Bible devotion to undo the anxious tension around us
Do you often deal with anxiety? Are you consumed with worry? You can learn to manage these emotions by understanding what the Bible says about them. In this excerpt from his book, Truth Seeker - Straight Talk From The Bible, Warren Mueller studies the keys of the Word of God to overcome your struggles with anxiety and concern.
Minimize anxiety and worry
Life is full of many concerns arising from the absence of certainty and control over our future. While we can never be completely free of worries, the Bible shows us how to minimize the worries and anxiety in our lives.
Philippians 4: 6-7 says that you are not anxious about anything, but with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests to God known and therefore the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Pray for life's worries
Believers are commanded to pray for life's concerns. These prayers must be more than requests for favorable answers. They must include thanksgiving and praise along with needs. Praying in this way reminds us of the many blessings that God continually gives us whether we ask or not. This reminds us of God's great love for us and that He knows and does what is best for us.
A sense of security in Jesus
The concern is proportional to our sense of security. When life proceeds as planned and we feel safe in our life routines, then the worries diminish. Similarly, concern increases when we feel threatened, insecure or overly focused and engaged in some outcome. 1 Peter 5: 7 says that he throws your worries about Jesus because he takes care of you. The practice of believers is to bring our concerns to Jesus in prayer and leave them with him. This strengthens our dependence and faith in Jesus.
Recognize a wrong focus
Concerns increase when we focus on the things of this world. Jesus said that the treasures of this world are subject to decay and can be taken away but the heavenly treasures are secure (Matthew 6:19). Therefore, set your priorities on God and not on money (Matthew 6:24). Man cares about things like having food and clothes but is given his life by God. God provides life, without which the worries of life make no sense.
Concern can cause ulcers and mental problems that can have destructive health effects that shorten life. No worries will add even an hour to one's life (Matthew 6:27). So why bother? The Bible teaches that we should face everyday problems when they occur and not be obsessed with future worries that may not happen (Matthew 6:34).
Focus on Jesus
In Luke 10: 38-42, Jesus visits the home of his sisters Martha and Mary. Martha was busy with many details on how to put Jesus and his disciples at ease. Mary, on the other hand, was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to what she said. Martha complained to Jesus that Mary should have been busy helping, but Jesus said to Martha that "... you are worried and anxious about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Maria has chosen what is best and will not be taken away from her. " (Luke 10: 41-42)
What is this thing that freed Maria from the affairs and concerns experienced by her sister? Mary chose to focus on Jesus, listen to him and ignore the immediate needs of hospitality. I don't think Mary was irresponsible, rather she wanted to experiment and learn from Jesus first, then, when she had finished speaking, she would have fulfilled her duties. Mary had her own straight priorities. If we put God first, it will free us from worries and take care of the rest of our worries.