Overcoming Anxiety: Trusting God Through Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Embrace Imperfection for Spiritual Growth

Growth in faith is a lifelong journey, and even the Apostle Paul acknowledged his imperfections. He understood that spiritual maturity does not mean achieving perfection but rather continuously striving towards it. By focusing on the future and not being held back by past mistakes, believers can press on towards what lies ahead. This mindset helps in overcoming anxiety, as it shifts the focus from past failures to future possibilities. Remembering that God calls us to move forward can provide the strength needed to combat anxiety and embrace growth. [40:00]

"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: What past mistake or regret are you holding onto that prevents you from moving forward in your spiritual journey? How can you begin to release it today and focus on the future God has for you?

Day 2: Cultivate Faith to Overcome Fear

Anxiety often stems from fear, which anticipates the worst, while faith trusts in God's goodness and His plans for us. To combat anxiety, it is essential to cultivate faith, believing that God works all things together for our good. This involves a conscious decision to trust in God's promises and His ability to guide us through life's challenges. By choosing faith over fear, believers can experience a sense of peace and assurance, knowing that God is in control and has a purpose for every situation. [43:08]

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a specific fear that is causing you anxiety. How can you actively choose to trust God with this fear today, and what steps can you take to cultivate faith in His promises?

Day 3: Humility Invites God's Peace

Humility involves recognizing our need for God and His strength. By casting our anxieties on Him, we acknowledge that we cannot handle life's burdens alone. This act of faith invites God's peace into our lives, as we trust Him to carry our burdens and provide the strength we need. Humility is not about weakness but about acknowledging our dependence on God and His ability to guide us through life's challenges. By humbling ourselves before God, we open the door to His peace and presence in our lives. [55:21]

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you relying solely on your own strength? How can you practice humility today by casting your anxieties on God and inviting His peace into your life?

Day 4: Engage Faith to Experience God's Peace

Faith is essential in overcoming anxiety, as it requires us to trust God with our burdens and believe in His promises. By engaging our faith, we can experience the peace of God, which guards our hearts and minds. This peace is not dependent on external circumstances but is a result of trusting in God's sovereignty and His ability to work all things for our good. By actively engaging our faith, we can find rest and assurance in God's presence, even in the midst of life's challenges. [50:02]

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15, ESV)

Reflection: What is one burden you are currently carrying that you need to entrust to God? How can you actively engage your faith today to experience His peace in this situation?

Day 5: Stand Firm in Faith Against Anxiety

Anxiety is a spiritual battle that requires active resistance. Believers must be alert to the enemy's tactics and stand firm in their faith, trusting that God will provide the strength needed to overcome. This involves being vigilant in prayer, immersing oneself in God's Word, and surrounding oneself with a community of believers who can offer support and encouragement. By standing firm in faith, believers can resist the enemy's attempts to instill fear and doubt, and instead, experience the victory and peace that comes from trusting in God. [11:16]

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." (1 Peter 5:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: How can you be more vigilant in recognizing and resisting the enemy's tactics in your life? What practical steps can you take today to stand firm in your faith and overcome anxiety?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the pervasive issue of anxiety and how it affects our spiritual and daily lives. We began by acknowledging that anxiety is a common struggle, one that even the Apostle Paul faced. Paul, despite his spiritual maturity, admitted he hadn't achieved perfection, reminding us that growth is a continuous journey. He emphasized the importance of forgetting past mistakes and focusing on the future, a principle that can help us overcome anxiety.

Anxiety often stems from fear, which is the opposite of faith. Fear anticipates the worst, while faith trusts in God's goodness and His plans for us. We discussed how worry disconnects us from God, robbing us of peace and joy. Jesus, Solomon, David, and Paul all warned against the dangers of anxiety, highlighting that it adds nothing to our lives and only weighs us down.

Peter's words in 1 Peter 5:5-7 were central to our discussion. He advised us to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand and cast all our anxieties on Him, for He cares for us. Humility, in this context, means acknowledging our need for God and His strength, rather than relying solely on our own abilities. This act of casting our cares onto God requires faith, a conscious decision to trust Him with our burdens.

We also explored practical steps to combat anxiety: staying humble, casting our cares on God, being alert to the enemy's tactics, and resisting through faith. These steps remind us that anxiety is a spiritual battle, one that requires us to engage our faith actively. By doing so, we can experience the peace of God, which guards our hearts and minds.

