Peace for the Worried Heart: A Biblical Answer To Your Worries

In this entry, let us see what the Bible offers for those of us who are facing tough times, feeling anxious all the while.Those internal struggles that seem to go on and on deep inside our hearts that keep us awake at night can take a toll on our health, our relationships with others (and even with ourselves) and worse, it affects how we communicate with the Lord. Anxiety has been known to wreak havoc when it comes to our health. Before finding out what the Holy Scriptures recommends, let us clarify a few things about terms such as stress, anxiety and depression.

The Difference Between Stress, Anxiety and Depression

According to Jeff Thomas article in mindset-habits.com, stress is a normal part of everyday life. Things such as meeting the deadlines at work, the never ending traffic jam on our way to and from work, or anything that can make our bodies respond with the Fight or Flight response. These pressures are often times beneficial as some of these stress factors can force us to be more productive. In essence, these stress factors often stimulate us and not cause much trouble as these are often temporary in nature. It becomes a serious problem when the stress seems to be always there, incessantly making its way into our psyche and often manifesting itself via physical symptoms such as fast heart rate, irregular bowel movement, sweaty hands, hyperventilation among other things. Basically, what triggers anxiety is FEAR. Fear that the future may bring something worse than what already is here now in the present, further fuels anxiety A businessman whose company is on the brink of collapse, someone who is having marital problems, a child whose parents are having a divorce/custody battles, a school kid being bullied and many more instances in life provide a heavy stressful environment which easily leads to anxiety.

Depression, on the other hand, is defined as being in a constant state of low mood, often because those who suffer this condition feels a certainty that no positive thing will happen in their life anymore. This sense of loneliness is accompanied with lack of energy and enthusiasm, literally burned out as they can barely function in their day to day lives. They no longer feel stress or worry, as they are numb to the sensation, seeing no point in worrying about what happens in the future. The feeling can be likened to a cigarette stick, slowly burning away, as their hopes for a better future is nowhere in sight. There is no more fear, only hopelessness . In the most extreme cases, those with deep depression entertain suicidal thoughts, even homicidal thoughts as they feel they cannot escape the darkness and lowness that has engulfed them, with death their only release.

Notice that whereas anxiety is a state of fullness of energy, depression is at the opposite end of the spectrum, having no energy.

The Relationship Between These Three

As Jeff Thomas had simplified it, stress is often the precursor of anxiety, and anxiety is often the precursor of depression. When the stress was not properly dealt with, the possibility is raised that it will turn into fear, increasing the anxiety. When anxiety burns out all the energy from the anxious person, it is replaced with this empty hole deep inside, slowly eating away the life of that person, making him/her depressed. Though many experts have tried to give a solution to this dilemma via therapy which often involves prescribed drugs, one-on-one/group sessions and other methods, I still find the best way to deal with these issues is through the Biblical way.

What Does The Bible Say About Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

For as long as we have been around, mankind has faced all sorts of stressful situations in life.For us to be able to deal with stress and anxiety properly,  there are certain things that we must understand completely. These are the following:

1. Life in its Entirety is a Series of Tests and Trials

From the very beginning, mankind has been tested by God, therefore, stressful events must . Adam and Eve, the first humans, were tested in the perfect setting of the Garden of Eden and has revealed to them their flawed nature. Every key figure in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament have undergone such trials. The most obvious question is why, as in why does God need to test us? It is to reveal to us our own character and expose our weaknesses so we can improve ourselves. God already knows who we are, what our limits and capacities are, but we don't. It is God's way letting us learn through experiences and growing with faith and love.

2. The Son of God Went Through Trials,Stress and Suffering... And So Shall We 

It should not come as a shock to those who consider themselves Christians as the Lord Jesus have already foretold that we will suffer in His Name. In His words:

        "I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them"- John 13:16, C.E.V.

Since Christ has suffered during his stay here on Earth, we must expect that we will undergo through the same ordeal. As it is written in 1 Peter 4:13, we must be glad as we share in the Lord's suffering as this is sign that Jesus Christ is our master.  This important truth leads us to the next thing we should grasp.

