Exposing Anxiety

When God confronts the sin of anxiety in Philippians 4, his prescribed remedy helps to clearly diagnose the problem – especially in the lives of those who tend to downplay its repercussions and choose to think that worry is not that big of a deal. In Philippians 4:4-8 the Lord commands five things for those who are anxious and worried. He directs them to rejoice, to be reasonable, to remember Christ’s return, to pray, and to consistently ponder good things. Consider how God’s fix may in fact reveal the depth of one’s entanglement in this sin. If you rarely find yourself spontaneously “rejoicing” and your heart is running low on joy, then maybe you are more worried and anxious than you care to admit. If you can detect that your interaction with others is often less than reasonable, then maybe anxiety has found a home in your heart. If your mind doesn’t regularly turn to the victorious hope of Christ’s second coming, if your prayer life is lagging, and if your thoughts don’t persistently settle on what is honorable, pure and commendable, then it may be time to admit the root problem. As with any sin, recognizing it and confessing it is the first step. Then you can move on to thoughtfully and purposefully employ these five inspired correctives. God is more than ready to give us victory over this destructive sin and to “guard our hearts and minds” (Philippians 4:7) as we confess our sin and respond obediently to his instructions.

For more sermons and devotionals on Hard Truth, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org

Worry

Jesus regularly chided his disciples for their worry and anxiety. Worldly concerns about “what bad things might happen to us” are not befitting for followers of Christ. The ultimate and eternal dangers, in our case, have been solved and settled by God’s grace and Christ’s finished work. Our relationship with him is unaffected by the hazards, risks or perils which lie around the next bend in life. After all, as Jesus often said, there is nothing that can be done about most things we tend to worry about. “And which of you by being anxious,” Christ asked, “can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26). God sovereignly holds tomorrow’s pains and pleasures, failures and victories in his omnipotent hand. Of course God wants us fully engaged in life – but it’s the life right now he wants us focused on, not the potential “what ifs” that lie ahead (Matthew 6:34). So exercise your faith in a powerful God who sits enthroned over your future. Trust him, and let the hourly use of your faith drive out any anxiety concerning tomorrow.