Can You REALLY Trust God?

Don’t be anxious 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.

Philippians 4:6-7 

 

How many times in Scripture are we told "Don't be afraid" and "Don't be anxious"? Lots! How well do we put these instructions into practice? Hmm........  I can hear it now: "What do you mean Don't Be Anxious and Don't Be Afraid? Don't you know what's going on in the world?"  Well, actually, I am aware of what's going on.  But why would God repeatedly tell us to Not be Afraid and/or Anxious if He's in control?

 

I have the privilege of facilitating a class for new deputies called "Law Enforcement Stress Awareness."  Part of this class is the clarification between Stress and Anxiety.  Stress are like arrows that come at us through the course of our day: deadlines, bills, annoyances, expectations, etc.  Our internal reaction to stress is called Anxiety.  

 

Think about it, let's say you have a customer who is extremely demanding and not very nice.  They are your stress.  How you react to their (anger, frustration, irritation) is your anxiety!

 

God tells us to not be anxious, therefore, instead of getting upset that they have arrived, turn them over to God AND turn YOURSELF over to Him as well. Now, God NEVER tells us to forget to take precautions or make preparations or act foolishly!    So we CAN trust God to do His job, and we can stop trying to do His job for Him or tell Him how we think He should do His job.

  

The question now becomes: Are you going to trust God or swim in the sea of anxiety?