Letting God have our anxieties calls for action, not passivity! We don't submit to the circumstances, but to the Lord who controls the circumstances. Worry savatoges any opportunity to apply faith to any given situation, but faith opens the door for God's grace to be applied to any circumstance.
Faith is a shield ~ a shield protects us, but only when it's held up! If we don't hold up the shield of faith, that leaves us open for Satan's onslaught. Faith is our forward guard, but we MUST hold it up! When our shield is dropped, so is our courage and we are left standing wide open for Satan's attack. A dropped shield (Faith) is Satan's invitation and he will not miss an opportunity to send us running in fear! We must refuse to give him a foothold!
Anxiety, fear and depression are slippery slope ~ a pit that's harder to get out of, once we're in it! We must stay clear of it's edge, refusing to even get close. That downward spiral will only cause us misery and it's not worth it! Why be miserable when we can choose to believe His truths, walk in faith, sing His praises, and be filled with thanksgiving and PRAY, while we wait for God to act on our behalf ! We can enjoy rest and peace. It is a choice! These will be great weapons of victory, IF we will raise them up!
Our mind and it's focus will bring us victory or bring us down in defeat! What we do with our thoughts matters. We must captivate our thoughts, rule over them with an iron fist and, absolutely, refuse to allow them to focus on the problem, to reason or wander. We must learn to master our thoughts and captivate them unto the Lord and not let them go wherever they will! We must think about what we're thinking about! A man is as he thinks. Where our mind goes the man (we) will follow. To move toward God, we must be fixed on Him!
If we will search out God's truths and apply them to the lies Satan is whispering in our ears and believe them, we will find joy in our faith and enjoy rest and peace! When we choose to believe Satan's lies, we cower in fear! We can choose who we believe: Satan, who whispers lies to cause fear or God's truths that teach us to stand in faith, that allow us to enjoy His rest!
Hold up the shield of faith! Hold it up! We win the war on our knees! One day at a time, one step at a time! We cannot give in to Satan's tactics ~ He's deceptive ~ don't be deceived! Choose faith, choose to believe God! What He says, He will do!
1 Peter 5:8-10 says,
"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.
Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers, throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
Eph 6:10-18 (NIV) . . . Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, the the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints."
Philippians 4:4-8
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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 minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable ~ if anything is excellent or praiseworthy ~ think about such things."
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your OWN UNDERSTANDING. In ALL your ways, acknowledge Him and HE will make your paths straight."
Don't forget, EVERYTHING passes through the fingers of God's love ~ if you're going through hardships, don't lay blame ~ look at the disappointment as a God appointment ~ an invitation to draw near and know the Father more intimately. (View it as an opportunity to see God meet your need) you wouldn't see Him in the way He wants you to see Him without there being a need to fill! Look for Him in your situation! Set your mind and keep it set on Him!
He can be trusted! He is Faithful and Trustworthy! He has your best interest at heart! Do you really BELIEVE that? If so, you can rest in faith, while He works! Wait, patiently, don't try to deal with things that weren't meant for today. Ask, when God tells you to wait, trust that He's acting on your behalf ~ rest in Him and look to Him for your care. If you're depending on yourself, He will let you ~ depend on Him and watch Him do what you can not!
I could hug your neck! You're seeking to walk with Him! Ask for His help and He will not leave you!
Hebrews 13:5-6 in AMP version is one of my favorites! I've posted it before, but love it!!
"Let your character or moral disposition be free from the love of money (including greed, avarice, lust and craving for earthly possessions) and be satisfied with your present (circumstances and with what you have); for He (God) Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. (I will) not, (I will) not, (I will) not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let (you) down (relax y hold on you)! (Assuredly not!)"
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