The Secret to Counteracting Anxiety
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phil. 4:6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by
prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God; (7) And the peace of God, which
surpasses every man's understanding, will guard your hearts
and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (11) Not that I speak
according to lack, for I have learned, in whatever
circumstances I am, to be content. (13) I am able to do all
things in Him who empowers me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If we have learned the secret, we shall know how to
counteract anxiety. If you are in poverty, there is no need
for you to be anxious or to worry. The Lord is still at hand,
and He will take care of you. By nature, we are given to
worry, to anxiety. This is true as much of the rich as it is
of the poor. Those who are poor have their particular
worries, and those who are rich have theirs. Only those who
are truly in Christ in their experience and who are inwardly
empowered by Him have no need to worry or to be anxious.
As a human being, Paul did undergo suffering with respect to
material needs. Paul was not an angel, and he was not like a
lifeless statue without feelings. No doubt, he had learned
the secret of sufficiency in Christ. When he was in want and
was tempted to worry about his situation, he applied this
secret. Then, in his experience, this secret eliminated his
worry. Therefore, he could have the boldness to testify that
he knew both how to be abased and how to abound. The very
fact that Paul knew how to be abased indicates that he
experienced feelings of abasement. He knew what it was to
have worry and anxiety in times of suffering. But at those
times he applied the secret of the indwelling Christ. He
applied the very Christ in whom he could be found. This
Christ is real, living, near, available, and prevailing. This
was the Christ who was Paul's secret.
Using a Stoic term, Paul could say that he had learned, in
whatever circumstances he was, to be content. Although Paul
used a Stoic word, he was by no means a Stoic. On the
contrary, he was a person in Christ, and he experienced
Christ and applied Him in all circumstances. Paul could be
content not because he had been instructed by the Stoics, but
because he applied the very Christ in whom he lived and in
whom he remained. Again I say, this Christ became Paul's
secret.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible 1991, and
Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Philippians, pp. 250-251
Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA
Please visit us at www.emanna.com
Comments to: comment@emanna.com.
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