Victory Over Anxiety

Anxiety comes from a variety of sources. Distressful things in our daily life can cause us anxiety.

Test results from your physician, losing or starting a new job,

source of income, or any major life changes.

And in February, I was preparing for my retirement this month,

and that's why I searched, because, believe me, I was going through a lot of anxiety.

Can I live on just Social Security? Can I meet all my required bills?

I mean, it's great. People keep saying, are you enjoying retirement?

You know, it's a big life change when you're not getting up every day and going to work.

Your time is your own to make things.

And believe me, I was very anxious this week when I got my final pay period,

which was one week salary and then three hours of part-time salary.

And it said three hours, $57.

Taxes, $86. Take-home pay, zero.

Believe me, I became very anxious on Friday. But that was just one point of stress.

There's also stress from anxiety from wrong thinking and not trusting in God.

I have to trust that God is going to get me through that pay period.

And we can also find variety of anxiety for something we don't even realize we are struggling with.

Has anybody ever been worried or felt anxious about something and you can't figure out what it is?

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt argues that the rise in youth mental

illness is caused by the shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood.

Well, think of it in your own life. How many of us are dependent on our phone?

It's a little handheld computer that we carry with us everywhere,

and when we forget it, we feel naked.

It's driven by smartphones and social media which began around 2010-2015 for the youth.

Haidt, a social psychologist, links this great rewiring to increased anxiety,

depression, and loneliness,

proposing solutions like delaying smartphone access until high school,

banning social media before 16,

creating phone-free schools, and encouraging more real-world play and independence.

I think even as adults, we need to take that advice.

But how does that relate to today's message? Charles F. Stanley did a Bible

devotional titled Victory Over Anxiety.

In it, he relates how our emotions are a gift from God that carry a lot of influence in our lives.

We may express joy, happiness, peace, kindness, and goodness toward others.

Or we may express brutal, caustic, harsh, and hurtful emotions toward others

Kind of a flip-flop, and I think we go through that daily Especially driving

down the road, I will admit I have road rage.

As emotions ebb through the ups and downs of life, we must remember that God

gave us emotions that we could enjoy life.

This can be compared to what Haidt sees in the anxious generation.

Children are so drawn to their smartphones and social media that they may have

become a deterrent instead of a help in life.

Stanley says the problem is when our emotions control us instead of us controlling them.

Throughout Scripture, we see people expressing their emotions.

In 1 Samuel, Saul was jealous of David.

In 1 Kings, Elijah, supposedly a powerful man of great faith and courage,

confessed numerous times that he was afraid.

And when you look at today's Scripture, the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 6, 25-34.

It's titled, Don't Worry.

Scripture says, Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink, about your body, what you will wear. Is it not life?

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

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? Can any one of you be worrying?

Add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon,

in all his splendor, was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow

is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?

So do not worry saying what

shall we eat or what shall we drink or what

shall we wear for the pagans run after

all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them but seek

first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to

you as well therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about

itself each day has enough trouble of its own.

In my experience, anxiety can cause fear. Fears can cause us to worry and be anxious.

The Greek word for fear is phobos. Now let's take a look at the same scripture

in the Revised Standard Version, because it replaces worry with anxious.

Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat

or what you shall drink, nor about your body that you shall put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns.

And yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

And are you not more of value than they?

And which of you, by being anxious, can add one cubit to his span of life?

And why are you anxious about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin.

Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow

is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you?

O men of little faith, therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat,

or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear?

For the Gentiles seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Jesus shares three different times with those gathered to listen. Don't be anxious.

Don't be anxious. Don't be anxious.

Kind of need to say that over and over again, don't we? Or as many versions say, don't worry.

Stanley took a survey seeking to find what emotion was the most prominent people's thinking.

By far, anxiety was number one.

People were anxious about their jobs, health, financial situations,

families, schooling, relationships, and national direction and leadership.

We live in an anxious and uncertain time.

