerns most people have. Remember…

Your body is worth more than clothing and you are more valuable than the birds. Jesus referred to the same subject in Matthew 10:28-33. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus is sending his disciples out on their own. He has instructed them to proclaim the kingdom and demonstrate its power. He has warned them that they will face serious opposition. Opposition that will train them for the future when they are going to literally be alone, as far as Jesus’ physical presence is concerned. They are to expect to be like sheep in the midst of wolves. They will be opposed by members of their own families as well as the governing authorities. The same opposition Jesus faced will be theirs. Yet he tells them not to be anxious! They are not to be afraid. After all, our Father cares about the sparrows that men consider to be unimportant. We are much more valuable than they are.

When we sense the onslaught of anxiety we need to remind ourselves that we are more important than our clothing or our food. We need to fight back until our feelings are under the control of the facts. Remember, God clothes the grass of the field and the lilies of the field. He can take care of us. God feeds the birds of the air he surely will feed us. After all…

Anxiety is a waste of time.

The minute anxiety kicks in productivity begins to fall off. The more worried we become the more ineffective we are. As much as we want to solve our own problems, worry does not help. We need to reject worry, anxiety and fear. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need and in his own way, and in his own time he will provided it. Anxiety is just a waste of time and energy. Don’t fall into that trap! And when you do, immediately attack the problem with the truth. Remind yourself again, and again, that our Heavenly Father will take care of us and is guiding us in each thing that we do. After all, we have come to God in faith and accepted his grace. When properly applied…

FAITH brings peace. Take the words to heart that are found in Philippians 4:4-7. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This passage of Scripture does not say, “Rejoice in the Lord when things seem good.” It says, “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

Remember, the Lord is always at hand! He is always with us he will never forsake us. Therefore, we are able to not be anxious about anything. We can just rest in the Lord and allow him to guide us into all peace.

Faith can be made into an acrostic: Forsaking All I Trust Him!

Anxiety will drive you away from prayer and away from the promises of God. Anxiety is a tool of the devil designed to destroy our witness in the world. I struggle with anxiety as much as anyone else I believe. It’s almost as though I claim that I have the right to be anxious. I recognize that such anxiety in the presence of God is sin! I readily confess my sin and ask my Savior’s forgiveness.

When I feel anxiety arise I need to immediately turn to God in prayer and thanksgiving and then the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. A growing faith allows us to have a growing peace on a day-to-day basis. We need to remember that…

The creation is temporary – we are eternal. 2 Peter 3:8-13 tells us. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The things of this world are all temporary. It’s just “stuff” and will pass away. Our lives should be shaped by the fact that we live in a temporary world. We, humans, are eternal and will spend eternity either with Christ in heaven, or else in hell. After death we face either eternal peace and joy or eternal torment. That is the important fact that everyone has to face and not the material things that so often take up our thoughts. Jesus tells us that the Gentiles are concerned about all “these things”. It is very important that we separate ourselves from the “Gentiles” of this world because we are people of faith. Satan tries to destroy our faith by whispering in our ears words of concern and worry. Please remember…

We have a Father who knows what we need. Jesus was talking about our prayer life in Matthew 7:7-11  when He said. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

While the passage is primarily about prayer its premise is an antidote for anxiety. If human parents, who are fallible sinners, know how to give good gifts to their children how much more should we expect that our Father in heaven will take care of us? We have a father who knows what our needs are and will provide them in his own way and his own time. We must remember that our first concern should be…

Not anxiety but the kingdom! Jesus assures us that if we will, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things will be added to us.” “All these things” represent the food and clothing and material “stuff” that we worry about. “All these things” also represent our health. Of course we should do things that will make our health better but we literally do not have control over that. That’s why they call medicine “Practice”. Only God knows our real physical needs and if we will surrender ourselves to his direction he will guide us into the peace that passes understanding.

We are to seek first the kingdom of God and then allow him to direct us to the things that we really need. We must live our lives day-to-day because…

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. We need to live each day to the full. Jesus came to give us life and that life is abundant! Anxiety eats up our time, and saps our energy. Tomorrow will have enough trouble of its own. We are to live one day at a time resting in the Lord. We need to follow the counsel of the Word of God found in Psalms 37:5-7. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. ⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. ⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Day by day we are to trust in the Lord! We are to take what he has given us and allow it to be “enough”. That doesn’t mean we should never have any ambition for improvement. It simply means we are not to be anxious about things around us. We are not to be frustrated by the way others appear to prosper.

The one thing we can be sure of, from Scripture, is that our God is an awesome God! Nothing is beyond his ability. He will work in our lives to give us everything we need for life and godliness. The way may be painful — or strewn with flowers! But the one thing we can be sure of is that he loves us and will support us through whatever we have to face in order to bring glory to him. Jesus glorified the Father by dying on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Through all of that pain and suffering Jesus defeated death and was raised to life promising us eternal life. If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. That’s his promise and we can rely on it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 gives peace that passes understanding!  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Have you called on Him? Is He your Lord?

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.