3. God Will Never Let Us Face More Than What We Can Handle

As we said earlier, all anxieties result from fear, more specifically, fear of the unknown. It is this fear which causes us to over-think and worry our life away. We forget most of the time that we are NEVER away from the sight of God. As stated in Ephesians 4:6:

         "There is one God and Father of us all, who rules over everyone. He works through all of us and in all of us"

The most powerful force in the universe is with us. Not only that, He genuinely loves us and He has promised that, "I say this because I know the plans that I have for you." This message is from the LORD. "I have good plans for you. I don't plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future" (Jeremiah 29:11, ERV). Feel the love that that promise contains. We should never feel afraid of anything life throws at us, since God has assured us that He wants a good future for us. Furthermore: 

        "Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out".- 1 Cor 10:13, G.N.B

Few things feel better than being liberated from worries and anxiety. If we hold on to the truth that GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL, there is nothing to fear and in turn, nothing will make us anxious. The famous scene where Jesus tells us not to worry (Matt 6:24-35) bears weight as these were instructions from the Savior Himself. If at anytime the feeling of fear and anxiety creeps into our hearts, remember this simple action that all of us can do anytime, anywhere:

       "Don't worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God's peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds." - Philippians 4:6-7 (ERV)

The key, therefore, is to focus our attention towards the awesome power of GOD. Our energy should be spent on doing His will, and calm our minds and feel the presence of GOD as he never abandons anyone.His love is far, far more potent than all our doubts and fears.

The Case Against the Godhood of Jesus Christ

People from all over the world have tried to settle this issue since the dawn of Christianity. This is one of the most fundamental doctrinal debates that still rages on, and probably will never be settled until Jesus Christ Himself would come and resolve this matter. Or does He need to? Everything we need to know about the nature of Christ Jesus can be found in the Holy Scriptures. Today, let's read what the Bible has to say about this issue, is Jesus Christ God or not?

The Unchanging Truth

In the time of the Old Testament, God had always presented Himself to be just one being. In fact, in the book of Deuteronomy, God Himself stated "Now, see that I, and only I, am God! There is no other God!" (Deu. 32:39 Easy to Read Version). The monotheistic view is very much prevalent, that prophets and key figures from the Old Testament have repeated it over and over again, There is only ONE GOD. The Old Testament was specific about who is the God worshiped by the Israelite community of old. In the last book in the Old Testament, Prophet Malachi said "Don't you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn't the one God create each of us?" (Malachi 2:10 Contemporary English Version). It is therefore clear that during that time, before the arrival of Jesus Christ, only THE FATHER was held as God. Also, God explicitly said "understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isaiah 43:10 A.S.V.)

As Jesus Presented Himself

During His 3 year ministry, Jesus mentioned this to His disciples, "If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples" (John 8:31 Good News Bible). What exactly did Jesus say about Himself about His nature? 

The number one fact that we should never ignore is that Jesus Christ Himself never claimed to be God. Even the most used verse in the New Testament about Jesus claiming to be God is used, John 10:30, can not be used to successfully argue for the case of Jesus being God. To clarify, the verse states "I and my Father are one." (King James Version). To understand why Jesus said this, one only needs to read the preceding verses. John 10:28-29 notes "I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand"(ERV). First, notice that Jesus refers to The Father as completely different entity from Himself. They are not the same. They are not even on the same level, as The Father has "given" Jesus the sheep, meaning he is lower than The Father. Next, Jesus was talking about taking care of the sheep. Their oneness is in reference to the preservation of the sheep. To support this, in another version of the bible, the Contemporary English Version, writes the verse "and I am one with the Father". Jesus was not talking about being equal with the Father in this instance.

"The Father is Greater than I"

Perhaps, if a person did believe in Jesus' words, then they must believe Him when He said "the Father is greater than I am". This is taken from John 14:28. This came from Jesus Himself. God will never claim such, as He is the Ultimate, Supreme Being in the Universe. Another way to look at it is to see that Jesus Christ answers to a higher authority than Himself. In John 5:30, Jesus said "I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness, because I obey him, and I don't just try to please myself" (C.E.V.) The Father is omnipotent and has intrinsic powers and authority, never needing anyone's permission or approval, clearly not the case for Jesus. Also bear in mind that Jesus was exalted by God to be Ruler and Savior (Acts 5:31) God bestowed everything on Him (Philippians 2: 9-11) making every one in Heaven, Earth and under the Earth kneel before Him for the glory of God.

