Scripture for the Worried Soul

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.

Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Psalm 121:7-8
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 86:11
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Psalm 103:17-18
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.

Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Isaiah 50:10
Who among you fears the LORD?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD
And rely upon his God.

Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Action: Conquering Anxiety

1. Admit and confess our anxiety to ourselves and to God.
2. Ask God for relief.
3. Admonish ourselves. (Spend some time on the verses in Psalm 42 and 43. Think about the psalmist’s prayer and his self-prescription. Notice the change in pronouns in Psalm 42:5 and 42:11).
4. Analyze ourselves.
   (1) temperament and personality
   (2) physical health
5. Admire God. Anxiety fades as we develop a proper appreciation for God, His attributes and His grace.

Sara Ann DuBose, Teacher's Guide for Conquering Anxiety (Atlanta, GA: Committee for Christian Education & Publications, 1989) p. 5

You WILL Have Tribulation

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you WILL have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (emphasis mine)

• Change of residence, lack of food, jealousy and resentment in the family, war with enemies, giving up a child, death of a spouse….Abraham and Sarah.
• Sibling rivalry, conflicts with spouse, economic problems, senility….Isaac and Rebekah.
• Selfishness, stubbornness, conflicts with employer, deceitfulness, jealousy, greed…Jacob, Rachel, Leah and Laban.
• Pride, jealousy, deceit, temptation, imprisonment…Joseph.
• Self-sufficiency, fear, sorrow, deprivation, disappointment….Moses.
• Fighting, war, exile, loneliness, adultery, murder, loss of child….David.
• Loss of husband, change of residence, economic pressures….Ruth.
• Anger, bitterness, loneliness, childlessness, agitation…Hannah.
• Loss of wealth, health, family, recognition, everything….Job.
• Ridiculed, misunderstood, imprisoned, beheaded….John the Baptist.
• Mocked, hated, homeless, hunted, betrayed, denied, tortured, crucified….Jesus. (p. 21-22)

Recognizing that our circumstances will be unpleasant, we can cling to the words of Christ who declared "I have overcome the world!" Which he did. He overcame sin, Satan, death, and the grave. Then He left the tomb empty and left the Holy Spirit to counsel, comfort, encourage and teach us. (p. 22)

Our challenge as Christians, then, is to live "above the circumstances." This doesn't come naturally but is learned. In writing to the Christians in Philippi, Paul stated, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:11b-13). Therefore, rather than fretting (like Hannah), fighting (like Jacob) or fleeing (like Jonah) when the unpleasant circumstances come our way, we can find our strength in Christ and stand by the Proverbs 31 woman who "shall rejoice in time to come" (vs. 25). (p. 23)

The Bible gives us further instruction for putting a guard over our anxious hearts and minds: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7) Prayer, supplication and thanksgiving equals peace. Remember, it's not just thanksgiving for nice things, but "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:16-18). (pp. 24-25)

Sara Ann DuBose, Conquering Anxiety (Atlanta, GA: Committee for Christian Education & Publications, 1989)

Anxiety vs. The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

(From the book "Conquering Anxiety" by Sara Ann DuBose.) Can a Christian have all of these qualities of fruit and still be filled with anxiety? Of course not. Maybe we should consider why.

Love. An anxious person is overcome with thoughts of self. When self concerns fill the mind it is difficult, if not impossible, to show love to others.

Joy. An anxious person moans, complains, pouts or sulks over life's difficulties. Consumed by burdens, the anxious person experiences no joy.

Peace. An anxious person runs back and forth through the world searching for an answer or an escape from the anxiety and nervousness. However, since he or she is out of fellowship with God there is no peace, only worry and confusion.

Patience. An anxious person is often hurried and can act too quickly when making a judgment or decision. This restlessness and intolerance does nothing to attract friends to the individual or to Christ.

Kindness. An anxious person is often so frustrated with his or her own problems that no attention or time is given to the needs of others. Filled with selfish thoughts, this person rarely listens to others and may be annoyed when they ask for advice or help.

Goodness. An anxious person may possess integrity in moral life yet have such a fixed thought pattern of self interest that thoughtfulness and consideration are either lacking or absent in everyday living.

Faithfulness. An anxious person may begin to drift out of fellowship with God. Neglecting the Word and prayer only leads the individual into more anxiety and unhappiness.

Gentleness. An anxious person comes across as being abrasive and harsh. Even when efforts are made to be polite others can sense the worry and nervousness from facial expressions and the tone of voice.

