Posted on 05/22/2016 5:14:52 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
An important lesson of the Christian life is that the heart of the battle is a fight not between abstract commands (do this! don’t do that!) but rather arguments...
1. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE GOD IS TOO FAR AWAY TO HEAR MY NEEDS...
2...GOD DOES NOT CARE FOR ME AND I NEED TO GET MYSELF OUT OF THIS HUMILIATING STAGE OF LIFE...
3...IF MY PROBLEMS AREN’T SOLVED I COULD DIE....
4...I HAVE NO PRACTICAL EVIDENCE IN THE WORLD THAT GOD VALUES ME OR WILL TAKE CARE OF ME....
5. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH IT HELPS MY LIFE...
6...NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO LOOK OUT FOR MY NEEDS...
7...EVERYONE DOES IT AND IT SEEMS TO WORK FOR THEM...
8...SO MANY TROUBLES ARE COMING TO ME IN THE FUTURE IF I DON’T WORRY ABOUT THEM NOW.
Tomorrow is going to do just fine without your help, but thanks anyway.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.thegospelcoalition.org ...
Be anxious for nothing...Philippians 4:6
BLOGGER ALLCAPS is a significant stressor.
that was awesome...thanks!
Words to live by (for me.)
Are you ANXIOUS?
Mmmm...no. Just getting ready to go to worship. That gives me peace for today.
I prefer to concentrate on the Scripture—which is positive—and gives commands to those who have the Holy Spirit within (that is, true Christians).
The negatives as he states them are antithetical to the positive commands to true believers and IMO, detract from the positive will of God expressed by the Scripture.
The flesh within has personal desires that are at enmity with the Spirit within. Therefore I am told to WALK by the Spirit so that I will not carry out the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). In other words, BY FAITH I am to CHOOSE to BELIEVE God and OBEY His Word and the Spirit as I live out my life here on this earth.
I CAN CHOOSE To do that because I’ve been set free from the POWER of sin, I have a new heart, the mind of Christ, the Word of God, the presence of the triune God within me through His Holy Spirit, the power of His Spirit and His Word, and the desire to do God’s will. All of this by His grace and through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. And it applies to every true believer, male and female.
The battle between flesh and Spirit is every true Christians’ battle within until our bodies are redeemed at glorification.
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