God has been revealing a great truth to me; and it is LESSENING my anxiety. Indeed, the peace He is giving me is so great that—it almost makes me anxious because my circumstances are so overwhelming right now that it feels almost irresponsible NOT to be anxious! Wrap your mind around that one. 😆 So, what is this great truth?
My anxiety is a very accurate measurement of my proximity to God.
God is not anxious and when I’m close to Him—I’m not either.
There is no doubt that the anxiety and depression that plague us is very real. Satan is a murderer and a thief and he wants to steal our precious life. He wants us to waste our gift of salvation. He uses multiple tricks. He uses the past trauma of sin to convince us that there is no hope in Christ. He focuses us on the problem instead of our Savior. You see….what we think about the most is—what we worship. My problems, circumstances, and myself—easily become my focus and thus, my “god.” What horrible slave-masters they are too!
Would it surprise you to know that the most basic lessons in the Bible prescribe the most excellent remedy for anxiety and depression?
God’s first and greatest commandment is to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. The first four commandments God gave Moses were summed up by Jesus in one commandment:
God told Moses:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:3-5, 7-8
Jesus said:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
Matthew 22:37
When I make God the center of my life [instead of myself and my problems] and fill my mind with HIS Word and the thoughts HE gives me, He creates new grooves in my brain. The more I practice this, the deeper the grooves get and I begin to think more like God does. God’s presence makes GOOD impressions in my brain. God is not depressed or anxious. He is not afraid. He IS love. His perfect Love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) Once I begin to THINK more like God, I want to ACT like He does too. God is the most selfless being we will ever know!
Our greatest shield for depression and anxiety is to get our mind off of ourselves and get it on God and…others.
Thus, the second great commandment Jesus gave us, which summed up the last six commandments God gave Moses is:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:39
When we focus our life on loving God and loving others, we take ourselves OUT of the equation. Our problems are not OUR problems; they are GOD’s problems. Our desires are not OUR desires; we desire GOD. Pleasing God is our greatest delight because it brings us closer to our greatest love—HIM.
Love casts out the fear that causes anxiety.
Love fills the voids that cause depression.
God’s presence fills us with the joy and peace of His Spirit.
When I begin to feel either—sickening anxiety, or deadening depression—I know the problem. I immediately begin to ask God where I’ve stepped off the path. He doesn’t hide the ball. He wants me to stay close. I repent for replacing Him—with my problems or—with whatever has caused me to stray. I dive into His Word and read about—His promises, His truth, His loveliness, and His goodness. I begin to thank Him for all that has NOT gone wrong.
God is not anxious; when I’m close to Him—I’m not either.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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