Sometimes we think that civilization is progressing, but with even a cursory review, we find that it is not. With all the advances we have made in society, there is more anxiety now than ever before. The heaviest burden there is to carry is the weight of an anxious thought.
You only have to carry the burdens you refuse to give to the Lord. Live your life “casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]” (1 Peter 5:7 AMP).
We don’t have to be anxious, but we often are. The circumstances in our lives will start to build up around us and make us feel anxious. Most often, anxiety increases more as we worry more about things, even before they happen. We worry about the “what if” more than the “what is.”
You drink a gallon of news and perhaps a teaspoon of the Word, and then you wonder why you’re anxious. “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8 NIV).
As a pagan, there is much to worry about because you are on your own, there is never enough, and the end of life is only doom. But as a believer, we are supposed to have a different life to live in. Scripture tells us, “Do not be anxious” (Philippians 4:6 NASB), but most of us are still anxious.
Anxiousness can only be found far from God. “But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me; I have made the Lord God my refuge, so that I may tell of all Your works” (Psalm 73:28 NASB).
Some of us transfer our anxiousness from the pagan life right into our Christian life and don’t think a thing about it. We say that the Lord has us, but we still worry as if He does not. This is not the life Christ wants for you. He wants you to believe the Word of God.
The more you believe, the less you will worry. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises” (Romans 15:13 AMP).
The Word of God says, “Do not be anxious” (Philippians 4:6 NASB), and we try to make exceptions to this rule. But the Word of God will not budge, and so it is we who need to move from our position. If we would dare to do as the Word tells us to do, our lives would be turned upside down.
It is by prayer that we can trade our anxieties for the Lord’s peace. “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).
The Word says to just tell God what you need, and then it is up to you to trust Him that He heard you. The Lord will always answer your prayers in the perfect way, at the perfect time, and all you need do is trust Him. The proof you trust Him is the peace that you have.
If you trust the Lord, commit the things you worry about into His hands. The proof of trusting is in your peace. “He [King Hezekiah] trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him” (2 Kings 18:5 NKJV).
You can live a life free from all anxiety. You think that you cannot do that on your own, and you are right. You need the Lord to help. Ask God to help you trust Him with your every worry. Sometimes we don’t get His help only because we never asked for it.
You’d be surprised what God will do if only you would ask Him. Jesus taught, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NLT).
You can get to a point in your faith journey where you are not anxious about things that, in all fairness, by the world’s standards you should be anxious. But when you are operating in the spiritual power from heaven, the world’s standards no longer have a hold on you.
Living worry-free doesn’t mean your life is without problems, only that you’ve given them to God. “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel” (Philippians 4:6-7 CEV).
The worst thing that can happen to you today is that you will go to heaven. Interestingly enough, that is also the best thing that could happen to you. By this measure, knowing that you are safely held in the Father’s hands, you no longer have to be anxious.
Look forward to heaven more than fear the things in between. “But we are looking forward to God’s promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness” (2 Peter 3:13 Living Bible).
As a Christian, you only have to be anxious if you want to be. The Word of God has told you what you must do, which is to simply present your worries to God. So what are you going to do? My prayer is that you will tell Him all your troubles and then trust that He will help you.
The more you pray, the less you’ll worry. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius
Thank you for the morning encouragement!
You are most welcome!