Thursday, August 2, 2012

Fear? Anxiety? Depression? ANSWERS? - To Sin or Not to Sin

One day I was reading in Proverbs and I came across a verse that jumped off the page at me.  It's Proverbs 12:25 and it says "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad."  There are two things that popped in my mind when I saw this verse.  The first thought I had was what it says in Philippians 4:6 - "Be anxious for nothing...." The second thing I thought was "what is a 'good word'?"  I'll start with the first connection to Philippians 4:6.  God doesn't give us a choice or a strong suggestion to not be anxious.  He doesn't say, "only get anxious in stressful situations" or "don't get anxious over trivial things".  No, His words are "Be anxious for NOTHING."  The first step to my healing was understanding that anxiety is sin, plain and simple.  Notice he doesn't say we won't have stress.  If you're human, you will always be faced with stress and frustrating circumstances.  It's how we choose to handle our stress that can either lead to peace in the midst of it, or to a downward spiral to depression.  The rest of Philippians 4:6 and 7 says "...but in everything, by prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS through Christ Jesus."  When I fall into the trap of anxiety the very first thing I do is confess it as sin to God.  I share with Him how I'm feeling, what's going on, when I need and then I begin to thank Him for anything and everything I can think of to be thankful for.  This is a process that I do time and time again and I am living proof that God's word heals.  In order to experience this peace and healing, you first must have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Until you've accepted Christ as your savior you will not begin to experience His peace.  If you are a child of God, then it's imperative to stay in His word every day, to surround yourself with things that glorify God, talk to Him in prayer, and follow what He says in the Bible.  I want to be clear that I am NOT saying that if you are doing all these things you will never struggle with anxiety or that there will never be stress in your life.  As long as we live in this fallen world there will be trials and tribulations, the Bible assures us of that.  I have found in my life though that I am much more sensitive to the Spirit when I am close with God, and the deeper our relationship grows the quicker I am to repent of my anxiety and feel that deeply desired peace that I long for.  I challenge you to first make sure that you are a child of God through salvation, and then genuinely repent of your anxiety and talk to God about it.  Spend time thanking Him for everything and anything in your life, there is so much to be thankful for!  Take the challenge from His word and enjoy His peace instead of the bondage of depression!

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