In one of the past podcasts, I said, “hope in God brings an end to anxiousness, sicknesses, diseases, mourning, sadness, and sorrow in life…keep hope in God alive” (Oluwabiyi, 2021, para. 5). Today, allow me to speak to you about “anxiety.” There is no doubt, things that cause anxiety exist daily. So, whether you like it or not, anxiety shows either in whole or partly in your activities. However, you do not have to give in. This is one of the reasons why Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Anxiety is a dangerous zone and a state you do not want to be in! Let us look at what exactly is the definition of anxiety. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it is “apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill: a state of being anxious.” Why do I say it is a dangerous zone? From the above definition, you can see how dangerous anxiety could be. Thus, it is an unsafe zone you should not be in because it produces nothing good except that it could cause lasting damages to your health.
Perhaps your concern is, with all that is happening in the world, how could you not be anxious? How possible is it to be amid all the chaos going on yet not be worried? Well, whether you like it or not, the world would not be free from all disasters at once. What we have seen is moving from one disaster to another or one pandemic to another. If you read Matthew 24:3-14, you would see the signs. It is obvious, what we are experiencing now, and things to come if you do not have the Comforter – Holy Spirit, John 14:16, you may continue the struggle without divine help. If you read the above bible passage, you will see where it says, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” Matthew 24:7-8.
Therefore, being anxious in any shape or form could not and will not help your situation. The good thing about life is that God (the author) of life has provided solutions in the life manual (the Bible). Do not stay in a dangerous zone. Do not give yourself to anxiety. Follow the prescription in Philippians 4:6 that says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Regardless of how long you ponder on situations, there are things in life you cannot change by just thinking about them except to take them to the Lord in prayers. It would interest you to know that if you use the time you wasted on anxiety to praise and thank God, you will receive the solution to your challenges.
I encourage you to cast all your anxieties and your challenges on God. It is only in God you would find rest. Let not your heart be troubled, do not walk in the anxiety zone. Give it all to God because He cares for you. Letting God rule your life is a critical choice that needs to be made; God would not force His will on you. You have the choice between life and death, but I sincerely encourage you to choose life as I end with this “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16.
Bibliography
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Anxiety. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anxiety
Oluwabiyi, S. (2021, August 7). Hope. Retrieved August 18, 2021, from https://solomonoluwabiyi.com/2021/08/07/hope/
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, © 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
© Solomon Oluwabiyi, August 21, 2021
Website: https://solomonoluwabiyi.com
Email: viewpoint@solomonoluwabiyi.com
