What God’s Word Says About Your Anxiety…

The inerrant, authoritative Word of God’s criteria and instruction for anxiety are as follows:

1. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7).

2. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, „What shall we eat?‟ or „What shall we drink?‟ or „What shall we wear?‟ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:25-34).

3. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God‟s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:6-7).

4. “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless” (Eccl 2:22-23).

5. “For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin” (Psa 38:18).

6. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa 41:10).

7. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit” (Jer 17:8).

In summary, when it says, “Do not be anxious about anything“…but you still are…confess your iniquity; you are full of anxiety due to your lack of faith. Otherwise, if you had the faith that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28) – what would you actually be anxious about?