Self-control. An anxious person has a problem with restraint and self-discipline. Indulgent, this individual often seeks pleasures and possessions more than grace, growth and godliness.

Sara Ann DuBose, Conquering Anxiety (Atlanta, GA: Committee for Christian Education & Publications, 1989) pp. 45-46

Anxiety Over the Life of Our Offspring

The following is an excerpt from Sara Ann DuBose's book entitled "Conquering Anxiety." It comes from the chapter on Family Fears and is found on pages 66-69.

Someone may say, "... I have a problem. My anxiety comes when I can’t see how God is going to work it all out. When I feel out of control I tend to panic. Why does God sometimes ask me or my family to walk in the dark? Sometimes my mind races with thoughts of ‘what if.’ The possibilities appear and reappear like the black horse on a merry-go-round."

When Christians are faced with this temptation, and all of us are, I believe we can remember a wonderful ability God has given us. We can post a sign in our mind. God has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). When the dark times come we can concentrate on this sign and not our circumstances. The circumstances are not in charge. God is in charge. He will not allow anything to happen to us or to our family that is not for our good. Why? Our family has been dedicated to the Lord, and He has promised, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). And so, I will set my mind firmly on God. As I meditate on His grace and mercy He will also increase my peace.

Does this mean the uncertain, dark times will vanish immediately? No, not necessarily. But, one thing is sure. God has His hand on the clock and the thermostat. The time will not be too long nor the temperature too great for me.

Again, someone may say, "But what if my child is in pain and I can't help? Can God see me through this? How can I keep from feeling bitter?"

The answer to a child's pain is never easy and no Christian should minimize the hurt of a friend. Several years ago two friends and I went to visit the mother of a terminally ill child. Louise (not her real name) took a seat in a rocking chair in the living room and soon began to remind our young friend of God's sovereignty. Swinging her leg back and forth in a rhythmic fashion, she said, "Well, we can't understand God's ways, but know everything will work out for good." I couldn't help but wonder how Louise would have reacted if this had been her child. In fact, I was sorry we had made this call as a group. How much better if we had simply sat quietly and shared in our friend's pain.

Another type of hurt many parents face is the willful disobedience and rebellion of their children. When young people turn away from God for months or years the pain goes deep. In his third letter the apostle John wrote, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth" (3 John 4). The "Children," of course, referred to all believers. Recently, however, I was reading from my father-in-law's old Bible and found something interesting. Not only was this verse underlined, but penciled beside it were two simple words: "mine, too."

As Christian parents we do have no greater joy than to see our biological children walking in truth. At the same time, we experience no greater disappointment or pain than when they disobey God and are drawn to a love of the world.

Not long ago I had one of those mailbox chats with my next-door neighbor. Mary mentioned a situation with her son and then added an expression her mother used to repeat when Mary was young. "Children step on your toes when they are young, but when they get older they step on your heart!" How true, I thought, as I headed back to the house with the mail. And the stepping on the heart is not with those little Mary Jane slippers and Buster Brown shoes. Sometimes it comes with the pressure of football cleats.

Every child, of course, has a strong self-will and is basically selfish. But mirrors are never far away. Adults are selfish, too. However, as we mature in the Christian life, whatever the age, the desire is to die more and more to self and worldly pursuits and to model our life like the Lord Jesus.

One example of this dying to self and living to righteousness is found in John's first letter. He writes, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:6). Again, verses 15-17 continue, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man (woman or child) who does the will of God lives forever."

So we try to be models for our children. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. Sometimes we succeed and they fail. The deepest hurt, the football cleat hurt, is when they fail again and again.

I have a friend whose son went on drugs and completely upset the atmosphere of the home. Soon he was influencing the younger son. Life was so disruptive they were forced to place him in a treatment center offering prolonged care. After a year of treatment all seemed well. The father, after the pattern of the father of the prodigal son, made this young man a beautiful ring and welcomed him back with an elaborate dinner and open arms. But the story does not have a happy ending. It wasn't the older sister or the younger brother who rebelled but the prodigal returned to his bottles and needles. Football cleats? We may need stronger words for this family's anxiety.

Today, as far as I know, this family is still waiting and praying. They reared this son in a strong Christian environment and they are not blaming themselves for his rebellion. Perhaps they have posted a sign in their minds, too. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." In any case, they have not taken their eyes or heart from Jesus, realizing faith is trust in the God of our circumstances and not the circumstances themselves.

