We must differentiate between anxiety from being anxious. One is anxious about giving a speech before a group of people. We call it stage fright. One is anxious if being chased by a rabid dog. One is anxious when being called on the carpet by a supervisor. However, none of these qualify for the definition of anxiety. Our text says that God has not given us the spirit of fear. The word fear can be translated as timidity or cowardice. What can make us more timid or coward than that of anxiety?
The person who experiences anxiety is experiencing a troublesome emotion that is ongoing and can be triggered at any time. This is an underlying condition of the person that is troubled. This is a tsunami that can wash away any sense of confidence. This is a fault underneath the ground that can at any time cause an earthquake to one’s well-being. Carried too far anxiety can be crippling. It can affect family life and employment. It can rob any joy generated from within.
The first part of this verse says that any fear such as anxiety certainly is not from God. We are to fear God, but that means to be in a state of awe for how wonderful and powerful he is. He has no intention for us to be sitting on the edge of our seats every minute of our lives. Going further in the verse is a contradiction to the first part. Because any fear as we’ve here described is not from God, we now take note of what does come from God.
God has given us power from which we get the Greek word dynamite. It also means authority or right standing. According to John 1:12, “… As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” It is God’s intention that we live a life filled with authority and dominance over the things that might otherwise trouble us.
It was because of anxiety and the fear of his master that the evil servant buried his talent and did not trade it as his master would have expected. (Matthew 25:25) Timothy was a young pastor. We may conclude from the text that his responsibilities were weighing heavily on him. He may have been hesitant to exercise that authority that should’ve been his as a man called of God. The solution for Timothy was to stir up the gift of God that was already in him. Like Timothy, God presents to us his spirit of love to carry us through the various oppositions of life. Our love to God will help us to rise above the fear of mankind and circumstances. Similarly, God’s love for us is already powerful and ready to deliver us from that which we cannot sustain ourselves.
Spirit of a sound mind or quietness of thought is a special kind of peace that we individually can enjoy ourselves to offset any discouragement that might exist in our own imagination. It is possible to train ourselves to respond about supposed troubles of the future instead of staying in the present where the troubles have not yet come. (Matthew 6:34) When we have the mindset of God, we have sober thinking, a mind that provides answers against the world. It is a kind of courageous spirit. It is God’s love that dwells in us resulting in a upswing for new and better service. It is with this kind of mind that we can speak truth and soberness.
To the person who struggles with anxiety, with no evil intent, he may think that everything I have said is nothing but religious words. However, if properly applied, everything said so far will result in a new direction, new experience. The person who is suffering with anxiety and is a Christian needs to learn how to direct his thoughts. There are some people who say they have no authority over their own thoughts. That is not true! Every day we direct our thoughts while considering plans, while talking to others, and even in our suffering.
The key as soon as a person is experiencing anxiety would to be to put a new thought in its place. For instance, if a person is having anxiety about the health of the loved one, that person has the choice of dwelling on the negative or the positive for the outcome of that person’s healing. As a Christian, you might have fear for the loved one. You also have the choice of patience while waiting for God to intervene and praise him for the situation at that moment.
Whenever we are faced with a proposition that generates anxiety, we must remind ourselves that all trouble, all sin, all sickness, and even death, is a result of our enemy the devil. The struggle is not from God. Dwelling on the negative eliminates the possibility to dwell on our Lord. If we are praying for healing, it must be with the mindset of positive expectation.
To suffer from anxiety is to suffer from doubt. How can we say that we have faith in the Lord if we have doubt? More than once when Jesus was about to heal someone or even bring them back to life, he first instructed those who were witnessing the situation to be removed from his presence. Doubt and faith have nothing in common with each other. He healed because he was capable of healing and he wanted nothing to distract him.
The depth of our faith is an indication that we trust God. When called upon to trust him, it is also an opportunity to deepen our faith. Remember that faith is evidence of that which is not seen but hoped for. ( Hebrews 11:1) There is no way to enlarge your spiritual muscles then to be in position in which you have to lift the heavy weight of problems.
If you are experiencing anxiety, you are in a world not of your making and not that of God. It may be a time of testing. It may be when we stop saying prayers are a last resort and realize it is our first resort. To be called a person with anxiety, is to be a person with an ongoing issue. Just by being a good little Christian will not offset anxiety. Instead, it is to grow beyond what your emotions trouble you with. Like Peter, it is to step out on the waters and walk. Remember that when Peter saw the winds and the waves he began to sink. It was when he called out to Jesus that he could walk back to the boat on the water. (Matthew 14:29-32) Jesus’ response to Peter was to ask him why he doubted. Let it be so with us that if we find the necessity of walking on water, instead of having anxiety, let us not doubt.
Christian Writer 