HOW TO APPREHEND YOUR ANXIETY

Hijacked: What’s holding you captive?

HOW TO APPREHEND YOUR ANXIETY

Memory Verse: Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

Text: Matthew 6:25–34 (NIV)

INTRODUCTION:

 “to be human is to be anxious.”—ANONYMOUS

 “Worry is a very strong feeling of anxiety. It’s fear of the unknown – the thought that the worst will happen.”-- Cindy Holbrook

HOW TO APPREHEND YOUR ANXIETY

1. The Reasons Why People Worry

First, Nutritional Sustenance

Matthew 6:25

Second, Wardrobe Supply

Matthew 6:25,  28

Third, Physical  Stability

Matthew 6:25,  27

Fourth, Prospective Security

Matthew 6:34; Luke 14:28; 2 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10

2. The Root Cause of Worry

First, Worry can be traced to Disobedience of God’s commands.

In Matthew 6:25 ,31, 34; John 15:14

.

Second, Worry can be traced to unbelief.

 Matthew 6:30, 32; Matthew 24:35  

3. The Reality of Worry

Matthew 6:30, 32–33

 “if you worry worry worry will worry you.” –Dr. Sam Ola Fadeji, Former NBTS Seminary professor.

 “I am an old man and I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened” -  Mark Twain

“Only 8 percent of your worries are worth concerning yourself about. Ninety-two percent are pure fog with no substance at all.”-- Earl Nightingale

First,    Worry is pointless.  Matthew 6:27

Second,   Worry is harmful to you physically and psychologically. Proverbs 12:25

Third, Worry makes you to distrust God’s power and His providential care.

Matthew 6:30; Philippians 4:6

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”—George Muller

Fourth, Worrying is indicative of a misdirected priority and perspective

Matthew 6:33; Psalm 55:22

4. The Remedy for Worry--The Solution

First, Recognize Divine Paternity—Matthew 10:29; Psalm 27:10.

Matthew 6:26, 28–29;  Proverbs 6:6; Psalm 27:10, Luke 11:11, Matthew 10:29–31;   Psalm 37:25; Psalm 37:1

 “Overheard in an Orchard” by Elizabeth Cheney

Said the robin to the sparrow,
"I would really like to know
Why those anxious human beings
rush around and worry so."

Said the sparrow to the robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
such as cares for you and me."

Second, let us Realize Divine Priority. Matthew 6:33

 “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” --The Westminster Catechism

Third, we must be Rest Assured of Divine Prospect—Matthew 6:34

Psalm 139:23; James 4:14–15 , Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 5:7

 “Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles.”-- E. Stanley Jones