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The King Who Overcame Anxiety!

There are many types of anxiety. This post will be tackling the topic of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Basically, GAD is a disorder that causes people to worry abnormally and frequently throughout their life.

Now, what does the Bible say about anxiety in general?

Matthew 6:27-30 World English Bible (WEB)
27 “Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? 28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, 29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

The general topic of this bible verse is anxiety. This is when Jesus tells the people that you should not worry about anything because God is in control.

He says that He will provide. If you are worried about anything, just lay it down at the feet of Jesus. Doesn’t Jesus say in verse 30, that if He put so much effort into the design of flowers, then how much more, will He care for you!

No Longer in Bondage

Romans 8:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Paul, influenced by the Holy Spirit, wrote this passage straight from Heaven so that you can truly understand the solution to General Anxiety Disorder. He says we have not received the spirit of bondage to fear. But, what is bondage to fear?

Bondage to fear is when someone is always scared of what’s happening next or what has already happened. It can be seen as constant anxiety, which perfectly matches GAD’s description. So, God tells us through this passage, that if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, He will put in you, His Spirit of adoption.

It means that as soon as you believe in Him, He considers you His own child. When you were young, your parents would tell you not to be worried. They would always take care of everything to the best of their ability. I mean, I’ve never seen a child worry about paying the bills or providing food on the table in a functional family.

In the same way, Holy Spirit tells you in this scripture that you have not received a spirit of bondage to fear, but the Spirit of adoption from God, meaning that He see you through the lens of love, as His dear, beloved child, just rely on Him.

God’s Primary Calling to You

Therefore, God calls you to believe in Him and to place your trust in Jesus Christ because He loves you; He wants to do something great in your life, He wants you to be set free from all anxiety as He calls the whole world to Him!

John 3:16 World English Bible (WEB)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Moreover, Jesus leaves you with His peace which is not dependant on your situation but on your relationship with Jesus.

John 14:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

Before Jesus’ crucifixion, He made a promise that He would give us peace. So, accept His promise, He put His Spirit in you and there is nothing that should worry you if the Almighty God is on your side.

You may be saying, “But, Andre, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a mental illness, it is beyond my control!”

Yet, my response remains the same because it’s supported by scripture, Jesus made that promise of peace for everyone; it is not supposed to be under your control, you just need to surrender it to Jesus. He did not say that His promise of peace is reserved only for healthy Christians, His promise is for everyone and anyone so as long as you decide to trust Him.

Philippians 4:7 World English Bible (WEB)
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

His peace transcends human comprehension; if you suffer from GAD, just ask God for that peace which He promised, GAD should have no place in your life.

You do not need to be anxious about the future, your situation or anything for that matter, but you should remind yourself that Jesus promised you peace. There may be challenges here and there but Jesus will turn your challenges into testimonies.

Therefore, accept His love and enjoy His perfect, wonderful peace.

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Righteousness in Christ Jesus

Psalm 17:15 World English Bible (WEB)
 15 As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness.
    I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.

This Psalm is a prayer from the mouth of King David who’s in the Old Testament. Now, what is the Holy Spirit trying to convey through this line of scripture?

First of all, you have to understand what it means to be righteous! To be righteous, means to be right with God. So, for the first line of the verse, David says there’s a time when He can see God’s face because he is righteous.

Remember, David was a man of faults, but a man after God’s heart, nevertheless; he had faith in the coming Messiah as is revealed in Psalm 22.

Our Righteousness? Or His Righteousness?

Now, for us, we are righteous (made right with God) because Jesus, the Messiah, was perfect and without sin, so that when He was punished despite being innocent, our wickedness was transferred to Him, while His righteousness was transferred to us!

2 Corinthians 5:21 World English Bible (WEB)
21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Righteousness has nothing to do with your works or how you act. Your works are like filthy rags to God because your standard of morality fails in comparison to God’s perfect morality. So, the only way to be truly righteous is for you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

Isaiah 64:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Romans 3:23 King James Version (KJV)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Again, scripture makes it clear that if we know that we are righteous in Christ Jesus, we will not continue committing works of the flesh, but will manifest the righteousness God gave us, in our lives. We will never be able to stop committing works of the flesh, but Holy Spirit will strengthen you with His grace so you can live in freedom from sin.

Galatians 5:24-25 World English Bible (WEB)
24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.

Walking With God

Since we become righteous in Christ Jesus, we can then behold the face of God. His righteousness in us, allows us to live free from guilt. We can look straight into God’s face, without any guilt or shame, because we have been made right with God, and now, God considers you His friend!

Exodus 33:11 World English Bible (WEB)
11 Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn’t depart from the Tent.

Moreover, the scripture reveals a sense of satisfaction with seeing God’s form. The Hebrew word for “form,” in this verse, is “Temunah,” which also means likeness.

God uses this same Hebrew word to describe His friendship with Moses, where Moses can see God in His true form.

This is simply wonderful because that means we can see God and talk to Him just like how Moses spent His time with God, only with a New Testament understanding!

Numbers 12:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see Yahweh’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

All in all, Holy Spirit wants you to know that when you accept Jesus, and understand you are righteous in Him, you can live a satisfying life with the Almighty God of this universe.

He paid the price so that you can live in relationship with Him; where you can constantly see His manifest presence all the days of your life.

Therefore, live in the understanding of your righteousness in Christ Jesus so you can live in a deep relationship with Him!