God’s Solution for Anxiety

God's Solution for Anxiety

The apostle Paul knew a lot about anxiety. He dealt with difficulties, hardships, trials, imprisonments, beatings, sufferings, and persecutions—just to name a few. But listen to what he has to say in Philippians 4:4-7: 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 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.

You can look to this passage penned by Paul and inspired by the Holy Spirit to find God's solution for any anxiety or worry you face.

1. You must acknowledge what you're anxious, worried, or concerned about. You have to be willing to get honest with yourself and admit that you're struggling with anxiety. As long as you ignore your anxiety, it's going to poison you, taking a toll on your life. Be willing to find the courage to face your anxieties and worries head on.

2. Bring your concerns to the Father in the spirit of thanksgiving. Remember that the Lord is always near. Come before Him with thanksgiving, expressing gratitude to Him for being your God, loving you unconditionally, hearing your prayers, understanding exactly where you are, and being willing and ready to help you. 

3. Let your request be made known to God. Tell God everything that concerns you. Share with him your anxieties, worries, fears, and uncertainties, then ask Him to help you overcome them once and for all. 

4. Believe that He loves you, hears your prayers, and promises to help you. Be fully convinced that not only does God love you and hear your prayers, but He has promised to help you overcome and defeat any difficulty you face.

5. Trust that He has the power and provision to accomplish what you ask. Remember your all-powerful, all-knowing, omniscient, omnipresent God has provided all you will need to overcome the anxieties and worries consuming you. By the might of His Spirit, His power is not only available to you, but resides within you to help you overcome and to work all things together for your good.

6. Rest in the peace and knowledge that God will give you the victory. The peace of God will garrison you about, which means that the Father will exchange your anxiety for His peace. He will cover you and protect you with it, building an impenetrable wall of protection around you. It's a matter of simply giving your concerns to Him. 

Anxious thoughts and situations will always present themselves in this life, but how long you hold on to the anxiety—that's the key. Whatever you're going through, I promise that if you'll take the passage from Philippians mentioned above and meditate upon it, asking God to work in your heart, He promises He will give you a peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7). I've watched Him do it time and again in my own life, and I know He will do it for you.  

Friend, you don't have to live in anxiety unless you choose to. I pray the Father will help you overcome your anxiety and lead you to victory once and for all. If you're willing to trust Him, He will set you free.

Quick note from the author, the above is a repost from a You Version Daily Devotion from the series named  Victory Over Anxiety.

Jason Smith about.me/theoriginaljasonsmith

Is it too late to post a #frontendfriday even so, rules don’t apply to me 😂 been crazy busy at work, but spending time behind the wheel of this beast helps... oh and the love and support of my family of course!

via Instagram

Have I mentioned I love this truck? It’s a little dusty and dirty, but that’s just the way I like it. Since it’s still on the stock highway tires I haven’t ventured too far off the beaten path, I have however had a chance to stretch its legs in 4 low. With the 5.7 there is no shortage of torque! I was a little nervous going back to a full-size as a daily driver, but this truck drives much smaller than it is. All in all, I love this truck!

via Instagram

What a fun truck! The term smiles per gallon is my new motto! Although I did get 22 on the interstate at 72 mph!

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Well I pulled the trigger on the Ram. Picked this nice Tradesman 4x4 up tonight. Now let’s talk upgrades... just don’t tell the wife 😉

via Instagram

Those who know me the best, know I hate making big decisions. I really hate making big decisions that benefit me personally. I can at a moment’s notice make a snap decision to spend my last dime for my family, but it takes me two hours to buy a pair of pants. Which leads me to the biggest anxiety inducing decision of 2020. I’ve wanted to upgrade to a full size truck for awhile, with the economy in shambles and us both being essential, I figured this would be a great time to purchase my dream truck. While I really can’t afford my dream, I can afford a great truck. I just can’t seem to make the call and purchase it. Ugh. I really need a life coach willing to make my decisions for me! 🤪 anyways enough rambling, enjoy this slice of desert heaven while I overthink my decision.

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For my next album

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir

Morning Devotional

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Via YouVersion

Our society is good at sweeping away the reality of death. I think that’s why COVID-19 has caused so much fear—it’s brought to the fore something we try to avoid. And today, our reading is all about death—Jesus’s crucifixion.

In fact, this was the ultimate goal of his life – his death. The whole of Jesus’s life had been leading to the point where he, the “King of the Jews” (but really, King of EVERYTHING), faced death—our death.

Hanging on the cross, the mockery continued. They dared Jesus to save himself, something he could have easily done. He was not forced to die, but he willingly laid down his life.  

Hours later, he destroyed the need for the temple. He fulfilled the role of Messiah, enabling salvation to be poured out to all who believe. When they shouted, “save yourself,” little did they know that his aim was to save everyone BUT himself.

Did you notice what happened while Jesus was dying?

There was darkness. Darkness is used throughout the Old Testament to symbolise the pouring out of God’s judgment.

Jesus was forsaken by his Father. There he bore our sin, and there, he faced God’s anger.

Immediately when he died, the thick temple curtain that separated the presence of God from humanity was SPLIT. I love how God makes clear that it was HE who tore it! It was torn from the TOP to the bottom.

This curtain represented the barrier between perfect holiness and our impurity. Jesus’s death enabled that division to be TORN UP.

Through Jesus, we can now have full access to the Holy of Holies—to God himself. In fact, God himself WANTS us, LOVES us that much, that he went so far as to send Jesus to face our death.

Today, because of Jesus, we can have certainty that our sins have been paid for and we have eternal life.

Today, because of Jesus, we can live free from condemnation and fear.

Today, because of Jesus, we can pray and know he is near and hears us.

Praise Jesus for dying the death that we deserve, so that we can have a relationship with the everlasting God!

