Freedom In Christ: Fear Not...

Over the past week there has been a lot of media coverage surrounding the senseless killing of innocent people in front of a neighborhood grocery store in Tucson, Arizona. As I have intermittently watched the coverage and listened to the people I work with discuss this event, I see a theme throughout many of the conversations. Fear...

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During this same time period I have been reading from a book that was published back in 1885. The title of the book is "DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY AND OTHER SERMONS, BY REUEN THOMAS, MINISTER OF HARVARD CHURCH, BROOKLINE"

The chapter I was reading in at the time of the shooting was:

"THE LIMITATIONS OF EVIL"

Here is a quote from that chapter:

But there is a limit even to the worst things that a man can do. When he murders me he comes to the limit of his ability. He releases my soul from its fetters, he unbinds me from this earth, he hurries me into the spiritual world. It is an immense thing to do for me ; it may be, as far as I am personally concerned, a great blessing conferred ; as far as the doer of the deed is concerned it must be the weightiest curse, for he has done his worst on me.

The Christian view of death does not make murder any the less of a crime, it does nothing to justify war, but it does a great deal to relieve our minds when we think upon Divine Providence. What meditative mind is there that has not been on the edge of disbelief in a Divine Providence in times of dire calamity, when human life seemed so cheap as almost to be worthless, blood poured out like water, and for what?

One of the reoccurring themes in this chapter comes from the book of Matthew. (Matt 10:28)

"Fear not them which kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do."

One of the primary functions of a person with this kind of killing capacity is to invoke fear in people. In addition to threats of terror, we are constantly bombarded with threats of economic downturns, never ending wars, and an ever present evil that is among us. All of which can cause us to respond with fear. I admit, I have times when things around me cause fear and anxiety in my life. Jesus tells us to not fear those who can kill the body...

Daily In Christ - Freedom In Christ Challenge

Jesus wants us to live free from anxiety and fear and the Bible tells us when we cast our cares on Him we are truly free. Fear can overtake us in many areas of our life and today I encourage you to cast your fears on Jesus. Leave them at the foot of the cross and trust in His Divine Providence.

I pray today that you can experience His peace in times of trouble.

Blessings,
Keith

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Think About These Things.

Php 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (esv)

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It is filled with so much for us to hold on to. Rejoice in the Lord always... Not sometimes, not only when things are going well, but in all situations. And then to let your reasonableness be known to everyone. Be anxious about nothing, make your requests be known to God and His peace will guard my heart.

And then the things that Paul instructs the Philippians to set their minds on. Purity, loveliness, excellence, honor, etc... These aren't a list of do's but a way to be. When I meditate on these things then the ways of the devil have no place in my heart.

I encourage you today to listen to this passage of scripture and read it over several times and meditate on it. Ask God to reveal anything in your heart that might not be a way for to be. Being in Christ is about being and not doing. May we draw closer to Him today by being more like Him.

Dealing With Anxiety

1Pe 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 1Pe 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Anxiety. Just the word stirs up uncomfortable feelings and emotions. I know that when someone mentions the word anxiety my mind goes to certain times in my life that were anxiety provoking for me. In conversations with others on the topic, I say to myself as they are talking about their troubles, "I can relate to that."

We all have suffered from it from time to time in our lives. Some more than others, but never the less, we all have experienced the feeling of anxiety. The flush feeling coming over our face, the panic stricken sensation all around us, and the feeling in your gut that everything is going to go wrong in this particular situation.

I have gone for periods of time where anxiety was as common to me as breathing. The feelings of despair and wondering where God could have gone overwhelmed me to the point of great fear. It is the epitome of hopelessness...

But there truly is hope. Hope that God has His hand on me and He cares more for me than I could ever imagine. God doesn't want us to be burdened with anxieties and held down. He longs for an intimate relationship with us and seeks to comfort those who call on His name.

Psa 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Here are some thoughts on ways I have learned to overcome anxiety:

• Pray. God wants us to cast our burdens on Him. This means to dismiss or reject as useless or inconvenient. The anxieties we experience are useless to us and only cause grief.
  
• Share how you are feeling with someone you trust. Sharing our struggles with others gives us a chance to help one another. Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (NASB)
  
• Re-evaluate the situation. Have you ever heard some say, "Just change your perspective?" Great advice. Many times the problem we are anxious about is merely an issue of how we perceive a particular problem. Learn skills that help to change how we see our problems.
  
• Take a break from your problem and walk away for a few minutes. Go for a walk, workout, read a book. Find something that will allow you to get away from your struggle for awhile.
  
• Stop obsessing and think positive. Relate your problem to the big picture. Is this something that I need to worry about right now? Most things we struggle with don't even come to pass so our anxiety isn't worth the destruction it is causing in our life.
  
• Work through it one step at a time. Some of our problems are real problems and the best way to face them is head on one step at a time. When I have a stress producing event I try to break it down to simple steps I can achieve.

There are many ways to deal with stress and anxiety. Find the methods that work the best for you, and remember, the Lord wants you to live free from anxiety and stress.

Pro 12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad. (NASB)

Lord, thank you for caring about me. Please help be to learn ways to cast my anxieties onto you. I want to live for you and know that stress and anxiety can get in the way of that.