Anxiety

I am the type of person to get really stressed over practically anything. If my room is messy... I'll get stressed. If I ordered the wrong food, I'll get stressed..(no, really. It's ridiculous, I know.) I allow myself to get so overwhelmed with everyday life, and worldly/selfish ambitions that I become so preoccupied with the current situation, and it doesn't allow me to focus on the one who can sustain me and give me a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

When I get stressed, it's as if I am telling God I don't trust in His plan. We are called to rejoice in tribulation, because it builds character. We are not to get stressed in situations, which overtakes our joy and the ability to joyfully praise God, which we are called to do. The Bible doesn't tell us to rejoice once or twice, it tells us to rejoice ALWAYS. Through everything. That means even through "stressful" situations. And I am not saying that when I order the wrong food it is a "tribulation" or "suffering"... I understand that its completely and utterly ridiculous to get stressed over such minuscule things but hey, I'm working on it. :)

This has been a struggle for me over the past couple years. Ergo, what should I do....? I've learned that as I experience anything in life, The Word is a great place to turn to know what to do.

Below are just a few reminders that I need to find my rest in JESUS, always rejoice, and pray, pray, pray! God is good, and has a perfect plan for our lives.  Pray for wisdom and discernment and a faith to trust that whatever God is doing in your life is for your good! He loves us so much and wants us to be happy.  When we believe that and praise Him through the storm AND the sun, we will be happier, more loving, and better able to accept what He is doing in our lives.

Romans 5:3-5

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

REJOICE. Through it all.  Tough times in our lives help us develop character and depend on God, not ourselves.

 

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

 

 

1 Peter 5:6-7 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

God cares for us! How great is that! We don't deserve ANYTHING but we have a loving, gracious God who sent his son so that we may have eternal life with Him.  Now how can I be anxious about getting the wrong sandwich??

 

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

 

Look to the LORD for strength.

 

Romans 8:6 

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

 

 

Don't focus on fleshly matters, which are not important.  Focus on God, set your mind on the Spirit.

Philippians 4:6-7 

Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

PRAY PRAY PRAY

Psalms 37:5 

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

James 1:2-4 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

Matthew 11:28-30 

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 18:3-6I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

 

Psalm 56:3-4When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can [mere] man do to me?
 

Exodus 33:14

And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."

 

Worrying is useless.  It achieves nothing. We need to redirect our thoughts of worry and anxiety and go to the source of peace, God. Prayerfully tell Him your worries and fears and thank Him that as we know from His Word, He is capable and willing to care for us as we face the issue and start to deal with the problem.  Devote yourself to prayer without ceasing until peace comes and stress leaves you. Persistence! 

 

Luke 21:34-26 says: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Don't let yourself be caught up in the worries of this world.  We need to be prayerful.  It is so easy to let ourselves become entangled in stress and let it take over our thoughts and actions.  Be alert of this and pray for strength that comes through the Father, that with His strength, we can overcome the stress instead of letting ourselves be overcome by the stress.

When Jesus experienced a stressful situation on the Mount of Olives, before He was about to be crucified on the cross, He didn't let stress take over him.  Instead, he spent time alone to be with the Father and pray.  We need to do this. 

In the end, we need to pray "Not my will but your will be done".

I recently read in an article "It is commonly said that it is very difficult to save a person from drowning as long as they are struggling to save themselves. It is only when they give up their own struggles that the lifesaver can come alongside and rescue them. We have a loving Heavenly Father who longs to bring us through life in peace and joy. If only we will stop struggling ourselves, bringing stress inside ourselves, and instead just trust God, he will step in and save us just as Jesus experienced." (Graham Turner)

It's true. Give yourself to God.  Cast your anxieties on Him and He will deliver us.  Trust in God rather than worrying.  Get alone and pray.  Pray until you get inner peace and can trust in God to handle the situation.

I didn't mean to make this post so long, but that's just evidence that there is so much we can learn from Jesus and in the Word about stress.  About anything for that matter! Turn to the Word, turn to God.  Be joyful, ALWAYS.

<3

J