HOW CAN I OVERCOME ANXIETY? By: Dr. Charles Stanley God did not design you to be anxious or nervous. In His Sermon on the mount, Jesus told the crowds, “Do not worry then, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or What will we wear for clothing?’…Do not worry about tomorrow” Matthew 6:31, 34. At some point, all of us have worried about the basics of life. Most of our anxieties involve fundamental things: where we live, what food we buy, what clothes to wear, what friends we have, and what others think about us. In all these concerns, the issue is one of faith and trust in God. Do we really believe that He will do what He has promised to do in His Word? If you assume that you are the one who is in charge of your life, then you will battle anxiety and fear. However, if you understand the ways of the Lord, then you will know that He is in charge and that the sovereign God of the universe cares for you. If you worry and doubt His goodness, you will never have the peace He wants you to experience. Do you take time to acknowledge Him as your Provider? Your answer has everything to do with your anxiety level. Have you ever watched a mouse running inside a wheel? The faster he runs, the faster the wheel moves—but he doesn’t make the slightest progress. He does not even have the sense to get off the wheel. This is exactly what anxiety does to you. As fearful thoughts fill your mind, you begin to run faster, trying harder to meet the demands of others or to prevent an uncertain disaster. But you will never gain complete control over your circumstances because God is the One who is solely in control of all things. There is only one way to step off the wheel and that is by acknowledging the Lord’s ability to take care of every need you have. God created you. He knows your needs and the deepest desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). He longs for you to end the anxiety cycle and let Him lead (Matthew 11:28). First Peter 5:6, 7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” The word “casting” is related to the Greek verb used in Luke 19:35, when on Palm Sunday the people of Jerusalem threw their garments onto a colt for Jesus to ride. The word describes the same motion: a deliberate action of setting something down and leaving it there. Jesus wants you to give your cares over to Him and leave them with Him. You depend on Him for life itself, and you acknowledge this by saying, “Here, Jesus. Take my problems. You have the answers! I trust You to show me what to do and to take care of the consequences.”
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 12:00:41 +0000
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