Living Anxiety Free

Living Anxiety Free

Proverbs 12:25; 1 Peter 5:6-7; Matthew 6:31-34; Philippians 4:6-7

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

My name is John, it is three o’clock in the morning and I cannot sleep. I went to bed early but as soon as my head hit the pillow the raging swells of anxiety replaced the peace that surpasses all understanding with a fear that drowns my mind with unending insecurities and “what ifs” that are terrorizing my soul. With images of people on respirators with Covid-19 and the constant threat of a country once again being shut down I fear for both my physical and financial well-being! And even if this great tribulation for the most part passes me by I still can’t help but wonder what if anything have I truly accomplished in my life? I must admit when I compare my “stuff” to the expensive homes, cars and vacations of others, my covetousness rarely leads to repentance but instead to insatiable cravings and self-degradation due to my meagre accomplishments! I know the Bible says I am to “seek ye first the kingdom of God” and “consider others better than myself” and care for them but I don’t because I am afraid if I care for them then who will care for me? With tears running down my eyes and a cold sweat starting to pour down my head, I realize what is crushing my soul the most is the fear that the best of my “filthy rags” that I offer to my Lord, Savior and King amounts to nothing more than mere carnality and indifference to His grace! When “anxiety buzzes in the ear who can ever hear the music of grace anyways?” And with such filthy rags how can I effectively spread the Gospel message or raise my children in the ways of the Lord? I cannot carry these burdens myself and I fear if I don’t soon find relief my “lamp will die out in darkness!” My name is John and lest you think this is all about me look in the mirror for I know on more than one occasion you too have figuratively shared my bed of anxiety!

The Burden of Anxiety

Journalist Eric Sevareid (1912-1992) said, “The biggest business in America is not steel, automotive, or television. It is the manufacture, refinement, and distribution of anxiety! Despite living in a country in one of the top ten richest, top ten best health care systems, and the sixth safest country in the world; anxiety and depression in Canada are a 50 billion dollar industry! The battlefield is truly in the mind (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) for this is where both real and imagined calamities grow in the fertile grounds of fear that we too will share in the greatest tragedies known to humanity. While the roots of this fear can be the product of one’s imagination it can also be based on fact for we know beyond a doubt that each of us has and will once again experience a soul crushing calamity such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, divorce, financial devastation or injustices! The Devil is so successful in placing fear in our minds that to mitigate the risks of the unknown future an average Canadian household spends $3,100 per year on insurance! But no matter how rich or well insured people become the burden of worry remains so heavy on their shoulders that maintaining the pillars of pleasure and avoiding pain destroys their peace of mind and causes them to sin by prostituting themselves before the many gods of this world to seek the grapes of Gomorrah. And if this were not burden enough, our self-seeking gratification has left our minds filled with guilt for having ignored God’s command to seek ye first the kingdom of God!

Two Main Cases of Anxiety

The first major cause of anxiety is due to our fixation on those things that are seen. Ever since we heard the words “for dust you are and to dust you will return,” one of our greatest concerns has been to secure our “daily bread.” The average Canadian family spends $30,597 year to cover their housing, food and clothing needs! Tapping into our drive for self- preservation Satan instills fears in our hearts by constantly bombarding us with images of stock market crashes, people losing their jobs or those who become too sick to work and within just a few weeks struggle to keep their homes and feed their families. Even though Jesus promises to provide our necessities of life (Matthew 6:25-34), time and time again we catch ourselves worrying that tribulations will come and leave us with nothing to live on! And even when we find ourselves blessed beyond all measure our anxiety remains for what we have deemed a “necessity” has gone beyond flesh and blood needs to the carnal desires of our heart! This causes not only anxieties within, but coveting is also the source of many quarrels and fights, even amongst God’s children (James 4:1-3)! O what poor witness of sin we weave because we seek first the things of this world instead of standing on God’s promises of good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28)!