One final thing to note here is the centurion. He’s a surprising person to include. A Roman Gentile, leader of a big company of soldiers, and the one who had ensured Jesus was crucified. He saw how Jesus died and proclaimed that he was who he had said he was—the Son of God.

The most unlikely of men saw Jesus’s death and was convinced.

And he is a reminder to us today, no one is too far from believing and proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God! No one.

Who could you pray for today who seems the most unlikely to become a follower of Jesus?

“And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:39‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Being an essential worker during this pandemic, and having seasonal allergies is a weird combination. As I sneeze and cough with a low grade fever, is it COVID, or a damn flower trying to kill me today? Never-mind I have to be at work in an hour! I’ll worry about my health after I help “Karen” with her Pinterest project... bitter, I’m not bitter! FYI, this is sarcasm, don’t at me! In all seriousness, most people are staying at home, and missing the desert flowers which are starting to explode! Coming into town I noticed all the poppies are flowering in the lower elevations, I was running behind so I couldn’t stop and “smell the flowers” maybe in the next couple of days I can get some cool shots.

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On the Run

On the Run 

Living with anxiety feels a lot like living on the run—except you're running away from your own life. Panic settles in your chest as you try desperately to escape to a safe place that seems just out of reach. Worries swirl around in your head at a speed that makes it hard to breathe, and fear wells up, causing indecision and self-doubt. 

Sound familiar? There's a constant pressure never to shut off your life—emails never stop, notifications pile up on our phones, and let's not forget the comparison trap social media brings. So, how do we live with that, when we know that as Jesus followers, we are called to live anxious for nothing? 

Too often we feel weighed down by guilt because we think Christians aren't supposed to feel this way. 

But what if we can stop running from something and start running to someone? 

We can. You can. The promise that we can live anxious for nothing isn't based on what we can produce but on the presence of God. Check out what it says in Philippians 4:6-7 NIV: 

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.

On our own, we are hopeless in the fight against anxiety. But with God? We have access to His presence, which offers peace we can't even begin to understand. 

What's even better about that promise? It's a continual process. In every situation. Every time we start feeling anxious, we can go to God for His peace because peace is a by-product of God's presence. 

Anxiety will not often disappear instantly. It's a moment-by-moment, continual process of seeking His presence. Over the next few days, we'll share stories of everyday people who have battled with anxiety and what they've learned along the way. 

Want to learn more about living Anxious for Nothing? Check out the accompanying message series to find more peace. 

*If you are struggling with anxiety disorder, it's important to seek the help you need. If you think you have an anxiety disorder, see your doctor. Seeking help doesn't make you weak; it makes you wise

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/1/php.4.4-7.kjv

"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all."

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/1/2th.3.16.kjv

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir

Is peace really possible today?

Is peace really possible today?  

Today many Christians and non Christians alike are dealing with anxiety. We have always lived in world full of turmoil, however for many of us, we haven’t had to face it head on. Unfortunately, Covid19 has changed that reality for many of us. For the Christ followers there is an even a larger question… Here I am, a fully devoted follower of Christ, responding to life pretty much like everyone else. Many of us are living in fear and worry, yet I know it shouldn’t be that way! Consistently I read in the Word of God not to be afraid and to be anxious for nothing. Yet at times that sounds impossible!

God has a lot to say in the Bible about fear and its antidote: peace. In one instance, Jesus and His disciples were on a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee when a furious storm threatened to sink them. They all fought to keep afloat, and what was Jesus doing? He was sound asleep! Right in the middle of the storm.

The disciples asked, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus got up and rebuked the storm, and it went completely calm. Then He asked the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40 NIV

That pretty much sums up the conversations I’m having with God. I can feel Him asking me why I’m anxious, and I’m answering, Isn’t it obvious? Look at our circumstances! Who wouldn’t or couldn’t we be afraid?

In my quest for peace, several things became crystal clear.

1. Our circumstances are determining our level of peace. If life’s circumstances were all good, then we are at peace. If storms were encircling us, we become stressed, anxious, and tired all at the same time—exhausted from our emotions. We are just like the disciples in the storm. We are fearful of the storm, hurt, and confused because we thought God didn’t care. But Jesus brought us to my next point.
2. Jesus is trying to teach us peace is possible, no matter the storm. Are you relating to this battle? It’s not easy, is it? I was still struggling to understand how Jesus could expect me to experience peace in the storm, wondering if He truly even cared, when I realized my next breakthrough point. 
3. Our storms revealed our level of trust. Peace doesn’t mean everything is going right in your life. It means being at peace when storms are shaking your life. I hadn’t learned to trust God and find peace even in those storms. Have you hit that wall yet?

It’s obvious we have some room to grow. But I’m learning that the path to peace is found by trusting and fixing our thoughts on the One who is never unsettled by storms. It won’t happen overnight, but little by little, more peace and rest will rejuvenate our tired, weary souls. 

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 KJV

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Mark 4:35-41 KJV

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Joshua 1:9 KJV

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Isaiah 26:3 KJV

Mine shaft rescue

MINE SHAFT RESCUE: LA PAZ COUNTY

Early Thursday (4/2) afternoon, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue received a call from the State SAR Coordinator requesting our technical rope rescue team to assist the La Paz County Sheriff's Office with a 74-year-old male who had fallen into a mine shaft. He had been traveling with several UTVs that had stopped for a break while riding. He went into an open adit to explore it and about 100 feet into the adit, he had fallen about 50 feet down a vertical shaft. He survived the fall, but was injured and was in need of rescue. The following agencies responded to assist in the rescue: Buckskin Fire Department, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue, the Department of Public Safety Ranger helicopter from Phoenix, River Medical and an Air Methods medical helicopter. Great job by everyone involved!

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir