"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" - Phil 4:6-7 (NIV)
Anxiety has been described as "a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear." It is one of life's inescapable condition. Every life goes through some worry or fear, depending on events in one's lives.
A student about to sit a final exam may feel anxious, depending on how prepared. If you are setting out for journey on a dangerous road known for highway robbery there is reason to be anxious.
One of the most common cause for anxiety is money. Why? Because everyone responsible needs it to meet certain needs to maintain life. One may consider his cash position and feel anxious how he will get through. Our health can also be a cause for anxiety. If you notice an irritating swelling you may be anxious and filled with fear that this is a growing tumour. Parents are often anxious about their children in many areas such as school performance to whom there are seeing.
Truth be told there is no life that ever goes without having moments of anxiety. The problem though is when anxiety takes over our lives and stills us to imagine there is no way out. We become all restless and jittery with worry. Some people go through that phase when they are gripped with total fear, that they can even lose hope in life.
Jesus was much aware of anxiety coming into our lives and how it can paralyse us into a dark valley. Once he told the disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (Mathew 6:25). He then gave an illustration of birds: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they (vv 26). And to drum the point further home, Jesus asks, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to life?" (vv 27).
Indeed. Who will deny having wasted so much precious time fretting over things which turned out that all the worry was for nothing!
One of the most effective strategy in managing anxiety is by surrendering whatever is stressing us to God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." It is a rich assurance we have, that whatever might be troubling us, God cares. In sum, we are all well advised, "Therefore do not worry about tommorow, for tommorow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Mat 6:24).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today as your word says, I cast upon you all my worries that make me anxious at time, for you care for me and are in absolute control of my life.
Related upcoming events
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06/05/2024 - 07/05/2024 All day“Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)
Almost all cultivators are aware that if soils are used perpetually without rains but constantly under work they are deprived of all nutrients. So, though once productive, they lose all power to yield fresh crops as before. But so is our Christian life when we do not regularly feed our spirit life with the Word!
In our leading verse, the Apostle Paul is urging believers to “renew” their minds rather than make them stale, lest they end up losing all power to yield fruit. But how is this done? We renew our minds by constantly reading the Word of God, for there are always insights with God speaking to us afresh. Psalm 119:104-5 says, “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The Apostle Peter reminds us, “Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow and be saved.” It is a beautiful illustration for any who have seen a hungry baby sucking the teats of a mother.
Renewing our minds is also by reading about the lives of people of faith who have walked before us and their created works. The Christian faith started in the first century after Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead. Now over two millenniums it has produced giants of faith who have shared their walk with God through inspired teachings that are a treasure to dig into. By scouring the writings of the great saints before us, listening to their recorded sermons, songs and preaching, which these days can be found on virtual medial channels like Yu tube, reading their biographies, our faith is renewed.
And then we also renew our faith through fellowship. When the Apostle Paul urges us, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” ( Hebrews 10:25), he is reminding us that our faith cannot grow in isolation. During the Covid pandemic lockdown one bitter issue was denying Believers opportunity to meet fellow followers of Christ to share testimonies showing the work of God in their lives.
So today, if your faith is on a low keel, or you want it to flower, one thing you can’t help doing without is “renewing” your mind. The blessings to unfold are endless.
Prayer for today:Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a treasure we have of your rich Word to dig into always; books around us of faith to inspire us; and believers to share our faith- may we make use of these, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
