Philippians 4:6a (NKJV) Be ANXIOUS for NOTHING
The Christian life is not free from challenges because we are still living in this world. However, we can take comfort because we have peace with God and also the peace of God. The real test of whether we have heard and learnt from all the teachings and preachings will be revealed on the day when we are faced with a very difficult situation that will cause us to become anxious. Everything that we have heard and learnt lays the foundation for us to face the “perfect storm” in life with the perfect peace of God.
Remember, the objective of tribulations and challenges in life is for the devil to steal the seed of God’s Word from our hearts. We can either be overcome by fear or we will be able to hold steady with God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus through the meditation of God’s Word.
All of us have different thresholds when it comes to handling stress. We need to be mindful of our spouse’s ability to handle stress which might be very different from ours.
We can be anxious about the current performance of a company if we are a businessperson. The global economic slowdown brought about by COVID-19 has contributed to the decline in most companies. We can be anxious about our boss’ opinion of us if we have not found our identity in Christ. We can be anxious about our job security because many companies are downsizing. We can be anxious about our health while waiting for the medical results or the symptoms that we are feeling. We can be anxious about our retirement needs. We can be anx-ious about our children while they are studying overseas. The list goes on.
These are some of the symptoms of anxiety according to Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D., CRNP (www.healthline.com):
-nervousness, restlessness, or being tense
-feelings of danger, panic, or dread
-rapid heart rate
-rapid breathing, or hyperventilation
-increased or heavy sweating
-trembling or muscle twitching
-weakness and lethargy
-difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about.
-insomnia
-digestive or gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, constipation, or diarrhea
-a strong desire to avoid the things that trigger your anxiety.
When we are anxious, it means we are “meditating” on negative thoughts and all the possible scenarios which MIGHT or MIGHT NOT HAPPEN. We are fearful or concerned about the un-known. The one thing that we need to know is being anxious about something will not solve the problem. If we do not arrest those thoughts, then we might slip into hopelessness and de-pression. We need to learn to refocus our thoughts on God’s Word because our thoughts can only concentrate on one matter at a time. Therefore, either we meditate on the negative thoughts or on the Word of God is really a choice. It is an intentional act to pull down those thoughts before they become a stronghold in our minds. We can intentionally shift our focus from all the “what ifs” to the what the Word of God says. It uses the same energy and effort.
Sermon Series: Don’t Panic
是慌张焦虑 还是专注神的道
腓立比书4:6a (NKJV)应当一无挂虑
基督徒的生命并非没有挑战，因为我们仍然活在这个世界上。然而，我们可以得到安慰，因为我们已与神和好，也有神赐的平安。我们从各种教导和证道中聆听并学习，真正的考验是当我们面对使人焦虑的异常艰巨的挑战时，到了那一天就晓得我们知否真正聆听并习得了。我们每一个所听和所学都为自己奠定了基础，使我们以神完美的平安面对生命中的“完美风暴”。
记住，生命中的苦难和挑战是魔鬼为了从我们心中偷走神话语的种子。我们要么被恐惧所征服，要么抓紧神的平安，通过默想神的话语，保守我们在耶稣基督里的心怀意念。
在处理压力时，我们每个人都有不同的阈值。我们需要考虑到我们配偶处理压力的能力可能与我们截然不同。
如果我们是商人，我们可能会对公司当前的表现感到焦虑。COVID-19带来的全球经济放缓导致了大多数公司的下滑。如果我们没有在基督里找到自己的身份，我们就会担心老板对我们的看法。很多公司都在裁员，我们会担心工作的稳定性。在等待医治结果或身体出现症状的时候，我们会对自己的健康感到焦虑。我们也许会为退休后的需要而焦虑。我们会为在海外求学的子女焦虑。这样的例子不胜枚举。
Timothy J. Legg博士，CRNP (www.healthline.com)，列出了以下一些焦虑的症状:
-紧张、不安或紧张
-危险、恐慌或恐惧的感觉
– 快速的心跳
-呼吸急促或换气过度
-流汗增多或大汗淋漓
-颤抖或肌肉抽搐
-虚弱和嗜睡
-除了你担心的事情之外，你很难集中注意力或清晰地思考任何其他事情。
-失眠
-消化或胃肠问题，如胀气、便秘或腹泻
-极度希望避免那些会引发你焦虑的事情。
当我们焦虑时，我们就是在“默想”负面的想法以及所有可能或不太可能出现的情形。我们害怕或担心未知的事物。我们需要知道的一点是，对某件事的焦虑并不能解决问题。如果不控制这些想法，我们可能会陷入绝望和抑郁。我们需要学习重新把我们的思想专注于神的话语上，因为我们的意念一次只能集中在一件事上。因此，我们要么默想消极的想法，要么默想神的话语，这确实是一个选择。在这些想法成为我们心中的营垒之前，我们要有意识地将其拆毁。我们可以有意识地把注意力从所有的“如果”转移到神的话语上。所使用的精力和努力是一样的。
讲章系列:不要惊慌