Rabbi Schneider - Overcoming Anxiety
A beautiful, powerful Scripture to take ahold of is Philippians 4:6. Paul tells us though, "Be anxious for nothing". I want you to consider this verse as you're moving throughout your day. As soon as you find yourself having anxiety, as soon as you find yourself in any type of torment due to fear, due to worry, remind yourself that the Lord tells us, "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God".
The first thing that helps me wake up and break anxiety off me is the recognition that the Lord has commanded me not to be anxious. Because I want to be in obedience to Hashem. I want to be in obedience to Father God. So when I believe that His will for me is not to be anxious, and I want to live unto Him, I want to live in a way that pleases Him, then it gives me a sword to come against the spirit of anxiety, to break it off my life, but instead to choose to trust Him. Because Paul said, "Instead, let your requests be made known to God".
Whatever it is that's caused you to be anxious, pray about it. And Paul says to do it with thanksgiving. The fact that Paul's telling us to let these requests that are causing us anxiety to be made known to God with Thanksgiving tells us that we want to have an attitude of confidence that God is going to handle this, that He's going to give us a good outcome, and that we can trust Him and not carry the burden.
Now, that doesn't mean that there's never going to be a trial or a struggle or a pain. No one can promise that. But it does mean that God's gonna use all things for good, and we should just trust Him and believe in Him. And if all that really matters to us as being right with God, that should be enough. I'm not going to worry, God, I'm not going to be anxious, because you commanded me not to. And my primary ambition in life is to please you, so I'm not going to worry about the outcome. I'm just going to worry about obeying you, I'm not going to be anxious. Beloved, when we make it all about Jesus, life becomes so much more simple.