Sacrifice

Anxiety and fear are important emotions. God can use them to guide us closer to him. These emotions also warn us of potential danger and real time threats that need to be avoided or eliminated. But when should we be anxious? What should we fear?

The Bible speaks much about anxiety. “Be anxious for nothing,” Philippians 4:6. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on,” Matthew 6:25. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things,” Matthew 6:34.

There are also many Scriptures about fear. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom,” Proverbs 9:10. “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,” Proverbs 14:27. “Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands,” Matthew 10:28.

I could continue for pages with all the Scripture about anxiety/fear, but one theme remains common. We should never be anxious! We must fear the Lord above all else. Impossible? No, because “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13.

Obtaining a life that is void of anxiety and filled with the fear of the Lord is a journey that requires a lot of faith. We can build our faith through continual prayer and constantly meditating on the Scripture. But knowing and even understanding Scriptures isn’t good enough. We must obey them.

Obedience requires sacrifice as we daily cast our cares upon Him and starve our flesh of sinful desires. My anxiety/fear had been misplaced for years. It all started with a psychology experiment. I was determined to receive healing through Christ by obedience and ultimately sacrifice…until I discovered the price of that sacrifice. The flesh didn’t want to let go.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”

Matthew 19:29