(5) "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
When we allow Christ to carry our burdens and take our cares, we can share in His peace. When our minds are troubled, we can isolate those cares and replace them with God's promises; that's what the Bible calls "taking every thought captive." The enemy will tempt us to think in a manner that produces fear and worry, but we can rely on God's power, recognizing that we don't have the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace, and when we are worried or anxious, we can appropriate His wonderful
peace. Isaiah 26 states:
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
Seems like there is certainly plenty to worry about - it could be safety; it might be health. It might be our loved ones and their decisions, or our wealth: our financial well-being or lack thereof.
An organization called SafeWise has just released a survey that ranks the states in the U.S. according to their worry - about crime. The survey article states:
The article relates that:
Among the worried states, 50% said they worried most about digital crimes and 50% said property crimes. Violent crimes was not the leading worry in any state. But, the summary article says, "Although it isn’t the top fear, every most worried state reported a level of concern about violent crime that was 55% or higher."
The article does offer some "things you can do to quiet those nagging anxieties:"
The Bible promises us perfect peace, a peace that passes all understanding. That perfect peace, according to Isaiah, occurs as we keep our minds fixed on God. That supernatural peace, according to Philippians, is a by-product of presenting our requests to God. When we are feeling anxious and are troubled by manifold fearful thoughts, we can meditate on God's promises and call out to Him.
The Bible, in 1st Peter, tells us to cast your cares upon the Lord. We worry when we try to acquire burdens that we cannot carry. And, much of what we worry about, as it's been said, never happens anyway. We can recalibrate our thinking and follow the words of Jesus, who, when teaching about worry and anxiety, instructed us to seek first the Kingdom.
+++++
Jesus is our Prince of Peace, and when we are worried or anxious, we can appropriate His wonderful
peace. Isaiah 26 states:
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
Seems like there is certainly plenty to worry about - it could be safety; it might be health. It might be our loved ones and their decisions, or our wealth: our financial well-being or lack thereof.
An organization called SafeWise has just released a survey that ranks the states in the U.S. according to their worry - about crime. The survey article states:
With the 24/7 news cycle, it’s hard not to feel like the world is full of danger. But which issues make us pace the floor, bite our nails, and grind our teeth? SafeWise conducted a nationwide survey to find out. Our State of Safety survey polled residents in all 50 states to find out what’s really keeping them up at night.
We tallied up the numbers to identify the states that are the most and least worried about safety issues like violent crime, property crime, and digital crime.The most worried state, with a 55.8% overall level of concern, is Louisiana. At #2, wait for it - it's Alabama, with 55% of those surveyed indicating a worry about crime, with property crime being the highest-rated worry area. The remainder of the top 5: Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Nevada. Vermont is the least worried state, according to the survey.
The article relates that:
Also, "Violent crime wasn’t rated the number one worry among any of the states we’ve listed."
- Digital security was the biggest worry overall, across both most worried and least worried states. Property crime was the second-biggest worry.
Among the worried states, 50% said they worried most about digital crimes and 50% said property crimes. Violent crimes was not the leading worry in any state. But, the summary article says, "Although it isn’t the top fear, every most worried state reported a level of concern about violent crime that was 55% or higher."
The article does offer some "things you can do to quiet those nagging anxieties:"
There is also the exhortation to "manage your worries." And, that is an area where some Biblical principles can be very helpful:
- Cut down on your exposure to bad news—limit the time you spend watching or reading the news.
- If you worry about being robbed, take measures to secure your home. Adding a security camera or security system that comes with a mobile app can help you feel safer all the time.
- To limit worry about identity theft, get a shredder for monthly bills and other financial records, make sure your computer is protected, and regularly check your credit report for suspicious activity.
The Bible promises us perfect peace, a peace that passes all understanding. That perfect peace, according to Isaiah, occurs as we keep our minds fixed on God. That supernatural peace, according to Philippians, is a by-product of presenting our requests to God. When we are feeling anxious and are troubled by manifold fearful thoughts, we can meditate on God's promises and call out to Him.
The Bible, in 1st Peter, tells us to cast your cares upon the Lord. We worry when we try to acquire burdens that we cannot carry. And, much of what we worry about, as it's been said, never happens anyway. We can recalibrate our thinking and follow the words of Jesus, who, when teaching about worry and anxiety, instructed us to seek first the Kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment