But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57
So, this weekend I was engaged in a lengthy conversation with a fellow believer, who was truly worried about “being anxious” at times as well as “nervous” about all that’s happening in our world. She was scared of “eternal” damnation due to her “feelings” at times, and consequently “beating” the drum to tunes of “woe is me.”
Of course, all of us are familiar with the Philippians verse “Being anxious for nothing” understanding and accepting God was with His children all those years ago. (Philippians 4:6) He is with each of us this very day as well. To save us and to meet our needs and is working a purpose in us according to His will.
Being anxious for nothing means making our requests known through the power of prayer. And by giving thanks we thereby recognize through prayers, our full acknowledgement to our Sovereign God. It is through our trust and reliance in God, that ultimately results in profound peace that extinguishes fear and worry.
Okay. So that is all well and true. However, my friend who is a Christian, is doubting herself because of her conflicting anxiety, and phobic behavior, that crops up, every now and then. What do we say about that?
All I know is that we are “human.”
God knows this, and it is by His hands that we get through issues pertaining to the human frailties that exist, and will continue to exist, as long as we are in the “flesh.” If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need God now, would we?
It is through our weakness, that He sustains us through His strength. It is His love and guidance that heals us, and forgives us repeatedly, when we repent.
Walking in the Spirit is a concerted effort every single minute we’re awake. There are things in this ‘world’ that lay in wait for us. Images reflected in media, scads of evil deeds being perpetrated upon innocent victims, conflicting ideologies clashing across the world, social media insinuating into countless minds subliminally, so on and so forth. It is exceedingly challenging to say the least, because walking in the Spirit when we’re encased by “flesh” is a contradiction overall. The two are always clashing with the other.
The flesh is “needy, greedy, self-serving and weak.” The Spirit is “strong, compassionate, selfless, and loving.” Conflicting and adversarial, as one is so different than the other. Again, God is aware! He is brilliant and all-knowing Omnipotent and loving. We are all human!
We will face “anxiety or fear” during our lifetime, because we are in fact human. Again, that’s where God, the Word, and our tenacity to forge ahead while keeping our eyes, heart and mind on Christ. For it is only through Him that we are victorious.
Honestly, I told my friend, “I have faced many a day where I wanted to crawl into bed and shut out the world. I like David have faced giants, and like David I have been victorious through Christ alone. Yes, I feel anxious at times, yes, I face fears at times…especially in today’s harsh unrecognizable world. But it is by prayer, and fully seeking God and His wisdom, and His Kingdom that enables me to be successful. The battle lies in the minds of the believers. We must keep our minds on things from above.
I don’t feel guilty about “being human” because God created me as such. But His Spirit is within me, and dwells in me. As He does in all believers. So, when we harness the power of the Spirit to guide us, and trust God implicitly that He will bring us through the valleys of indecisions and derisions, He will safely bring us to harbor, away from the storms and” ugliness of the world” and secure us through the beauty of His unconditional love.
WE are of faith but being of faith doesn’t mean we aren’t human. Remember that the next time you face your own personal Goliath!
“Father God, thank You for knowing I am human, may I continue to rely on You for strength, guidance, and direction, may I be led by Your Spirit in all my paths, and may I always understand that You are in control, may I continue to look to You for all things, thank You for Your love which is never-ending, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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