Right now there seems to be an overabundance of worry and anxiety spreading quickly throughout the world. I’d like to ask you a serious question: How do you deal with worry and anxiety in your life?
It might be helpful to take a step back for a moment and imagine anxiety and worry as two rough and ugly characters.
These characters quite often team up and do everything in their power to force themselves into your heart and mind. And once they’ve got a foot in the door, they relentlessly prod and poke you, steal your joy, keep you from a good night’s rest, snatch away your dreams, and encourage you to succumb to your deepest fears.
Want to know two keys to overcoming these nasty characters when they show up at your door? Here they are…
First, ask God to grant you His peace.
Second, ask the God of peace to stand with you.
Because anxiety and worry are powerless in the face of the God of peace.
When God and His peace reign in your heart and mind, worry and anxiety will be stripped of their power to rule over your life! And defeating anxiety and worry means bearing in mind that the Lord is always near… and that you depend on His provision in all circumstances, particularly when you’re afraid and ready to give in to the temptation to worry. As the Scripture so graciously exhorts us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
Rejoicing means filling your heart and mind with positive things that are going to enrich you, claiming the promises of peace from God’s Word, and asking the Holy Spirit to guard your heart and mind.
When you’re filled with the presence and peace of God in your heart and mind, those two ugly characters will be afraid to even knock on the door. Ask God to give you strength to defeat anxiety and worry in your life today, and to deepen your trust in His incredible plans and promises for your future.