HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY -WHAT HAVING FAITH REALLY MEANS - Conclusion

 "I know why Jehovah says at Malachi 2:16: 'I hate divorce.' For an innocent mate, it's the deepest of betrayals. Years have passed since my husband left, but at times I still feel hollow inside. When I do, I try to do something to help someone else and that helps me too." By thus applying the Bible principle to avoid isolating herself, Janet lowers her anxiety.  - PROVERBS 18:1.

"My greatest comfort, Janet says, "comes from knowing that God is 'a father of the fatherless and a protector of widows.' He will never abandon us as  my husband did." (Psalm 68:5) Janet knows that God does not test us" with evil things." On the contrary, he gives wisdom "generously to all" and gives "power beyond what is normal" to help us deal with our anxieties. - JAMES 1:5, 13; 2 CORINTHIANS4:7. 

But what if we are anxious because our life is in danger?

Next time:  HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY - Anxiety About Money 

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HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY - WHAT HAVING FAITH REALLY MEANS

 But what really is faith? Faith involves "coming to know" God as a person.  (John 17:3) We do so first by absorbing God's thoughts through the Bible. We learn that he sees each of us and wants to help us. Yet, real faith involves more than just knowing something about God. It also means have a bond of respectful friendship with him. As is true with a human friend, we cannot forge such a bond overnight. Our faith "continues to increase" over time as we learn about him, as we "do the things pleasing to him," and as we experience his active help. (1 Corinthians 10:15; John 8:29) That is the kind of faith that helps Janet deal with anxieties. 

"What has truly helped build my faith is seeing Jehovah's hand every step of the way," says Janet. "Many times we faced injustices that seemed impossible to deal with. With much prayer, Jehovah always made a way out for us that I never could figure out on my own. When I thank him, it reminds me of how much he has done for me. He has always come through for us at the right time, often just in time. And he has given me true friends who are genuine Christian men and woman. They are always there for me and are good examples for my children.

Next time: HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETIES - WHAT HAVING FAITH REALLY MEANS -Conclusion

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Anxiety About Family - Conclusion

 Jesus' reassuring words about prayer in his Sermon on the mount apply to anxieties of all kinds: "Your Father knows what need even before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8) And we do need to ask him. Prayer is the primary way we can 'draw close to God." The result of doing so? "He will draw close to you." - JAMES 4:8. 

Yes, prayer does more than simply make us feel better for having expressed our anxiety. Jehovah, the Hearer of prayer," also acts on behalf of all who seek him in faith. (Psalm 65:2) That is why Jesus taught his followers "always pray and not to give up." (Luke 18:1) We must keep asking God for his direction and help, confident that he will reward our faith. We need never doubt his desire to act. To "pray constantly" in this way show we have genuine faith - 1THESSALONIANS 5:17. 

Next time: HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY - WHAT HAVEING FAITH REALLY MEANS

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HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY/Anxiety About Family

 "Shortly after my father died, my husband told me that he was seeing another woman, "relates Janet. "Soon afterward, without further warning or good-bye, he emptied his closet and left me and our two children." Janet found a job, but her pay was not enough for her to keep their house. And she has faced more than just financial concerns. "The crushing anxiety of all the new responsibilities that I had to handle alone was overwhelming," she recalls. "I felt guilty that I could not provide as much for my children as other parents do. And even now I worry about others view me and my children. Do they wonder if I did all I should have to preserve my marriage?"

Prayer helps Janet tame her feelings and nurture her friendship with God. "Nightime is the hardest, when everything is so quiet and my anxious thoughts are so loud. Praying and reading the Bible help me to sleep. A favorite passage of mine is Philippians 4:6, 7: "Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers." "I have spent many nights in prayer and have felt Jehovah's peace comfort me." 

Next time: Anxiety About Family - Conclusion

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HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY - OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE - Conclusion

 Countless million, their number known only to God, will live again. For now, they sleep, safe in God's perfect memory, until the day when "all those in the memorial tombs . . . will come out." (John 5:28, 29) Speaking of the resurrection, the Bible assures us: "We have this hop as an anchor for the soul, but sure and firm." (Hebrews 6:19) And God "has provided a guarantee to all men by resurrecting [Jesus] from the dead." - ACTS 27:31. 

For now, even those who are trying to please God will face anxieties. By taking practical steps, drawing close to God through prayer, and building faith in the Bible's hope for the future, Paul, Janet, and Alona are all dealing successfully with anxiety. As he has in their case, "may the God who gives hope fill you with all joy and peace by your trusting in him." - ROMANS 15:13.

What About Professional Help?

If after taking practical steps, you find that anxiety continue to interfere with your daily life, you may want to consult a doctor. When anxiety grows out of proportion to the problems or the stresses a person is facing, it may indicate a deeper problem. Your doctor may begin with a physical check-up, since anxiety is sometimes the result of an underlying medical condition. From there the doctor may you to decide on additional treatment.