In another verse Jesus proved that the only God is The Father. In John 17:1-3, Jesus has done the following " After Jesus said these things, he looked toward heaven and prayed, "Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you.You gave the Son power over all people so that he could give eternal life to all those you have given to him. And this is eternal life: that people can know you, the only true God, and that they can know Jesus Christ, the one you sent." Notice that Jesus prayed to the God in Heaven, and on top of that, specifically mentioned that The Father is the One True God. God will not pray to anyone else, thus making it clear that Jesus is not God.

To further show that The Father is far greater than Jesus, Jesus further asserts that He does not know the hour nor the day of his return, only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36). The Father's omniscience is described as "He knows everything" (1 John 3:20). In a prophetic way, 1st Corinthians 15:24-28 that when Jesus will rule over every on Heaven and Earth, He will then surrender to God.

The Truth Has Not Changed Even When Jesus Left

Some have argued that when Jesus ascended to Heaven, He automatically "got back" to His nature as God. No such thing is written in the Bible. In fact, 1st Corinthian 8:6, written after Jesus have already risen to heaven says: "yet for us there is one God, the Father" (E.S.V.) Furthermore, 1st Timothy 2:5 explicitly says of Jesus: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (E.S.V.)"

All this proves that Jesus is not God. He has never claimed it and never will.

Something to Think About: Since God Does Feel Pain, Why Does HE Choose Not to Avoid It?

This is a silly question to ask, isn't it? The most powerful force in existence- HE who is perfect, who certainly has the ability to avoid pain all together, can actually feel pain? If God does feel pain, does this mean he is not as perfect as we thought He should be? Why not just get rid of the pain? Why not distance Himself from it? Is this an impossibility? Or are we just missing the obvious?

Most people would quote Genesis 6:6-7 were God shows regret over creating the old world. This was the prelude of what remains to be the best (and probably only) example of Divine worldwide punishment, the Great Flood. On Genesis 6:5, it is said, "The LORD saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil" (C.E.V.) This is what triggered it all, the evil hearts and minds of men which have corrupted the world, a world which was created from God's love. Even if we were not there to witness what mankind collectively did to provoke God into taking such drastic action, we can safely surmise that it was certainly something painful for God. But even when God did this, He still saved the people who pleased Him more than anyone in that generation. Imagine, He opted to give chance to humanity despite the fact that He knew eventually that mankind will turn evil again.

Some say that the fact that God felt regret means He views humanity as a mistake, it's as if He was not aware of man's tendency to be weak and sinful. This is contradicted by the scriptures, as stated in Psalms 103:14, "For he has knowledge of our feeble frame; he sees that we are only dust"(B.B.E). He knew from the very beginning, but chose not to eradicate us from the face of the earth despite the pain, despite the sorrow. Why? It can only be best described in one word: LOVE

This same love is the reason why He does not distance Himself from us. God created humanity so that mankind can give Him pleasure. Because of this love, God sees beyond humanity's capacity for evil - the human heart's capacity for love. The most basic of man's defining quality, "And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (A.S.V.) anchors with it that God has implanted a piece of Him in us. Even if we are mortal and full of flaws, the gift of free will, the ability to seek truths, and to love each other and do actions out of love which transcends the boundaries of distance, time and culture makes it all worth it. Selfless actions of men brought out from love in the past can and has influenced the future generations of humanity. This truth, no matter how long ago we were created, no matter how much we have sinned and went overboard with our indiscretion, remains ever as true from the time it was spoken up to the present. This same love is what causes God pain, as He gives, and by His very nature is, true love.This illustrates how much He cares, that our fall hurts him the way that a parent feels when his/her child is hurt by the consequence of the child's mistake. He wants to be part of our lives, during hopelessness, despair, grief, and also during our triumphs and happiness. He feels what we feel.

This is the main point that most people can't fathom. Instead of being thankful that God's mercy prevailed over His wrath, that after giving us His Son so we can still live under the umbrella of His love, they view this love as weakness or a fault. We should not mistake his mercy as being powerless to change the situation. As He is the God of Love, He is also the God of Divine Justice. The day will come that all wrongs will be made right, and no one will doubt His power.