The Cure For Anxiety

The Antidote for Anxiety

Philippians 4:4-7

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

“It is good for a man to have a holy care, and to pay due attention to every item of his life; but, alas! it is very easy to make it into an unholy care, and to try to wrest from the hand of God that office of providence which belongs to Him and not to ourselves.”

Even though God counts every hair on our heads (Luke 12:7) and promises to take care and do good to those He calls His own (Romans 8:28) we as Christians can’t help but worry about our present and future circumstances! While we know that trials and tribulations are meant to be viewed as a source of joy in our lives because when persevered they lead to spiritual maturity, for most Christians they are nothing more than the source of great anxiety. Even though God tells us that our worry and concern cannot add a single hour to our lives (Matthew 6:27) we are often consumed in “care-full” laboring to control our circumstances while living in this fallen world. Foolishly one thinks “if I plan better” or “if I work harder” I can purchase for myself an easier path to travel than the one I am currently on! When we fail to obtain this easier path, we feel anxiety and as a result plan and work even harder. Apostle Paul told the church of Philippi the only way to get out of this anxiety spiral is through prayer and trust in a sovereign God. This sermon is going to focus on Paul’s five steps to curing anxiety: living by grace, replacing anxiety with prayer, telling God everything, having a thankful heart and by receiving the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Anxiety – Care-Full Statistics

Even though we are under the providence of a sovereign God this does not stop Christians from becoming so full of care (care-full) for the needs of this mortal life that it consumes everything they think or do! For instance, it is hard when looking into the eyes of one’s spouse not to think about how fragile marriage is when four out of ten marriages end in divorce. For almost half of the Canadians who are $1.70 in debt per dollar earned and living paycheck to paycheck finances are never far from their thoughts. Whom amongst us are not overly concerned about our health in light of the statistics that say one in two Canadians will get cancer and about 60% will get heart disease in their lifetimes? Out of those people anxious about violence aren’t their feelings reasonable in light of the facts that 60 % of our children having been bullied, one person is being murdered every 60 seconds and someone in this world dies from armed combat every 100 seconds? So consumed are we with all the bad things that can happen to us that approximately 50% of the population will or have had a mental illness and for those that can’t cope, one person every 40 seconds will commit suicide rather than have faith in God and preserve in their trials and tribulations!

Believers Only Antidote

While the world offers many ways to reduce anxiety and stress such as exercise, taking supplements, reducing caffeine intake, spending time with friends and loved ones, laughing, taking yoga classes and/or practicing mindfulness; these “natural” or “worldly” methods are pale in comparison to the real cure of baptizing every anxious thought through prayer into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Does it not make sense that He who created and knit humanity into His own image (Genesis 1:27; Psalms 139) is sovereign and the only one who can strengthen, sustain and provide peace to our fragile hearts of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7-9)? Faith in God is a cure for anxiety only when one has a relationship with His Son. Nonbelievers who cry out during calamity will not have their prayers heard by God because they do not have belief in the only way to approach Him, through belief in the atoning sacrifice of His Son (John 14:6)! Since unbelievers have not made Jesus the rock of their salvation (Psalms 18:2), they should be anxious in the face of trials and tribulations because their “house” of “certainty” has not been built on a firm foundation (Matthew 7:24)! Christians on the other hand have put their trust in a sovereign God whose promise to take care of and do good to them will never fail to be their reality (Romans 8:28)!

Step 1: Living by Grace (verse 4-5)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near

The first step in overcoming anxiety for a Christian is to live by grace. Even though a born-again believer has the Spirit of God living inside of them does not mean that God always hears their prayers. When a believer cherishes sin in his/her heart God promises He will hide His face and not hear his/her prayers (Psalms 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2)! We are told in Scripture to hate evil and every wrong path (Romans 12:9; Palms 119:104), confess our sins (1 John 1:9) and to rejoice in the Lord and His ways. Paul told the Christians at Philippi that they were to feel joy in the face of their intense hardships and persecutions by remembering the grace they had received in the resurrection power of Christ. The “ongoing presence of Christ in the believer’s heart” whom has received forgiveness, grace and comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) should naturally have a gentle attitude towards others. Instead of insisting on their rights or seeking retaliation they are to live by grace and as such have a gentle attitude of forbearance towards all others, even their enemies! This does not mean that believers are to be “immune to sorrow or insensitive to the troubles of others” but are to at the same feel unspeakable joy knowing that the Lord will soon return and they will see God face to face (1 Peter 1:18)! Anxious thoughts soon melt away when we remember He who raised us from spiritual death and granted us life will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)!