“Rejoice in the Lord always…The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus” (Philip 4:4-7)

Anxiety is a vague, undefined type of fear. It is a painful silent expectation of danger combined with doubt; I fear that I do not have the resources to cope with the trouble ahead. Most people are not aware of anxiety. It manifests as weakness, depression or even as a chronic sickness. The natural man is filled with it. He has no power to stop worrying about his life and his future.

But here I want to point to a different type of anxiety. It comes to the believer in Christ. After you become saved a whole new world opens to you. It is called the Kingdom of God. In it there are laws and promises, hopes and dreams you never thought about. As an unbeliever, you did not worry about the colors of the rainbow in heaven. But now, just reading about the glorious eternal riches found in Christ, a new anxiety starts to grip your soul.

‘Will I finish the race…Will I be faithful to the end…Will I ever be filled with the Holy Spirit…Will I ever speak in tongues… Will I marry God’s choice for me…Will my children be saved…Will I fulfill my destiny on earth…Will I be accepted to enter heaven…Will my ministry be successful…’

This is ‘a Christian’ anxiety, for lack of better words. In the scripture above we are commanded to confront this newly developing fear and to deal with it in a spiritual way. The first thing to do is to learn to rejoice always. It means to praise God in the midst of all circumstances. It is a vow, a decision you have to make in the presence of God. The things around you should not dictate your moods. Even if it sounds foolish, do praise God always! Remember who God is in general and who He is to you! If you are saved, that blessing alone should give enough desire to praise God day and night. Also, you are to pray always! Pray not only for major decisions in life, but about all things…

’Lord, I forgot how many eggs I need to make vanilla cake…Lord, do You like this outfit…Lord, I need a friend to visit me…Lord, I want to write a song…Lord, my electric bill is unpaid…’

As you praise and pray, then the peace of Christ will come on you as a blanket on a shivering child. The Father will come and carry you to bed and tuck you in, as the stars blink a song composed for you alone…The peace will cover your mind and protect your emotions. No more wild crazy fearful thoughts! No more fear of the dark! No more hellish dreams…

I press on for the gift of the assurance of salvation…the doctrines use ‘to float’ in the air around me, but now I know the One whom I have believed! I can feel His special love for me alone! I can hear my name called by the King! Then the miracle I read about but never truly experienced is here…Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost…The little foxes of anxiety have lost the battle and finally they are gone…really gone!!!

After many tears and sleepless nights…the Lord is near…the Prince is here… His crown of glory, His diadem of Peace is finally mine…Hallelujah!

In Christ I declare:

I shall be anxious for nothing!

I shall praise God always!

I shall pray always!

I have peace in my soul!

I am eternally saved!

In Jesus name

Amen!