Feeling Anxious

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.—John 14:1

It seems like everyone I meet is stressed out, overwhelmed, and devoid of margin. You might even be starting today with a mild form of anxiety because life has been a little too much. And while it's tempting to feed this anxiety by stepping on the gas and charging after your day, this may not be the best choice. Notice the strength of the words, "Let not." Now there is nothing wrong with a little hard work, but the person who believes that hard work is the only solution misses the point in Jesus' assertion above. And Jesus declares that our anxiety problems are a belief problem.

"Belief in God" is a directive to trust Him in the anxiety. Jesus indicates that while you'll experience occasional anxiety, you must learn to move from trust in self to trust in him. And while you may not realize it, trusting in yourself is what produces anxiety in the first place. As you move toward believing in God, anxiety will fade. This is because human fear becomes a holy fear when you believe in God.

DO THIS: Don't stop believing.

PRAY THIS: God, today I'm choosing to believe in You when anxiety blocks my belief. I pray that You will not take my troubles from me, but use difficulties to drive me to You. Turn my anxious heart from trouble toward belief in You.