“How to Deal with Anxiety”
Matthew 11:28
We are experiencing very stressful and anxious things right now. We are concerned for our family, friends, and ourselves. We understand the unpredictability of the virus and its contagious dynamic. We have the financial and family stress that goes along with it. We cannot predict tomorrow but we can anchor ourselves to the One who holds tomorrow. But how do we do that? How do we calm our fears, settle our anxiety’s? First, let me just say that you are not alone. Everyone is experiencing the same pandemic and crisis. Naturally it varies for every family. God has not left you in this by yourself. He is there and wants to calm your fears by giving you His peace and a real sense of His presence.
Consider these scriptures:
First, accept Christ’s Matthew 11:28 invitation.
Matthew 11:28 “ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
How do we accept this invitation of rest?
We must respond exactly the way Jesus told us too.
Decide now that you will accept His invitation of rest.
Secondly, “Come to Me”. That’s the first step. We must come to Him.
Stop and pray, get in a quiet place and pour out your heart to Jesus. Begin thanking Him for being God, being exalted, being creator and able to do the impossible. I mean get on your knees in adoration of all that He is. Remember He is the Alpha and Omega. Remind yourself that He is your Savior and Lord.
Put your name in verse 28 where He said “all you who labor and are heavy laden.” There is a peace available just for you.
Thirdly, be thankful when you pray. Let me explain why this is important. Your heart and mind needs divine rest at times. As a believer you have the resources in Christ to experience His peace. If you do not know Jesus, then I encourage you to give Him your heart and life right now. Come to Him just as you are. Quit putting Him off, He is God and loves you with an unconditional love. His love is the kind that came to earth from heaven to buy your pardon. Your pardon is paid for by His blood at the cross, but you must receive Him by faith. He arose bodily on the third day, to give you eternal life. He has His hands out and He is saying to you “just come to Me.” In Christ alone is eternal life, hope, peace and rest. I pray you will receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Nothing is more important.
Now back to being thankful in prayer, your heart and mind will react to the emotions and fears and thoughts you allow into it. The bible says in Prov.23:7, “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” Look at the verse in Luke 6:45, “of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Our hearts are the supply chain of the mouth. If the heart is out of whack our thoughts will be out of whack thus showing up in our speech. Being thankful is like a glass of ice tea on a hot day. It refreshes the mind. When we begin to find things to thank God about, our heart is affected. God works through a thankful spirit. Our hearts get heavy with worry. Our hearts get heavy with racing and pessimistic thoughts. But as we thank God, good things come to mind. Our hearts began to adjust and our faith is energized. The bible says, in II Timothy 1:6, “stir up the gift of God which is in you.” Then we have verse 7, “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
That gift in you is none other than the Holy Spirit. This is the “indescribable gift” Paul mentions in II Corinthians 9:15. Now, II Timothy 1:7 is a verse we all know, but that verse goes hand in glove with verse six before it. We will succeed in verse 7 if we fan the flame of verse 6.
As we pray in adoration and thanksgiving, we are stirring up the gift in us. God begins allowing a peace to flow into your heart that surpasses all understanding. That peace is like a guard standing at the door of your heart. When worry steps up to the door, the guard says not here, not today. Peace lives here, Christ is in charge today. When fear steps up to the door of your heart. The guard says not here, not today, the peace of God resides here, fear you’re not welcome. Now, this peace will guard your heart and mind. Once we get our heart right then our thinking will follow. This is exactly what Paul says in Philippians.
Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I’m going to leave it there. I pray if your worried, anxious and fearful that you would simply pause, get in a quiet place and accept God’s Matthew 11:28 invitation.