150125 Anxiety Versus Peace

Philippians 4:2-7  I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. ³ Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

⁴ 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.

Paul’s only command for the Philippians that seems to imply any problem is the encouragement of two women to agree in the Lord. Earlier he had said that all of the Philippians should complete his joy by being of the same mind. If these are the only problems the Philippian church had experienced it was indeed a pleasant fellowship. We don’t know who Paul’s “yokefellow”, or true companion, was. He probably was the pastor of the church. Paul had pleasant memories of those who labored side-by-side with him in the gospel. He was encouraged to believe that their names were in the book of life. Paul encourages them to…

Rejoice in the Lord always. Turn with me to James 1:2-4. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

This is a difficult passage as it talks about rejoicing when we meet trials. We are not naturally taught to be happy with difficulties that come into our lives. In fact most of us were raised to be very upset when we meet trials and difficulties. Paul had written to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord”. And in that phrase gives us the secret of dealing with anxiety. We need to learn how to trust God! We have placed our faith in him for salvation and yet can’t seem to rest on him for the every day difficulties of life. It is, “in the Lord” that we can rejoice. It is not, “in the trials and troubles” we rejoice. In fact, it is in spite of the conflicts, trials and troubles of life that we are allowed to rejoice. Remember always that everything that comes into our life serves a purpose in God’s plan. So that testing our faith produces steadiness leading to being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The difficulties of life, when handled by faith, give us a steadiness and maturity which leads us to hope that does not shame us. Such an attitude of rejoicing in all things allows us to recognize God’s love that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:3-5) Not only are we to rejoice in the Lord always we are to also…

Practice gentle patience. Turn with me to Ephesians 4:1-3. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Letting our reasonableness be known to everyone is a matter of living out the calling to which we have been called. The Christian life should be marked with humility, gentleness, and patience. The kind of patience a child of God has enables us to bear with one another in love. Obviously, the words, “bear with”, implies we may not be completely happy about the situation. However, when we recognize the presence of Holy Spirit in our life we can allow God to take care of every conflict allowing us to practice gentle patience because we are resting on him not ourselves. When we do this we are able to…

Reject anxiety. Turn with me to these words from the sermon on the Mount located in Matthew 6:25-34. “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.

Paul’s command to the Philippians to, “not be anxious about anything,” is very hard to obey. Anxiety seems to be written into the script for most people lives. We turn to Jesus’ sermon on the Mount and find him asking some serious questions. Isn’t your life worth more than food? Isn’t your body more than clothing? Are you not more valuable than the birds of the air? Can your anxiety add a single hour to your life? Why should you be anxious about clothing? We should not be saying, “What shall we eat? What shall we drink? Or what shall we wear?” Instead, we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we will seek first the kingdom of God, we will have all the things that we need provided to us by our God. So long as we have the right attitude of faith God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

When we consider Jesus’ questions they really boil down to: do we really have faith in God? Will he really meet all our needs? Can we trust God to know what our needs really are? And in every case Jesus answers, “Of course you can!” We must remember that the Lord is at hand! He is not out of touch with our lives.

Jesus himself said that he would be with us always even to the end of the age! He also said that wherever two or three are gathered in his name he would be with them. Now that’s an encouragement for prayer meeting!

If we believe that he is always with us, and that he cares for us, we are able to rest in his assurances. No matter what the animal activists say we are more important than the birds of the air and our Father feeds them. Our being clothed is more important than the lilies of the field that God cares for. Knowing that he will take care of us we must simply, in time of need…

Turn to prayer. Turn with me to Paul’s words to Timothy found in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The words to the Philippians were not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication — with thanksgiving – let our requests be made known to God! Paul writes to Timothy and says that supplication, prayer, intercession, and thanksgiving, are to be made for “all people” beginning with our rulers and continuing through all people. The consequence of such a life of prayer is peace and quiet! A life that is godly and dignified in every way! We are able to be anxious for nothing because we have a God that we can go to in prayer knowing that he hears us and will meet our needs according to his riches not according to our wants.

Remember, the Lord is at hand! Jesus said that he would be with us to the very end of the age! If he is here, and he surely is, we do not have to fear anything. There is a video on YouTube that shows a bear cub being chased by a mountain lion. The lion clearly has the upper hand and the cub hurries along a mountain stream being tracked by the lion. Just as it seems there is no hope for the little cub suddenly the lion stops and is obviously very hesitant then slowly turns away! Then the camera angle changes and there on the edge of the stream is mama grizzly bear moving towards the scene.

In exactly the same way our enemy, who is a roaring lion, chases us with the intention of destroying us. Like the little bear cub we do not have the ability to defend ourselves. But we do have a God who cares about us! Whenever our enemy’s attacks push us towards anxiety our God will protect us. Isaiah assures us that “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19 KJV)

We may rejoice in the Lord always and be at peace with everyone because the Lord is at hand and we do not have to be anxious about anything. We can do these things…

And enjoy the peace of God. Turn with me to Colossians 3:12-15. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

There is a lot going on in this passage! Those who come to Christ by faith are God’s chosen ones and have the privilege and the ability to change their lives. We are able to put on hearts of compassion. We are able to be humble and meek with patience. We are able to bear with one another! And if we ever do have a complaint against another we are able to forgive just as the Lord forgave us! As God’s chosen people we are able to put on love as a binding around everything else in our lives. And then, above everything else, we have the ability to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. We must remember that a command to “let” anything in our life affirms our ability to do so. We can allow, by choice, the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts! This is not something that “just happens” it is part of the fruit on the Spirit. The Spirit bears his fruit in our life. That fruit is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) This is not a list of things that we produce by our own efforts. This fruit is the result of the life of God in us. If we live in step with the Spirit these qualities will be manifest in our life replacing all our anxiety. The peace that passes understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

We sometimes forget, or never knew, that we really can have control over anxiety. Peace is not just the absence of conflict. Biblical peace is a state of security, safety, prosperity and happiness. The Greek word used here even has a medical meaning. The Greek word for peace might mean, “binding up that which is broken so it can heal”. Many times in our lives we have the opportunity to choose to let things heal. The peace that is given to us by the God of peace allows us to enter into a period of rest in our lives. Anxiety, on the other hand, takes away our rest and robs us of peace. Since we have put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we can have the ability to put aside anxiety and wait on the Lord in every situation. We are to be at peace in all parts of our life because we have a God who will care for us in everything. If you have never come to the place where you have fully trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ I encourage you to do so today! Today can be, for you, the day of salvation. Trust in the Lord He will care for you.

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

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.