Anxiety is one of the major causes of sickness in our world today. An anxious heart bears one down. Most often we are anxious over something which is in our imagination and may never come to pass. We are anxious about our job security, finances, future of our children etc. We fail to realize that source of all these is the Lord, and in Him we can be secure. We need to trust that “God will meet all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.( Philippians 4:19) When we are anxious we cannot think clearly, we tend to get frustrated, venting our helplessness in anger on those around us, leading to more vexation. It becomes a vicious cycle. We make ourselves and those around us distressed and unhappy.
So, what is the antidote for anxiety? God has given us the
perfect remedy in His Word to us in (John
14:27)
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
Our God wants us to be CALM instead of being anxious. I came across below reflection,written by Christian author Max Lucado in his book Anxious For Nothing.
C – Celebrate God’s goodness – Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4).
A – Ask God for help – Let your request be made known to God (Philippians 4:6)
L – Leave your concerns with Him – With Thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6)
M – Meditate on good things- Think about things that are good and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8)
C –
Celebrate God’s goodness – Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4).
When we are anxious, direct
our thoughts away from our troubles and focus on God’s goodness. Give thanks
for all He has done for us and praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness. When we focus on God’s character, we often find that our troubles seem
to diminish and does not have the dominating power as before, enabling us to reflect more clearly about our situation.
A –
Ask God for help – Let your request be made known to God (Philippians 4:6)
The best person to handle
our problems is God. When we are anxious, pray and ask for God’s help.
Surrender everything to Him. Admit our helplessness and put our trust
in Him. When we place our burdens of troubles and cares on His shoulders, we will be at peace believing that God
will work out every situation for our good.
L –
Leave your concerns with Him – With Thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6)
Thank God that He is in control of our situation and will be faithful as He has always been. Once we have surrendered our anxieties in to His hands, do not worry about it. Believe firmly that now it is God’s concern and He will do the needful. Whenever we feel anxious again, pause a moment and thank God that He is working out His best plan for us.
M –
Meditate on good things- Think about things that are good and worthy of praise
(Philippians 4:8)
Paul instructs us in Philippians 4:6-7 , "Be anxious about 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". Once we have prayed and made our requests known to God, direct our thoughts away
from our problems and circumstances, and meditate on whatever is true,
honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there be any virtue and whatever
is praiseworthy, as written in Philippians 4:8. We cannot control our
circumstances, but we can control our thoughts. Consciously by our will, we can choose to think positively about God's faithfulness in our past, thank God for His care and protection, and let His peace rule our hearts.
Whenever we are worried or
anxious, place our burdens and difficulties at the feet of our Lord. Continue
to focus on His goodness, praise and thank Him and
trust that He will deliver us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Nothing beyond His control will ever happen in our life. Whatever situation we
might be facing, He is bigger and mightier than all our challenges. Trust Him
to handle each and every circumstance and problems in our life. We will be
surprised at the way all things work out for our good finally as He has
promised us in Romans 8:28.
Finally, dear friends, God
will never give us any burden which we cannot bear. If we are facing trials, he
will give us the strength to endure and will deliver us as we submit to Him and
trust in His providence.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. ( In Greek the word temptation also means testing – NIV)
1 Corinthians 10:13
From today, let us live our lives replacing anxiousness with CALM in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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