As Pastor Greg Laurie writes, “Contentment doesn’t come from what you have, but who you know. God’s promises keep our fear, anxiety, and worry in check. It’s only through Christ, that we can face life’s challenges with confidence knowing that He is not only the light at the end of the tunnel, He is also there with us in the tunnel.”-–Courtesy of Greg Laurie
Make your concerns known to God ‘Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance…by prayer…make your wants known to God.’ Philippians 4:6 AMPC.
Anxiety is the curse of the modern era, but it’s not a new trend. Throughout Scripture, Jesus talked a lot about anxiety, stress, and fear. In fact, He mentioned them repeatedly in His teachings.
In Matthew 6:25–27, He said, ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or…what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?’ (NIV). Now, Jesus didn’t say these words just to relieve our fears and worries. What He was doing was commanding us not to be anxious because it demonstrates a lack of faith in God’s faithfulness to us. Paul writes: ‘Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition…with thanksgiving…make your wants known to God. And God’s peace…which transcends all understanding shall garrison…your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6–7 AMPC). Instead of letting fear and anxiety control you, you can have peace by bringing your worries to God in prayer, thanking Him by faith for the answer, and trusting Him to work things out as only He can. So, what are you going to do? Worry and fret, or pray and have peace? The choice is yours. Courtesy of Vision Christian Media
God’s answer to anxiety.
‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.’ Isaiah 26:3KJV
Dr. D. James Kennedy wrote: ‘A proper epitaph for most people…today would be “Hurried, worried, buried”…Many times we wish we could wash our hands of all our responsibilities and worries. The executive of one small company decided he would. Even though his company was headed for bankruptcy, he decided to quit worrying about it.
So [he] called in his first vice-president and said, “I have had it with worrying about this company. If you’ll take over and handle all my worrying for me, I’ll add $50,000 to your salary.” Startled and perplexed by this generous offer (and knowing the financial condition of the company), the vice-president asked, “But where are you going to get an extra $50,000?” The boss replied, “That’s your first worry!” William Gladstone, one of England’s greatest prime ministers, was a fine Christian man who served the Lord. On the wall of his bedroom hung a plaque embroidered with this text: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” It was the first thing Gladstone saw when he awoke in the morning and the last thing he saw before retiring at night. There is the secret of peace! We can have this peace because we know that the One upon whom we’ve stayed our minds is the One who works all things together for our good. Is the frantic pace of modern life robbing you of peace today? If so, slow down and refocus on the Lord. Realise He’s with you and He’s in control no matter what comes your way. Stay your mind on Him and let Him grant you His peace. Courtesy of the Word for Today.
