Anxiety

Anxiety now days is at the forefront of societal discussions. I read some comments online from a video post, where the preacher was trying to do a physical challenge to demonstrate how during times of need, all we need to do is pray. The comments were unanimously targeted towards anxiety and how prayer never helped them and that it takes more than prayer to solve such a deep seated issue. Of course most people's solution is years of medical treatments and/or therapy. When I read those people's comments, their feelings were hopelessness. This is where the church has failed to step in and be a light and because of that, the world is slipping into darkness. I say it's the churches fault because as we bicker about denominational lines and differences in doctrine, we confuse and water down what is supposed to be powerful and transformational. 

How can we preach God is all powerful yet not believe He is able to change us? It's as if He's conditional instead of transformational. Can we not believe He's big enough for all our problems? We see our issues too big for us to handle and thus we pass on our inabilities to Him instead of believing He can handle them. 

One piece of scripture has always haunted me since I became a Christian. 

2 Timothy 3:1-5

1But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, 4traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power.

The first 4 versus are obvious as we see this taking place all around us but the 5th verse, having a form of Godliness but denying its power is something all together different. When I first read these, it hit me hard that the power of God was a thing to take so seriously. I mean, everyone believes that God has power and Jesus had power but for us to have that same power in us?

 It's preached that we are destined to be sinners all our lives, doomed to repeat our mistakes and to succumb to our fleshly desires continually. Is this not denying God's power to transform our lives from what we were to what we can be in Him. How is it God can raise Christ from the dead, include us in His death and resurrection so that we are no longer separated but justified, fill those who believe with His Spirit but when it comes to our flesh He's stopped cold. How is this reasonable in our minds. This is the same God who does the miraculous throughout the Bible but we think dealing with our issues is too big for Him. Huh?

It is an issue if there are so few examples of people walking out what the Bible describes as a normal Christian life. Jesus was our example, His life is what we should be walking in. Don't listen to those who don't believe in the power that comes with belief. Don't listen to those that take God and make Him incapable of dealing with something like anxiety. 

You want the truth? If we believe Jesus came to die to redeem us and justify us before God then you must also believe His Spirit comes to dwell in us upon that belief. If we are redeemed and filled then we must also believe He lives in us and His power keeps us from sin and fleshly desires. We must also believe that we are loved and are Sons of God and that we are co-heirs of the Kingdom alongside of Christ Jesus. We must believe that in us lives the same Spirit that brought forth all the miracles that Jesus did and that same Spirit can work through us to do the same and more. We must believe we have the gifts of the Spirit too. I say we must because scripture says all this and more.

How can we deny God's power? How can we pick and choose what God can and cannot do in our lives? We cannot believe in Him in part because if we only believe in part we still deny in part. To not believe and have doubt is just as terrible as all those things listed in verses 1-4 and most do not want to be included with those in that list. Yet if you deny, you are.

Solution: Drop all your preconceived ideas of what you think God is and just have faith in Him to work in and through you. You are the pottery, made from His hands. He has made you for His purpose and He loves you. Let Him fill you up and use you for the glory of His name. 

Let not one speck of doubt enter into you but let faith in Him rule your mind and heart. Don't look at your situation and think it's too hard or that your too far gone for Him to handle. Don't think that you've got to be clean in order for you to have faith. Faith comes first then He cleans you up from the inside out. Just believe and He will do the rest.

To God be the Glory!