Many of us become anxious when we can't control what is going on in our lives

at the time, or when nervous about the unknown.

For me i've been feeling a bit anxious for several months now you know this change in my life,

some good and some bad one of the probably the latest one was my daughter went a trip to vegas,

and we went on where they wanted to go i should say the high roller has any

anybody familiar with the high roller in Vegas.

It used to be the largest Ferris wheel in the world, but they built one in Dubai,

so now it's the second largest.

550 feet high, 520 feet wide, and each of those little compartments on there will hold 40 people.

40. You can have a party in those little things.

Now, I am afraid of heights. So when my daughters went and bought the tickets

for all four of us to ride that thing at sunset, you can either ride it,

you know, during the day and see the mountains and everything,

or you can ride it at night, see the lights.

So we thought we'd go at sundown.

Well, I kept telling myself all afternoon while we were walking the streets

and seeing all the resorts that, you know, it's not a fear of heights.

It's a fear of falling and it's a compartment and I should be fine.

And as I'm walking around all day, anxiety can affect your health.

I was getting sick because I could not imagine myself on this high roller.

And when it was time to go I said you know

I'm going back to the hotel room and you

guys can go you know when you make

yourself so sick though you lose out

on opportunities I let my anxiety take over and I missed out on a wonderful

time with three of my daughters as they rode that you can see you know I was

probably in the 23rd floor of one of those hotels and it was still higher than that.

I got nervous just walking to the window in my hotel room. But I let anxiety take control.

Stanley states that the key word when it comes to anxiety is uncertainty.

Stanley says when we are struggling with anxiety, we're uncertain about what's

going on in the present moment.

Uncertain about how life will play out in the future or uncertain about the

impact of the past in each of our lives.

There's many reasons we should avoid anxiety.

It goes against Scripture. The Sermon on the Mount, today's Scripture lesson,

Jesus telling his followers not to worry or be anxious.

And it has a negative effect on every area of our lives. It divides your mind

and becomes a distraction.

It slows your productivity. If your mind is divided and you are preoccupied,

you can't give your full attention and focus on what you need to do.

It affects your personal relationship with other people.

It leads to unwise decisions.

You have a tendency to jump ahead

being afraid of an uncertain future and missing out on opportunities.

It steals your peace and joy. To have peace means to be bound together,

whereas anxiety means to be pulled apart.

And when you're really worried or anxious, don't you feel that?

You're just being pulled in two different directions.

Therefore, you can't have both. And it's a waste of time and energy.

How many of us worry about something and everything turns out fine and it's

like, why did I worry about it? What a waste of time.

Anxiety itself is not a sin. It's a normal response to the uncertainty we face

in the situations that play out in everyday life.

The issue is what we do with those anxieties and how long we allow them to live within us.

Gaining control of this destructive emotion is the key to living the life God intended for us.

So how can we gain the upper hand on anxiety and enjoy a victorious, faith-filled life?

When we are experiencing anxiety in our life, it's hard to define the wide range

of thoughts and feelings associated with it at the time.

But the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as an apprehensive uneasiness

or nervousness, usually over an impending or anticipated ill.

An abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by

physical signs, such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate.

Believe me, I get nervous coming up here, because I don't do it all the time.

Even after 30 years on the radio, I would still get nervous when I opened up the mic.

By doubt concerning the reality and nature of a threat, and by self-doubt about

one's capacity to cope with it.

Stanley says in terms of anxiety we're really thinking in terms of feeling dread,

apprehension and uncertainty about things but it all boils down to is the fear

of not being in control in the new testament the word anxiety means distracted

or pulled apart the opposite of peace it's going to create stress whether we

realize it or not which has a profound effect on our lives.

Anxiety, as I said, affects us both physically and mentally.

That's why it's important to recognize what it is and learn how to deal with it.

Proverbs 12.25 says, Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

Isn't it always nice when you're going through a bad time or worried when somebody

can come up to you and give you a compliment?

