Dealing with Anxiety

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

Anxiety is defined as a universal experience in which one anticipates nonexistent dangers in the future and helplessly dwells on how to reduce them. We learn from the medical profession that anxiety produces anything from ulcers to chronic feelings of unhappiness.

Worry and anxiety are the plight of those without Christ. As children of God, we know that God loves us as a Father and is in control of our lives. We know that God has promised to meet our needs. We also know that it is useless to worry or to be anxious about anything.

In Philippians 4:6, Paul teaches us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Learning to worry less is undergirded by a developing, daily walk with God (Heb. 13.6).

“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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7