Key Takeaways

1. Growth and Imperfection: Even the Apostle Paul acknowledged his imperfections, reminding us that spiritual growth is a lifelong journey. We must focus on the future and not be held back by past mistakes, as God calls us to press on towards what lies ahead. [40:00]
2. **Fear vs. Faith**: Anxiety is rooted in fear, which anticipates the worst. In contrast, faith trusts in God's goodness and His plans for us. To combat anxiety, we must cultivate faith, believing that God works all things together for our good. [43:08]
3. Humility and Dependence on God: Humility involves recognizing our need for God and His strength. By casting our anxieties on Him, we acknowledge that we cannot handle life's burdens alone. This act of faith invites God's peace into our lives. [55:21]
4. The Power of Faith: Faith is essential in overcoming anxiety. It requires us to trust God with our burdens and believe in His promises. By engaging our faith, we can experience the peace of God, which guards our hearts and minds. [50:02]
5. Active Resistance: Anxiety is a spiritual battle that requires active resistance. We must be alert to the enemy's tactics and stand firm in our faith, trusting that God will provide the strength we need to overcome. [11:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:18] - Greetings and Announcements
[38:02] - Valentine's Day Reflections
[39:01] - Introduction to Anxiety
[39:44] - Apostle Paul's Advice
[41:07] - Living a Victorious Life
[42:17] - The Root of Anxiety
[43:22] - Faith Over Fear
[45:30] - Biblical Insights on Anxiety
[47:07] - Paul's Encouragement
[48:10] - Challenges and Faith
[50:02] - The Peace of God
[55:04] - Peter's Guidance
[58:03] - Humility and Pride
[62:26] - Casting Your Cares
[69:12] - Being Alert and Resisting
[71:00] - Final Encouragement and Prayer

Sermon Clips

If the Apostle Paul said that he hasn't got it all together yet, there's hope for all of us because, except for Jesus Christ, he's probably one of the most spiritually mature people who has ever lived who ever walked this Earth. And he's saying I'm still living, I'm still growing, I'm still understanding about my walk with God. [00:40:25]

Too many times our mistakes hold us back. Too many times the things we've done in our past really limit our future. And what Paul is saying, this is what I do: I keep focused on where I'm at now, what God says I am, who God says I am, and I keep moving forward. [00:41:31]

Worry is never the right option for us because it separates us from God and the peace that God can provide, and it causes us to constantly think about the worst that would happen. Now statistics tell us that two-thirds of the things we worry about never happen anyway, but we need some help to handle the things that are really dealing with in our life. [00:42:44]

Faith believes that God is going to work all things together for our good. So to combat fear, to combat worry, combat anxiousness, we need to have more faith. Can you say more faith? Tell your neighbor you need more faith. So we have this passage of scripture I want to give you before we get really rolling on this. [00:43:48]

Jesus said this in Matthew 6:27: He said, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour of span to your life? Now how many of you worried and felt, gosh, I'm so glad I just worried today. I feel like I'm going to live longer. I feel like I'm going to have a better day. No, the opposite happens, doesn't it? [00:45:55]

The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything. That's easy to say, hard to do. But in everything, can you say in everything? See, we're not anxious about everything. We're just anxious about some things. And as parents, many times we're anxious about our kids or we're anxious about our work possibly. [00:47:34]

Most of the battles we face as far as worry and anxiousness are concerned are in our mind. We have physical battles, but the greatest battles are in our mind. The worries we have, the concerns we have, the words that people maybe spoke to us and hurt our feelings, and we've let that marinate, we've let it grow, we've let it prosper in our mind. [00:50:47]

Peter was the one that walked on water for a while. Remember, he said, Lord, if it's you, let me walk on water. And you know the story. He actually walked on water for a while. We discredit him because he sank, but I don't know anybody else besides Jesus that actually walked on water for a while. [01:01:04]

Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but gets you nowhere. So here's the first point of the message, and I'm going to have to explain this point because you're really not going to get it until I explain it. The first point is to stay humble. [01:02:56]

If you're filled with anxiety, it's actually a form of pride. Now don't cut me off right there. Let me keep going because you're trying to solve the problem by yourself without God's help. We usually think of pride as something else. We usually think of someone who's prideful that has an arrogant personality. [01:03:58]

One of the definitions of cast is a powerful throw. So to cast isn't just to drop something. If you have a ball in your hand, no, it's to throw it in the back of the room. It's to really wing it. Well, last year, I was taking my grandson Louie fishing, so he has a little fishing pole. [01:04:46]

You have to push the faith button. Are you kidding this to me? It isn't going to work. You're not going to go anywhere if you don't push the faith and then cast the care of it on the Lord. It takes faith to get God into the picture. God is moved by faith. God rewards faith. [01:06:57]

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