| A Divine Cure for Anxiety
By Joseph Prescia Genuine, authentic Bible believing must be definite and free of doubt. It’s not a general belief in the existence of God, the goodness of God or the power of God, but a believing in what God says shall come to pass. Philippians 4:6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (KJV) This eliminates anxiety. The believer selects what to pray for and it’s God Who is petitioned to accomplish the request. Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (KJV) “All things whatsoever...” How broad the request and how definite and specific the promise “ye shall receive.” Is it “all things whatsoever” without regard to the will of God? Since it has to be according to the will of God it must be all with distinction. The distinction is to pray according to the will of God. Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (KJV) How could God work within us if we don’t allow Him to? How could we know the will of God if we don’t know what the Word says? We can’t. It’s not the will of God to pray to win the lottery. How do we know this? We know that Scripture declares in II Thessalonians 3:10 that we are to work for our income and also because of what is declared in Philippians. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (KJV) The lottery would be greed. Greed goes beyond need. God promises to supply all your need. Would that include emotional prosperity as well as financial prosperity? Sure. It would also include the need to love and be loved. It would include joy and peace. It would also include believing. We have a need to believe God and God fulfills that need through His Word. He gives us promises that we are to grab with our heart and expect Him to supply. He supplies them according to His riches. When we are firmly planted in God’s promises, expecting Him to supply our need, anxiety has no place in our minds. We know how critical believing is to the individual and yet we must make sure that believing in the right thing is singled out. There was a time when people thought that the world was flat. Their believing did not change the fact that the earth is round. Believing in the right things is essential in the physical world. The same is true in the spiritual realm. A promise that God shall supply a need can at times seem impossible to obtain because the five senses cannot figure it all out. When the children of Israel stood at the banks of the Red Sea God promised deliverance from the Egyptians pursuing them. They could not figure out how God was going to deliver them. They were anxious and afraid. Exodus 14:13-15 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (If you’re not peaceful, you’re anxious) . And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: (KJV) God wants us to go forward with action upon the Word of God. Praying and getting ourselves psyched up will not yield an answer to prayer, but will build a false hope. The Scriptures declare that believing God is required. Believing is not an aimless act of the soul, but a looking to God and a resting upon His promises. Believing gives spiritual life to prayer. Believing pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (KJV) Without believing it is impossible to please God. Why? Because you have to believe God at His Word in order to do the will of God. You cannot do the will of God until you first believe those Words that require you to get there. If we are not believing God at His Word then we are most likely anxious and fearful. In time of great tragedy people want to do something to help. In 2001 the Red Cross raised over 500 million dollars to aid family victims of the September 11th acts. People wanted to do something, so they gave money. This helped them to feel good. The Scriptures don’t advise us to just do anything to feel good, it commands believing instead. Taking God at His Word and doing it is a cure for anxiety. Will God help in time of great need? He is a loving God. He wants to give, but some only call upon Him as an emergency God. A daily personal relationship with God is more meaningful than a crisis God. In the Old Testament David was known as a man after God’s own heart. David did not make God his emergency God. Psalm 63:1-11 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life (Look at David’s priority. God is better than life.), my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. 9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. (KJV) David was being pursued by an angry king Saul. He did not want to lay a hand upon the Lord’s anointed. David was running for his life from Saul. He did not want to harm Saul even though he could have. David left judgment against Saul up to God. Remember David was brave enough to stand before Goliath and defeat him. Saul would have been an easy target to get rid of, but David wanted to do the will of God. God protected him day after day while Saul pursued him. Had David not had a daily and hourly personal relationship with God he would have never been able to believe in God’s ability to protect him. Anxiety is eliminated to the degree you know and trust God. We meditate upon the Words of God today so that we are prepared to walk with God tomorrow. When tomorrow comes we’re prepared. If tomorrow was September 11th we would be prepared. How different September 11th would have been had America developed a personal relationship with God prior to that date. We know that church attendance was up immediately after that date because people were afraid and they didn’t know how to be comforted. God is our refuge through His Word. Fear does not believe God at His Word. Fear is unbelief. A personal relationship with God involves constant contact, checking in with Him throughout the day, “What can I do for you God?” attitude or “Father, I expect us to walk together today.” Who’s will do you want to do? If you’ve been doing your will most of your life it’s going to take some time to change master’s. That’s why reading the Word of God is so critical in our walk. If listening to the news only for the last few months is how we have been filling our minds then it’s no doubt that one is afraid or feels hopeless. He is the God of all comfort. What He says He means and He has the resources to bring it to pass. Hebrews 11:23-34 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (KJV) Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. (KJV) The world gives a good report to those who give money, but few receive a good report because of their believing. I’d rather please God than please the world, wouldn’t you? Without believing it’s impossible to please Him. Prayer with believing achieves a divine cure for anxiety. Philippians 4:6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (KJV) The divine cure for anxiety is prayer with thanksgiving. We know that prayer must be accompanied with believing because it says in this verse “with thanksgiving.” One is not thankful in advance without believing. We believe to receive before the prayer is answered. Believing turns the asking into obtaining. In summary, believing is not simply acknowledging God’s presence and power, but believes in what God says shall absolutely come to pass. Prayer selects specifics based upon what the Scriptures declare can be prayed for. Getting ourselves emotionally psyched up will not yield an answer to prayer but believing God’s promises will. God is not just an emergency God but a God Who desires fellowship throughout the day, every day. Giving money without regard to the will of God is foolish. Doing the will of God, to obey His Word, is better than sacrifice. Fear is the enemy of believing. The divine cure for anxiety is prayer with believing and thanksgiving. When all is said and done believers shall receive a good report for having believed God at His Word. |
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