Keep Calm and Trust in Jehovah - WHAT MAY CAUSE US TO BE ANXIOUS?

 

We may have little or no control over some things that could cause us to feel anxious.  For example, we cannot regulate how much the cost of food, clothing, and shelter will rise each year; nor can we control how frequently  our workmates or schoolmates  will try to tempt us to be dishonest or immoral and we cannot stop the crime that happens in our neighborhood.  We face these challenges because we live in a world where  most people's thinking is not based on Bible principles.  Satan, the god of this world, knows that some people will allow "the anxiety of this system of things" to keep them from serving Jehovah.  (Matthew 13:22; 1 John 5:19) No wonder that the world is so full of stressful situations!

We might respond to intense pressures by becoming consumed with anxiety.  For instance, we may worry that we will not earn enough money to care for our needs or that we will get sick and miss work or even lose a job. We may also be concerned  that we will be  unfaithful when tempted to break God's law.  Soon, Satan  will cause those whom he controls to attack God's people, so we may worry about how we will react to that attack. We may wonder, 'Is it wrong for me to feel some concern about such issues?

 We know that Jesus told his followers: "Stop being anxious." (Matthew 6:25) Does this mean that he expects us to feel  no anxiety whatsoever?  Certainly not!  After all,  in the past some of Jehovah's loyal servants struggled with anxiety, but they did not lose Jehovah's approval.  (1 Kings 19:4) Jesus was actually reassuring us.  He did not want us to become so anxious about the cares of this life that our to God would negatively affected.  What, then, are ways that we can control feelings of anxiety? -

Next time: Keep Calm and Trust in Jehovah - SIX THINGS THAT WILL HELP US KEEP CALM

From the jw.org publications