Anxious About?

Anxiety, it just sounds like a troublesome word. It is defined with some sobering words which I believe are accurate which I think you will agree with. An abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs such as tension, increased heart or pulse rates, uneasiness, by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat or issue at hand, and by self- doubt about one's capacity to cope with it. It looks like a case of hopelessness where it looks like the situation has no answers or possibility of being solved. We all have had to deal and reckon with such situations in our walks upon earth.

 Doubt, fear uneasiness, have held us all captive at one time or another. How do we have confidence that we can handle, and find our way thru the next puzzling providence that comes our way and handle it better than we did the last one? One thing I do know is, trust will issue in much more success as that trust in Someone is increased. For the natural man is in the world without God and without hope,(Eph.2:12) It is all about truth, and if we know the truth we will have success in trusting what that truth is, having understood where that truth comes from.

" When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth."(John 16:13) "Jesus has come into the world to testify to the truth."(John 18:37) "Jesus is the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14). One of the best- known verses in all the Bible start with this word "trust"; do you know which one? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."(Pro.3:5,6)  Trusting is found in a person, the Lord, and figuring it all out is not ours to do, but knowing this and these promises I will share now will bring us thru all these perplexing providences of our Lord. All of them, ultimately to conform us more into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.

The favorite verse of promises for me, and maybe you is, Isa.41:10, "Do not fear for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." What a massive rock of truth is that to stand on!

Do you fear your ministry is useless or empty? Isa. 55:11, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth, It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the manner for which I sent it."

Do you fear making decisions about the future? Psalm 32:8,"I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go, I will counsel you with My eye upon you."

Do you fear the welfare of those you love? Math.7:11,"If you then, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him."

Do you fear about being sick? Psalm 34:19," Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Do you fear about getting old? "Isa.46:4, "Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you, I have done it, and I will carry you, And I will bear you and I will deliver you."

One more, do you fear about making shipwreck of the faith? Phil.1:6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until of Christ Jesus."

The Great Shepherd of the sheep has called out to His sheep, and His sheep have heard His voice; a stranger we will just not follow. His compassions on us are new every day, and they do not fail. Do we believe this, do we know this, do we trust this?

To close, we see our topical word anxiety in the New Testament only once, where is it, what does it say, and what can we gain from the statement it is in? The apostle Peter uses this word in 1Peter 5:7,"casting all your anxiety upon Him, (WHY), because He cares for you."

Keep on swimming, He will not allow you to drown!

God bless, Elder Randy Slak