ANXIETY: LOOK AT THE BIRDS
Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.”
(—Luke 12:22 NKJV)
Life is packed with opportunities for anxiety.
Just seeing the word worry in print can quicken your pulse.
In the extreme, worry can immobilize you.
It can encroach on your freedom.
It can cause physical as well as psychological damage.
Not all worrying is bad, however.
In fact, anxiety can have a purpose.
It can raise your sensitivity to potential threats. It can prepare you for the possibility of pain.
And it can underline your concern for another person.
Jesus’ disciples had plenty to be worried about.
To begin with, they had given up their livelihood to follow Jesus.
They traded security for an unknown future.
They exchanged the comfort of home for unending travel to uncertain destinations.
And even though they were undeniably compelled to follow Jesus, they must have still maintained doubts about who He really was.
Talk about anxiety! Jesus knew of their worries.
Yet instead of simply brushing their concerns aside with a casual don’t-worry-be-happy message, he turned their worry toward an insight into the God they desired to know better.
“God will take care of the basics,” he told them. “Look at the birds… doesn’t God feed them?”
Jesus taught His disciples not only about God’s provision, but also about the need to refocus their priorities, about the need to have more faith, and about the relative impotence of worrying.
One of the easiest ways to reduce your anxiety is to identify those things you have no power to change.
If what you’re anxious about is completely out of your control, the worry is essentially useless.
Acknowledge the fart that you can’t change the situation and move on.
Another way to reduce your anxiety is to reprioritize your life.
Do you have too many responsibilities or expectations vying for your attention?
Maybe you need to devote less time to extracurricular activities and take more time for yourself Perhaps you should take on fewer projects at work.
Look for ways to remove things from your list.
Determine which activities you absolutely must do and shrink the list of those that are optional.
Ask for help.
Tell someone about your anxiety.
A trusted friend can help you determine which worries are warranted, and which are hampering your ability to perform.
Seek wise advice and listen to it. And don’t be afraid to enjoy life.
Don’t let your worries grow bigger than your faith in a God who can help you through the anxiety.
Too much worrying eats away at your ability to live life to its fullest.
Get rid of excess worries.
Trade them for more trust in God.
Reverend Calvin Wyatt /email: /calvincosmo30@gmail.com /calvincosmo@facebook.com.
Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.”
(—Luke 12:22 NKJV)
Life is packed with opportunities for anxiety.
Just seeing the word worry in print can quicken your pulse.
In the extreme, worry can immobilize you.
It can encroach on your freedom.
It can cause physical as well as psychological damage.
Not all worrying is bad, however.
In fact, anxiety can have a purpose.
It can raise your sensitivity to potential threats. It can prepare you for the possibility of pain.
And it can underline your concern for another person.
Jesus’ disciples had plenty to be worried about.
To begin with, they had given up their livelihood to follow Jesus.
They traded security for an unknown future.
They exchanged the comfort of home for unending travel to uncertain destinations.
And even though they were undeniably compelled to follow Jesus, they must have still maintained doubts about who He really was.
Talk about anxiety! Jesus knew of their worries.
Yet instead of simply brushing their concerns aside with a casual don’t-worry-be-happy message, he turned their worry toward an insight into the God they desired to know better.
“God will take care of the basics,” he told them. “Look at the birds… doesn’t God feed them?”
Jesus taught His disciples not only about God’s provision, but also about the need to refocus their priorities, about the need to have more faith, and about the relative impotence of worrying.
One of the easiest ways to reduce your anxiety is to identify those things you have no power to change.
If what you’re anxious about is completely out of your control, the worry is essentially useless.
Acknowledge the fart that you can’t change the situation and move on.
Another way to reduce your anxiety is to reprioritize your life.
Do you have too many responsibilities or expectations vying for your attention?
Maybe you need to devote less time to extracurricular activities and take more time for yourself Perhaps you should take on fewer projects at work.
Look for ways to remove things from your list.
Determine which activities you absolutely must do and shrink the list of those that are optional.
Ask for help.
Tell someone about your anxiety.
A trusted friend can help you determine which worries are warranted, and which are hampering your ability to perform.
Seek wise advice and listen to it. And don’t be afraid to enjoy life.
Don’t let your worries grow bigger than your faith in a God who can help you through the anxiety.
Too much worrying eats away at your ability to live life to its fullest.
Get rid of excess worries.
Trade them for more trust in God.
Reverend Calvin Wyatt /email: /calvincosmo30@gmail.com /calvincosmo@facebook.com.
EMP0WERMENT
GETTING HOLD OF ANXIETY
I WILL...
Hand off my anxiety to God and learn to trust Him with my worries.
Be thankful that God cares enough for me to take care of the “basics” of life.
Know that not all worrying is bad.
Consider the anxiety the disciples must have experienced in comparison to my own list of worries.
Examine how I can grow more faith in God so my worry list can shrink.
Know that it is okay to ask for help.
THINGS TO DO...
Ask God for a greater faith that can reduce your anxiety.
Look up the word anxiety in a concordance and read the associated Bible verses.
Go to a park and watch the birds for an hour. Then thank God that He cares for you even more than He does the birds.
Make a list of the things you worry about and determine which might be unnecessary worries.
List three things you can stop worrying about.
Recall the last time you experienced a lot of anxiety.
How did your worries play out in the resolution of the situation?
Talk with a friend about how he or she deals with worry.
THINGS TO REMEMBER...
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 PETER 5:7 NRSV
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. PHILIPPIANS 4:6 NKJV
Jesus said, “Don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.” MATTHEW 6:25 NCV
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. PSALM 37:3 NKJV
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? MATTHEW 6:27 NKJV
All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. LUKE 12:30 TLB
Worry is putting question marks where God has put periods. —JOHN R. RICE
Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles. —E. STANLEY JONES
I WILL...
Hand off my anxiety to God and learn to trust Him with my worries.
Be thankful that God cares enough for me to take care of the “basics” of life.
Know that not all worrying is bad.
Consider the anxiety the disciples must have experienced in comparison to my own list of worries.
Examine how I can grow more faith in God so my worry list can shrink.
Know that it is okay to ask for help.
THINGS TO DO...
Ask God for a greater faith that can reduce your anxiety.
Look up the word anxiety in a concordance and read the associated Bible verses.
Go to a park and watch the birds for an hour. Then thank God that He cares for you even more than He does the birds.
Make a list of the things you worry about and determine which might be unnecessary worries.
List three things you can stop worrying about.
Recall the last time you experienced a lot of anxiety.
How did your worries play out in the resolution of the situation?
Talk with a friend about how he or she deals with worry.
THINGS TO REMEMBER...
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 PETER 5:7 NRSV
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. PHILIPPIANS 4:6 NKJV
Jesus said, “Don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.” MATTHEW 6:25 NCV
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. PSALM 37:3 NKJV
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? MATTHEW 6:27 NKJV
All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. LUKE 12:30 TLB
Worry is putting question marks where God has put periods. —JOHN R. RICE
Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles. —E. STANLEY JONES
A Clarion Call:
If you have not yet received the Lord Jesus into your life, or you once received Him but backslid, make yourself available of this opportunity and pray this prayer: There is no degree of sin the Lord cannot blot out. Do not postpone, for tomorrow may be too late.
Father I come before you as a sinner (Romans 3:23)
I sincerely repent of my sins (Acts 3:19)
I believe that Jesus died and was resurrected to grant me salvation
(John 3:16)
Today, as I receive Him into my heart by faith, grant me grace,
not to go back to my old sinful ways (Proverbs 28:13)
Thank you Lord for saving me.
