Reflection
I remember a message Pastor Steven Furtick delivered a few years ago. His topic was anxiety.
We live in a very anxious world. Call me Captain Obvious. 🙂
Pastor Furtick pointed out what was in the middle of anxiety…a n x I e t y. Yes, “I” is in the middle of anxiety. He also pointed out that “I” is also in the middle of prIde.
The devil does his best work on me when I remain in the middle of my life. When “I” is my focal point.
The devil goes away when I ask God to be in the middle…it’s so simple but not easy.
I’m pretty sure the world has always been anxious, as many of the great authors in the Bible write about how to combat anxiety.
Philippians 4:6-9 (The Message) especially resonates with me:
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious–the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.”
In other words–If you worry, why pray, and if f you pray, why worry?
A couple of suggestions…
Make it a practice always to turn whatever you are anxious about to God, even if you don’t know or understand God. He is so big and loves you so much; he will catch and destroy every anxious thought you throw at Him…I write from experience.
Also…turn your anxIety into anxGodety by replacing the I with God in the middle of your anxiety.
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
