"Be careful for nothing...." Philippians 4:6
One version of the Scriptures more accurately and understandably translates this phrase in Philippians as: "In nothing be anxious." For the Christian, all worry is forbidden. As someone has said, "Anxiety is a spiritual fever which works havoc with the character and service of the child of God; for as we brood over our worries in the secret hours of the night, the mind gets exhausted, the spirit discouraged and depressed, and the body unutterably weary, and yet the cares remain exactly what they were!
When we are anxious we are trespassers on forbidden ground, for worry and fretting are not compatible with the yielded life. The peace of God - the strong, deep calmness of faith which is born of the conviction that a loving Lord who knows the best has given the pressing burden and the sore pain - this tranquility of soul, is the only proper antidote for worry!
The story is told of J. Arthur Rank who had a practical way of handling his anxieties. Being unable to put his troubles aside completely, he thought the next best thing to do would be to set apart a single day, Wednesday, to do all his worrying. When something came up that disturbed him during the week, he wrote it down and put it in what he called his "Wednesday Worry Box." When the time came to review the problems that were of so much concern, he found to his great surprise that most of the them had already been settled and no longer induced anxiety. He discovered that most worry is unnecessary and a waste of precious energy.
Cares indeed may come; but when they do, we must cast them upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). Then we may rightly relax, knowing that He will care for us and provide all things needful (Matthew 6:32, 33).
"Bread For Each Day"
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