Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today, our encouragement is to attack anxiety rather than letting it attack you.

Today’s scripture, Philippians 4:6‭-‬9 (NLT), encourages…
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Consider…
Many of us know the story of Jesus feeding five thousand men and their families with two fish and five loved of bread Mark 6:41-44). Allow me to back up to a couple of verses to provide context. Mark 6:35‭-‬38 (NLT) says…
Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

In this exchange we witness Jesus’ disciples having anxiety attacks about the church congregation getting hungry and not having enough resources to feed them. Notice Jesus didn’t have them take up an offering from the people, rather He asked the disciples to offer what was available…
“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

Jesus is asking us the same thing. He’s saying don’t tell me what you don’t have, tell me what’s available.

Jehovah Jireh wants us not to worry about what we don’t have, but instead offer we do have to Him. I hear the unemployed, homeless, imprisoned or terminally ill person asking, what exactly do I have? I will let Reverend James Cleveland answer the question. He sang…

Say you′ve been sick?
Tell me about it. And you think you can’t get well
Where is your faith? Where is your faith in– God?

Say you′re in trou-ble?
Tell me about it. And you’re going to court next week
Where is your faith? Where is your faith in– God?

Say you’re out of work? Tell me about it. And all your bills are due
Where is your faith? Where is your faith in– God?

Say you′ve got a habit?
Tell me about it. Think you′re hooked and can’t get free
Where is your faith? Where is your faith in– God?

Say you′re out of money?
Tell me about it. And you’re down to your last dime
Where is your faith? Where is your faith in– God?

When you feel you’ve lost, or losing, everything, I encourage you to find your faith.

Remind yourself that when…
Facing
Anxiety
I’ll
Trust
Him

Faith is your weapon to overcome anxious thoughts. Although not explicitly stated, that’s what today’s scripture is espousing. Notice it says…

• Don’t worry about anything! Which comes from FAITH that God is in control.
• Pray about everything! Which comes from FAITH that God is listening.
• Tell God what you need! Which comes from FAITH that God will provide.
• Thank him for all he has done! Which comes from FAITH that if He did it before, He’ll do it again.

…and the scripture says, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

Peace is the antidote to anxiety. And God’s prescription for peace is FAITH in Him!

This makes me think of the lyrics from one of my favorite songs (Elevation Worship)…

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough

I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps
So this is my story and this is my song
I’m praising my risen King and Savior all the day long

I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail

Faith is trusting God will never fail. That should give you peace in every anxious situation.

Please pivot back to Mark 6 with me. Shortly after the Jesus’ exponent multiplication miracle, which increased what the people had over and over and over, the disciples headed to the next destination appointed by God.

Yesterday we were encouraged to remember going through a valley, or storm, is merely a pathway to where God wants to take you. May I add we are passing through this life here on earth on our way to eternal life with God. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Continuing the Mark 6 anxiety lesson, we read in Mark 6:47‭-‬52 (NLT)…
Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

A couple things to consider from this portion of scripture.

First, the gospel of Mark is considered to be Peter’s account of Jesus’ ministry. This would explain why this version of the Jesus walking on water doesn’t include Peter’s embarrassment of faltering faith in the midst of storm anxiety.

Next, notice Jesus already knew His disciples were in trouble. The passage says…
Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves.

Two sub points…

• Anxiety tends to rise up late in our situations. Beware of waiting until it’s too late to activate your FAITH.
• Jesus sees us struggling. This encourages me, because regardless of whether I confess my struggles or not, Jesus sees them.

Continuing through this anxiety storm, look at Jesus’ response…
About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them…

Don’t miss this point, Jesus wasn’t walking to them, He was headed to the other side to wait for them. Sometimes, Jesus doesn’t plan to still your storm, He just wants you to see Him while you’re going through it and know that He’s waiting for you to get to the other side. 🤯

Yet the scripture says…
but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him.

I think sometimes when we see Jesus in our storms we too become more anxious about Him being real or passing us by. It’s as if we’re anxious about God’s unfailing love failing to care about us. We become gripped with…
Faltering
Experiences
Altering our
Remembering who God is.

In Peter’s account, the same Jesus they just saw take care of five thousand men, was walking towards them in their storm, yet they forgot who He was just that quickly.

I encourage you to keep a mental or written journal of the things Jesus has already done in your life, so you don’t forget what He looks like and is when anxiety attacks you.

This passage continues…
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped.

This demonstrates the compassion of God. Even though He knew the disciples would be physically okay, He cared enough to give them mental, emotional and spiritual peace while they rowed through the storm.

This was like Jesus saying, your FAITH isn’t strong enough to weather this storm, so I will stop this simulation training. You see the disciples would face greater storms after Christ’s death and ascension, so this storm was really just FAITH weightlifting, with Jesus spotting, to build them up for what the heavier weights of suffering awaiting them.

The last point from this section of scripture says…
They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

From anxiety to amazement is something many of us are familiar with. When Jesus does the amazing, we shout all over, however look at Peter’s introspective confession about the reason for their faltering faith. Peter said, we still didn’t understand what you did before.

In the same way, I believe much of our anxiety stems from not understanding what God has done before, whether around us or to us. Accordingly, I encourage you to pay attention to every moment and work of God that you see. Ask the Holy Spirit to build up your awareness and understanding of what God is doing. Then when anxiety attacks, you will be buoyed by FAITH to attack back with, if He did it before He can do it again.

The Holy Spirit is telling me that one of the reasons God has given us the Bible is because it’s a record of Him doing miraculous things before.

I believe this is why the Holy Spirit inspired the Hebrew writer to follow the FAITH chapter of the Bible with…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. – Hebrews 12:1 NLT

How do we attack anxiety, when it’s trying to attack us? Keep the FAITH.

Today’s song is…
Keep The Faith

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)