Just for a fleeting moment, you feel better. Stanley says it's important to

realize that anxiety does not come from God He didn't create it 2 Timothy 1.7

says For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power,

love, and self-discipline So if God didn't create anxiety, where does it come from?

Well, there are just some distressful things in life that are naturally going to create anxiety.

Mishaps, loss of income that, you know, take home zero, and illness.

There are times it originates with wrong thinking in our minds,

not trusting fully in God and His Word.

2 Corinthians 10.5 says, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets

itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to

make it obedient to Christ.

There are times anxiety originates from something we don't even realize.

Regardless of the source of your anxiety, it must be dealt with head-on.

We must be willing to face up to and deal with it. It's simply a reaction to

a circumstance in our life.

Stanley says that while the emotion of anxiety is not a sin,

not dealing with it in a proper fashion is.

So how are you dealing with your anxiety? Is there some medication you're taking

or a relationship you are dependent on to get through it?

Or are you just ignoring it, hoping it goes away?

Many choose to fret instead of dealing with it. They remain uneasy about the

future and are unable to think about anything other than their challenges,

which then become insurmountable.

In so doing, they feel as if their lives will never improve.

2 Timothy 1.7 says that God never intended for you to feel this way.

He wants you to deal with your worries and fears by trusting Him.

For the Spirit God gives us does not make us timid, but gives us power,

love, and self-discipline.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus didn't deny that anxiety exists,

but he pointed out two significant truths to note.

Fear achieves nothing of value. After you've experienced worry or anxiety,

do you have anything to show for it? other than maybe you're tired, shaky.

There's no value in it.

Second is trust in God diminishes fear.

Uncovering the hidden wounds and anxieties in ourselves requires the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8, 26-27 states, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness,

so we do not know what we ought to pray for.

But the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,

because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.

If you want a biblical example of someone who knew a lot about anxiety, study the life of Paul.

He dealt with many hardships, trials, imprisonments, beatings,

sufferings, and persecution.

But look at what he has to say in Philippians 4, 4-7.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again.

Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything.

But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your request to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts

and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This passage shows us six steps to finding solution for any anxiety worry you face.

First, you must acknowledge what you are anxious, worried, or concerned about.

You have to be first honest with yourself and admit that you are struggling

with anxiety and be willing to face it head on.

What is that thing that is bothering you today?

I challenge you, go home. Sit down and think about it.

And face it. The second is you must give your concerns to the Father in the

spirit of thanksgiving.

Remember that he is always near. You need to express gratitude to him for loving

you unconditionally, hearing your prayers, understanding where you are,

and be willing and ready to help you.

There's times I've actually, at the end of the day, said, thank you for these

trials, because I know he's trying to teach me something.

I might have been worried and anxious during the day, but what's the lesson I learned?

The third is let your requests be known to God. Tell him everything that concerns

you and ask him for help to overcome them.

Because if you ask him, he will be there with you.

You won't face the struggles alone.

Fourth is believe that he loves you, hears your prayers, and promises to help you. God is love.

The fifth, trust that he has the power and provision to accomplish what you ask.

Remember that he has the power to help you overcome and work out all things together for your good.

The first step is you have to let him know. You have to ask him and let him in.

The sixth is rest in the peace and knowledge that God will give you victory.

As the song says, victory in Jesus.

Charles Stanley points out that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus didn't deny

that anxiety exists, but he did point out two significant truths.

Fear achieves nothing of value, and trust in God diminishes fear.

You do not have to live in anxiety unless you choose to, but to have a peaceful

and joyful life, you must overcome your anxiety and let God set you free.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we come to you.

Our hearts are heavy as we carry the burden that we think we are carrying alone.

We forget to come to you and lift them up to you and leave the baggage behind.

And just trust that you will set us free from these worries and anxieties because

you know what we need and it will be given.

Lord, may you remember that and go out and to serve a world that desperately needs Jesus. Amen.