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Stress worry and anxiety. Is it okay? Is it a sin? That is a little bit of a complex question. Let me start by saying The Bible doesn’t tell us not to experience emotions. Anxiety itself is a natural response to stress, say – like sadness or anger. The key is what we do with those emotions once we feel them.For example, the Bible says “Be angry, but don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” Anger is the natural response, but we are not supposed to hold on to it. When anger becomes bitterness, we’ve fallen into sin. Anxiety itself is not the sin.Jesus says to us to cast our cares on to God – He wouldn’t say to “cast” (or throw) them if we didn’t first experience something that needs to be tossed . In other words, when we feel that anxiety, we have a decision to make. We have to decide to obey God and trust in him

We repent of the anxiety – meaning we think differently about it. The Word of God ministers in our souls, and we know God is in control and working all things for his good. Romans 8:28. 

We know our anxiety can’t fix anything. Matthew 6:27-33. So when we feel anxiety, it is good to be with brothers and those who can encourage us in the Word of God and in the Holy Spirit. Likewise, when we see others anxious, we should go to them and minister in love and encourage them. Now I’m not saying that each of us in this room has a problem with stress worry or anxiety. We all experience it at different levels. The level and frequency to which this happens is usually based on peoples personalities and how they handle their emotions. Personally I happen to be one of those people who don’t really worry or stress out that much. Now part of that is because I happen to be easy going. I just don’t let things get to me. However the main reason is due to the fact that I put my trust in the lord. I believe that he has an ultimate plan for my life. That means that stressing will do nothing but hurt my relationship with God and bring down my quality of life. Not everyone is this way. For those of you who have had the opportunity to meet my fiancé Jessica you may know that she is not so easy going. Now I’m not saying that in a bad way it just happens to be a personality difference. Some people worry more than others. That being said please don’t tell Jessica I said that. Just kidding, I always get her permission before talking about her. This last weekend Jessica and I took a trip to San Diego with the main campus at SBC. Now every time we go on a trip the same thing tends to happen. Were about to get in the car and take off after all bags are packed and all the prep work is been done. We have gone through the list and checked it all twice. It’s time to leave, but before we can even move the first words out of my fiancé’s mouth are always without fail “I think I’m forgetting something.” Can any of you relate to this feeling? Thus is an example of a small worry. However even the small things should be given up to God. If not you will end up like a crazy Janga game with all your peace’s on the floor.  Then there is the bigger worries. The kind that keep you up at night. When I was in the hospital in 2016 my family was filled with this kind of worry. I personally felt this worry when I was 18 and was tod I may have cancer. Durring that time it was super difficult on me, but I prayed to God and put my trust in him. I brought my sin to him and trusted that he had a plan for me. Again anxiety is not the sin, the sin is not bringing it to God. God wants us to come to him with our stress and our worries. You see if we don’t then it is us flat out NOT trusting that God has it covered. Not trusting that God will take care of us. There are many verses in the bible where God tells us exactly how he wants us to handle the stress. 1 Peter 5: 6,7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Now we serve a mighty big awesome God. Amen! We serve under the God of the universe. The same God that created everything that is before us. That same big God who held the oceans in his hand. But the beauty of our God is that he will never be too big for us. He wants us to enter into a relationship with him And that same God wants you to live a stress free life. Now why does he do that? Why would he ask us to come to him. Because he loves you despite all our mistakes. God is the ultimate provider. He wants to give you everything that you need. And let us not forget the ultimate gift that God gives us. The gift of LIFE in eternity with him.

Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”Lets break this down a little. There are 3 major points that stick out to me

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

Does this mean that we should just sit and do absolutely nothing and expect God to provide. Absolutely not.

• Boat Story – There was a man who was drowning, and a boat came, and the man on the boat said ‘Do you need help?’ and the man said No ‘God will save me’. Then another boat came and he tried to help him, but he said ‘God will save me’, then he drowned and went to Heaven. Then the man told God, ‘God, why didn’t you save me?’ and God said ‘I sent you two boats, you dummy!'” 
All you do when you worry is stress yourself out. Also you make it so that God no longer has the opportunity to step in and be there for you. So how do we do this. How do we give our anxiety to God. Again I will point you directly to the bible.

Philippians 4:6,7. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Wait a minute, it can’t be that easy. All I need to do is pray and God will relieve me of my stress. WHAT! YES!!! YES!!! It absolutely IS that easy. Why. Because Our God is that Great!!! His knowledge and understanding surpass ours. So bottom line, spend time in prayer with God and you will begin over time to feel a relief from your stress. Remember Jesus himself went alone to pray with God. 

Matthew 14:23 -“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone

Now am I saying that this is super easy and as soon as you go to pray to God all life will be ok and nothing bad will happen. Absolutely not. For example If you didn’t STUDY for that test God won’t just fill your head with the knowledge. 
• I will close with this final verse. 

• Proverbs 3:5,6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”