Be Not anxious
Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Philippi and said, “Do not be anxious for anything” (Philippians 4:6). He wasn’t the first. Jesus said to citizens of the Kingdom, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing” (Matthew 6:25)?
King David faced many situations that were prone to causing great anxiety. He wrote of the reality of anxiety by which the world confronts every believer. He said, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers” (Psalm 37:1)!
The Bible doesn’t only give prohibitions like this. The word of God also reveals positive action that is emblematic of one who knows the Lord. Worry has a positive action in contrast to it.
“Trust in the LORD… Delight yourself in the LORD… Commit your way to the LORD” (Psalm 37:3-5). Trusting in, delighting in, and committing to the Lord are the stark contrasts to worry and anxiety.
The more I read and study the Bible, the more I am confronted by the majesty of God and His grace of giving His words such that they can be understood. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The clarity and efficacy of the word enables me to combat worry and anxiety. God said that the one who trusts in Him need not worry or be anxious about anything. Yet, I often find myself being anxious about many things. When I worry God convicts me. His Spirit works in concert with His word to change me. He reminds me that He is sovereign over all things. He knows what I need better than I know myself.
God is faithful even when believers are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). Faithfulness is an attribute of God and God cannot deny Himself! Therefore, He will convict you when you worry and are anxious.
I admit that I often worry about the kind of world in which my children and grandchildren will live. I worry about the condition of the evangelical church that seems to be more in love with the world than her Head, Jesus. I’m anxious concerning chronic illness experienced by the ones I love.
The Spirit of God convicts me of my sins of worry and anxiety reminding me that the God who saved me is sovereign over all. He reminds me that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth. He tells me that the church does not belong to any man, but to Christ alone. He said that even the gates of hades would not prevail against His church!
It is pure joy to know that God has promised to forgive me of my sins if I confess them. Our sins of worry and anxiety are not excluded. He promised to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
There is no other way to combat the sins of worry and anxiety but to know the one true God. There is only one way. His name is Jesus. He is the God-Man. He has risen from the grave. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father and rules all creation.
May our witness to the world be seen as placing our hope and trust in God. May we not be seen as those who are filled with anxiety and worry over the circumstances of life. Those in Christ are ambassadors for Him. Being filled with anxiety hinders our witness in the world. As we contend for the faith, may we be known to live by faith. If we truly know the sovereignty of God, we will prioritize His commission to disciple the nations. We will seek to equip ourselves to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15).
May the Holy Spirit convict you to trust in, delight in and commit your way to the Lord as you cast all your cares upon Him! Be a part of a local church in which you are built up in Christ as you sit under sound preaching and teaching of the word of God.