Next time: HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY/Anxiety About Family

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HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY - OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

 In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught his followers to pray: "Let your kingdom come." (Matthew 6:10) God's Kingdom will root out all harmful anxiety forever. Through Jesus, the "Prince of Peace," God will bring "an end to all wars throughout the earth." (ISAIAH 9:6; Psalm 46:9) "He [God] will render judgment among many peoples . . . Nation will not life up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore. . . . No one will make them afraid." (Micah 4:3, 4) Happy families "will build houses and live in them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage." (Isaiah 65:21) "And no resident will say: "I am sick."' - ISAIAH 33:24. 

Today, despite all precautions, it is not always possible to prevent "unexpected events" or to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) As they have for centuries, war, violence, and disease continue to kill good people. What hope do those innocent victims have? 

Next time: OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE - Conclusion

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HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY -THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

 Real faith helps us to deal with anxiety. The Bible urges us to "be vigilant with a view to prayers." (1 Peter 4:7) We can ask God for his help and for the wisdom and courage to make the best of our situation, confident that "he hears us concerning whatever we are asking." - 1 JOHN 5:15.

The Bible explains that Satan, not God, is the ruler of this world" and that "the whole world is lying in power of the wicked one."(John 12:31; 1 John 5:19) Therefore, Jesus used no mere figure of speech when he taught us to pray: "Deliver us from the wicked one." (Matthew 6:13) "Whenever the siren goes off, I ask Jehovah to help me control my feelings," says Alona. "Also, my dear husband and calls me and prays with me. Praying really helps." It is as the Bible says: "Jehovah is near to all who call on him, in sincerity." - PSALM 145:18, footnote.

Next time: HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY - OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

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HOW TO DEALWITH ANXIETY -Anxiety About Danger

Sorry, I forgot to publish yesterday.

 "When I hear the siren, my heart starts racing and I run to a bomb shelter," says Alona. "But even there I feel anxious. It worse when I'm outside, with no place to hide. Once, while just walking down the street, I started to cry and couldn't breathe. It took me hours to calm down. Then the siren went off again." 

War is only one of many sources of danger. For example, the discovery that you or a loved one has a life-threatening illness can make you feel as though you have been hit by a bomb. And for others, fear of the future can cause anxiety. They worry, "Will our children, or their children, have to live in a world of war, crime, pollution, climate change, and epidemics? How can we deal with such anxieties? 

Knowing that bad things can happen "the shrewd person sees the danger and conceals himself." (Proverbs 27:12) And just as we take steps to shield our mental and emotional health. Violent entertainment and even new reports filled with horrific images add to our own and our child's anxiety. To avoid unnecessary exposure to these things is not hiding our head in the sand. God did not design our minds to dwell on evil. Instead, we should fill them with "whatever things are true, . . .righteous, . . . chaste, . . . lovable." If we do, "the God of peace" will give us peace of mind and heart. - Philippians 4:8,9.

Next time: HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY/THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

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Life Beyond the Grave - It Is Possible! - Another Life by Resurrection

 Why did Jesus perform such miracles, in view of the fact that later those resurrected got sick and died again? He did so because it proved that what the first Adam had lost-evcrlasting life on a paradise earth-can and will be restored. The resurrection Jesus performed demonstrated how millions of humans will eventually "possess the earth" and "will reside forever upon it." -PSALM 37:29.

Happily, we be among those with that grand prospect of living forever if we practice "Godly devotion." Such devotion, the Bible says, "holds promise not only for this life but for the life to come." That life which to come" is also called "The life which is life indeed" and the "real life." - 1 TIMOTHY 4:8; 6:19; The New English Bible. 

Let us consider just what this real life, the life to come in a righteous new world will be like. 

Next time: HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY/ANXIETY ABOUT DANGER

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Life Beyond the Grave - It Is Possible - Basis for Belief

 Should it be too difficult to believe that Jehovah God, who created life, has the power to re-create a person who had once been alive? Consider the ability to conceive-or become pregnant-which God made possible for the first woman. "Adam had intercourse with Eve," and about nine months later, a fully formed small replica of them was delivered into the world. (Genesis 4:1) What went on inside Eve's womb to create all the parts of the baby and assemble them is still described as a miracle, beyond full human comprehension! - PSALM 139:13-16.

Birth is commonly taken for granted, since it repeated hundreds of thousands of times a day. However, bringing back to life one who had lived before is by many still considered to be unbelievable. When Jesus told people who were mourning the death of a young girl to stop weeping, "they began to laugh scornfully at him" because they knew she had died. But Jesus spoke to the dead girl, saying: "Get up!' And immediate the young maiden rose and began walking." And we are told: "At once [those present] were beside themselves with great ecstasy." -MARK5:39-43; Luke 8:51-56. 

When asked that a tomb of his dear friend Lazarus be unsealed, Martha, a sister of Lazarus, protested: "By now he must smell, for it is four days." What rejoicing that was, however, when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life! (John 11:38-44) Many became acquainted with Jesus' miracles. When John the Baptist was in prison, John's disciples reported to him about Jesus' activity, saying: "The dead are being raised up." - LUKE 7:22.

Next time: Life Beyond the Grave - It Is Possible! - Another Life by Resurrection

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