Recently, I heard a suggestion on the Minirth-Meier call-in program and thought it was biblical advice for any family going through a difficult time. The psychiatrist encouraged this Christian family to break the day up into segments of time. They were to ask God for direction and endurance only for this particular time period and not to concentrate on the entire week, month or year ahead.

Since hearing this advice I've found numerous opportunities to practice it. In fact, over the last few weeks my plans, dreams and ambitions for our family have been interrupted and altered several times. In spite of some traumatic changes we are experiencing the uninterrupted presence of God. It's as if He is saying to us, "Remember I am changeless and faithful. I am working out a better plan for you because you are members of my family. Trust your Father."

Today I am taking another look at that sign in my mind, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." In fact, I've added a second one: "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).

Sara Ann DuBose, Conquering Anxiety (Atlanta, GA: Committee for Christian Education & Publications, 1989) pp. 66-69

Where Does Anxiety Come From?

In the book "Conquering Anxiety" by Sara Ann DuBose, the author quotes Mirnirth and Meier's "Happiness is a Choice" which defines anxiety as “an emotion which is characterized by feelings of uneasiness, apprehension, dread, concern, tension, restlessness and worry. The anxious individual often anticipates misfortune, danger or doom.” She also notes that "the Greek word for worry or anxiety in the New Testament means to divide, tear or rip apart. And that the Anglo-Saxon word for it is to choke or strangle [which hearkens to the seed which is tossed among thorns and is choked by the cares and riches of this world]. Anxiety is concern over something we can do nothing about. We neither know nor can we control the future. To worry over the future is a waste of energy. We accomplish nothing. Someone has said, 'Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives us something to do but it takes us nowhere.'" (pp. 7, 86)

There is not one of us who cannot sympathize with this feeling of drowning in our rocking chair of worries. Just to help you relate, have any of these worries ever crossed your mind?

• If I'm single, will I experience fulfillment and purpose?
• Will my marriage succeed?
• Is God trying to punish me by causing us not to conceive?
• Will our children be born healthy?
• Can all my bills be paid this month?
• What will my husband, mother, or friend think about what I said?
• Will I lose this child to drugs, alcohol or disease?
• Does my husband still love me?
• Can I cope being a single parent?
• How could I ever face being a widow?
• Can I deal with aging and declining health?
• Will God judge this country and send a pandemic disease?
• Do I have cancer?
• Will I live to see my children grow up?
• Will my son/daughter get a divorce? What will become of their children?
• Why did he/she let me down this way? (p. 1)

Everyone worries. Jesus even recognized that we would have them (John 16:33). "But take heart!" He reminds us. "I have overcome the world."

So where do all these worries come from? Well, obviously, they come from our circumstances... both past, present and future. They also come from our guilt, both real and imaginary. When this is the case, it's time to probe and ask, "Why am I suffering?" Like David we can say, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23,24). Then, if God puts His finger on some sin, the next step is confession. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). (pp. 7-8)

Sara Ann DuBose, Conquering Anxiety (Atlanta, GA: Committee for Christian Education & Publications) 1989

Where Does Peace Come From?

Peace, serenity or calmness is directly related to one's salvation and walk with God. It's true. A person can never be free from anxiety, and can never be content, without knowing Christ, the Prince of Peace. Apart from God, this person can expect to live with anxiety forever. Pills, psychoanalysis or alcohol will only offer a camouflage -- a temporary relief. St. Augustine was right when he said, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee..." (p. 13)

Therefore, understanding the path to salvation, we can also take the same path for uncovering the root of our anxieties. It all begins with sin. Yep, I said it: SIN. The basic reason for anxiety in anyone's life is sin. The sin of not trusting God. The sin of unrepentance which "stores up wrath against ourselves for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgement will be revealed. God will give to each person according to what he has done" (Rom. 2:5-6).

And what then, is our only solution for the problem of sin? "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven..." (Acts 2:38) This, then, is the requirement for knowing God and experiencing His peace--conviction and confession of sin. As we conquer sin we conquer anxiety. (pp. 14-15)

And if we do not repent for our sins, Matthew 11:28-30 tells us what will happen to us (in bold following), and urges us to DO unload: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Sara Ann DuBose, Conquering Anxiety (Atlanta, GA: Committee for Christian Education & Publications) 1989