High Anxiety                                                                                 04-25-14

John 15:5 (NASB) ⁵  "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Well, I believe ol' man winter has finally flown the coop. GOOD RIDDANCE! Can I get an amen?
It's nice up here in Volunteer Land. I saw one weather report calling for 90 degrees this coming week. That's just fine with me. Better hot than cold. Give me 85 and sunshine on one of those Caribbean hideaways. O.K., O.K. let's get on point here. For many years I thought Jesus was talking about soul winning in the above verse. The fruit was new additions to the kingdom. But, the more I thought about it and read what others had to say about it, I now think I have been missing the thrust of Jesus' words. While my original premise may have some validity to it, it's more about our personal walk isn't it. I believe He's talking about the fruit of the Spirit in own lives. You know....Galatians 5. All those lofty ideals that are often difficult to realize in their fullness.(well, at least they are for me )

 Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB) ²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

hmmm....."against such things there is no law."  You ever been anxious? Have you ever fought a battle with anxiety?

Anxiety-a painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind caused by doubts concerning the reality of the threat and self doubt about one's capacity to cope with it.

They tell me that left to incubate, anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as sweats and increases in heat rate. It will also lead the sufferer into depression and such. We call it an anxiety or panic attack.
I believe that I had a mild one this week. Now that's not newsworthy to anyone except me. You see I've been around for some 60 odd years and I am very laid back. VERY laid back. So much so that I have been called a procrastinator,(probably true) even an underachiever(God will be the judge of that) Now, I do get angry and I do have a definite belief system. But, basically I am a "you do your thing and I'll do mine" kind of guy. Right or wrong it's the way I am. I certainly never considered myself a candidate for a bout with anxiety. At any rate some elements from the past paid me a visit earlier this week. What it was isn't pertinent to this discussion but my reaction is. For some reason I got all bent out of shape over this episode from the past reemerging in my life. The reason for the message on anxiety is this. As I dwelt on this my heart literally began to beat faster. I'd take a deep breath and whatnot with no real relief. When I settled down, I got down in my spirit. It ruined my day. So, later on that evening I was reading my Bible and was in John 15 when that verse hit me. Here it is again.

  John 15:5 (NASB) ⁵  "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
It's the last part of that verse that the Lord spoke to me about. "........apart from Me you can do nothing." I take that verse literally, even though I fall woefully short of applying it to my own life on many occasions. You see the question is not whether or not you or I have the ability to cope with life's issues. The simple answer to that is a resounding NO! How do I know that you ask? Take a look at this week's headlines and tell me that we have ANY control over what is happening in the Ukraine, Iran, or even in our own country. The scenarios taking front row in this country are...well....unbelievable, even irrational. I, on almost a daily basis,drive by the homeless community in this city. I read about people losing their jobs. Little children asking the First Lady for a job for their father. I mean THINK ABOUT THAT. Of all the questions a little girl could ask the wife of the President of the United States, she asks for her father a job. I mean c'mon man. Insanity on all sides. It's no wonder we are prone to anxiety. Folks,all that we can control is US and even that can be challenging. I remembered that clip from the Mel Brooks movie High Anxiety with the guy spinning out of control on a spinning wheel in mid air. You remember that?(Ha Ha)  It's not a question  of our ability, nope, it is a question of our reliance. Who you gonna call? " Ronnie are you going to rely on your ability or Mine?" "Are you going to be self reliant or are you going to abide in Me?"

We're in a microwave world. Everything is happening at breakneck speed. God told us how it would be.

 Daniel 12:4 (NASB) ⁴  "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."


Brothers and sisters let's take a page from the Book.

1 Peter 5:7 (NASB) ⁷  casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

I don't know about you, but, I could use a big spoonful of all that good stuff. You know love, joy, peace..... You gettin my drift? Apart from him, you, me, us can do NOTHING.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NASB) ¹  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
²  I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"


God Bless