Why does the Bible warn against anxiety?
Anxiety can result in discomfort, disbelief, and irritability. However, its most powerful weapon is fear.
When faced with an unfamiliar situation without prior reference, it is natural to have concerns about what to do and how to navigate the new place you’ve entered.
But when we shift our focus from trusting God to dwelling on negative imaginings and ruminating about potential negative outcomes, anxiety can quickly transform into fear and trepidation.
1 John 4:18 teaches us that “Fear has torment,” and it can paralyze you.
The primary purpose of fear is to compel us to take control and halt the work we’ve been assigned to do.
2 Timothy 1:7 states:
“…God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Fear most frequently leads us to walk in doubt, as James 1:6-8 conveys:
“…let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea,
driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord.
A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
The Bible advises us not to be anxious, recognizing that the enemy will create situations to test our faith. When we rely on our senses instead of our faith, we make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
A well-known example often cited is in the book of Job in the Old Testament. Job was a devout man who shunned evil, was holy, and walked uprightly before God (Job 1:1). However, the Bible indicates that there were things that caused him anxiety. This anxiety eventually grew and transformed into even greater fear:
“For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me,
And that which I was afraid of has come unto me.”
(Job 3:25-26)
The good news is that Job eventually found deliverance from his situation by repenting of his fear and complaints, and by employing the battle strategies listed below.
Philippians 4:6 provides us with God’s instructions for similar situations we all encounter at some point:
“Do not be anxious; instead,
IN EVERYTHING,
with
1. Prayer
2. Supplication
3. Thanksgiving,
…let your requests be made known to God.”
To counter anxiety, take every concern to God in prayer, offer supplication, and thanksgiving. You will experience the release of worry as you continue to appreciate and repeatedly thank God that everything you need that pertains to your life and godliness was fulfilled at the Cross.
The world will not understand how you can maintain peace amidst turmoil. But God has promised to be your Rock and Fortress, and His guarantee to you is:
“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
This peace is a supernatural manifestation of God’s power to guard your mind and heart again attacks of the enemy. It will keep your emotions in check as the things around you serve to overwhelm you.
Do not be anxious about anything; The work Jesus accomplished at the Cross assures the Believer that God’s plan is comprehensive enough to cover any and everything you will encounter in this life.
Peace be unto you!!
