Do you find yourself feeling anxious most of the time? Well, in case you are uncertain about the word, below is a definition from the dictionary to make things clearer for you.
Anxiety
A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties.
As we can see here, anxiety has more to do with our fears concerning the future. Simply put, anxiety is all about those fearful "what ifs."
"What if I won't make it in time? What if I'll get sick? What if I'm never gonna get married? What if I'm gonna lose all my money? What if I won't get accepted in the program? What if he/she won't like me? What if I fail? What if it's too late? What if... What if... What if...?"
Clearer? Yup, that's right. Anxiety comes from that bundle of fear we've got tucked up in our minds. They' re all right there sticking close to our hopes and dreams about the future. In other words, where there is hope and ambition, anxiety isn't far behind.
See, for everything and anything that you and I are hoping for right now, whether it be in the area of ones career or personal life, there will always be something in this world that would cause one to be apprehensive about them.
Call it a goal. Call it an ambition. Call it a sense of purpose. Whatever it is, it's what's driving you to live on everyday. And when that is threatened, for most people the panic button gets turned on. Sleepless nights begin to invade us. We get restless and moody during the daytime. We end up either eating or drinking too much or not at all. We begin to make bad judgments about everything. And sooner than we think we begin to feel that we just can't do anything right anymore. We begin to see our whole lives falling apart before our very eyes. We end up fearing anything that has to do with hope. In fact, for some people, hope brings nothing more than pain.
This is sad. More than that, it's paralyzing. Very few people really get to recover from this advanced state of anxiety. And to think of it, it's all in our minds.
Time and time again we find in the Bible a constant reminder by God about guarding our hearts and minds from the enemy's cunning. The reason for this is obvious. Being our creator, God knows what fear can do to His people. In fact, we find armies in the Bible that were conquered simply through psychological warfare. It didn't matter how massive the arsenal was of the opposing forces. The very instance fear struck them, the only strength that remained was spent on escape.
In other times, anxiety would be the cause of sin. Take the example of the Israelites during the time Moses sent people to spy out the land that the Lord had already promised to give them. Upon their return this was the news that they brought back to the rest of the people.
So they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there... We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we...There we saw giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." - Numbers 13:26-33 (NKJV)
The hope of the entire journey of the Israelites at that time was this land "flowing with milk and honey." Did they arrive? Yes. However, anxiety soon struck them upon seeing the inhabitants that were their. Thoughts began to corrupt the peoples minds upon hearing the anxious words of some that came back from examining the land.
"...we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
This soon led most of the Israelites to murmur against the Lord.
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in the wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword , that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" - Numbers 14:1-3 (NKJV)
Hope melted away and was turned to anxiety, all in the account of the bad news that they had heard. They soon forgot about the might and promise of God. They began to murmur against Him and turned their hearts away from the blessed hope that was promised to them.
Friends, we need to overcome our anxieties before they overcome us. And there is a better way than just taking pills or engaging in activities that help us to forget about the things that you and I will constantly be thinking about. The solution is found in Christ Jesus. It is found in the peace and assurance that He pours down upon us when we present to Him our case. The Bible tells us,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7(NKJV)
He will guard our minds and hearts. He will pour down peace and assurance upon us which surpasses all understanding. All that you and I have to do is pray.
Just talk to Him. Tell Him how you feel. And trust Him to carry you through with thanksgiving in your heart.
Pray. And you will overcome your anxieties with God's peace.
Anxiety
A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties.
As we can see here, anxiety has more to do with our fears concerning the future. Simply put, anxiety is all about those fearful "what ifs."
"What if I won't make it in time? What if I'll get sick? What if I'm never gonna get married? What if I'm gonna lose all my money? What if I won't get accepted in the program? What if he/she won't like me? What if I fail? What if it's too late? What if... What if... What if...?"
Clearer? Yup, that's right. Anxiety comes from that bundle of fear we've got tucked up in our minds. They' re all right there sticking close to our hopes and dreams about the future. In other words, where there is hope and ambition, anxiety isn't far behind.
See, for everything and anything that you and I are hoping for right now, whether it be in the area of ones career or personal life, there will always be something in this world that would cause one to be apprehensive about them.
Call it a goal. Call it an ambition. Call it a sense of purpose. Whatever it is, it's what's driving you to live on everyday. And when that is threatened, for most people the panic button gets turned on. Sleepless nights begin to invade us. We get restless and moody during the daytime. We end up either eating or drinking too much or not at all. We begin to make bad judgments about everything. And sooner than we think we begin to feel that we just can't do anything right anymore. We begin to see our whole lives falling apart before our very eyes. We end up fearing anything that has to do with hope. In fact, for some people, hope brings nothing more than pain.
This is sad. More than that, it's paralyzing. Very few people really get to recover from this advanced state of anxiety. And to think of it, it's all in our minds.
Time and time again we find in the Bible a constant reminder by God about guarding our hearts and minds from the enemy's cunning. The reason for this is obvious. Being our creator, God knows what fear can do to His people. In fact, we find armies in the Bible that were conquered simply through psychological warfare. It didn't matter how massive the arsenal was of the opposing forces. The very instance fear struck them, the only strength that remained was spent on escape.
In other times, anxiety would be the cause of sin. Take the example of the Israelites during the time Moses sent people to spy out the land that the Lord had already promised to give them. Upon their return this was the news that they brought back to the rest of the people.
So they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there... We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we...There we saw giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." - Numbers 13:26-33 (NKJV)
The hope of the entire journey of the Israelites at that time was this land "flowing with milk and honey." Did they arrive? Yes. However, anxiety soon struck them upon seeing the inhabitants that were their. Thoughts began to corrupt the peoples minds upon hearing the anxious words of some that came back from examining the land.
"...we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
This soon led most of the Israelites to murmur against the Lord.
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in the wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword , that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" - Numbers 14:1-3 (NKJV)
Hope melted away and was turned to anxiety, all in the account of the bad news that they had heard. They soon forgot about the might and promise of God. They began to murmur against Him and turned their hearts away from the blessed hope that was promised to them.
Friends, we need to overcome our anxieties before they overcome us. And there is a better way than just taking pills or engaging in activities that help us to forget about the things that you and I will constantly be thinking about. The solution is found in Christ Jesus. It is found in the peace and assurance that He pours down upon us when we present to Him our case. The Bible tells us,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7(NKJV)
He will guard our minds and hearts. He will pour down peace and assurance upon us which surpasses all understanding. All that you and I have to do is pray.
Just talk to Him. Tell Him how you feel. And trust Him to carry you through with thanksgiving in your heart.
Pray. And you will overcome your anxieties with God's peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment