The Cure for Anxiety

This blog post delves into the importance of Jesus' teachings in Matthew chapter 6, culminating in one of his most important instructions to every Christian.

What is Righteousness?

Matthew chapter 5 is well known as the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus gave the beatitudes, amongst other significant biblical teachings. One of those beatitudes is a promise to people who desire and pursue uprightness and right standing with God.

Matthew 5:6 (AMP)

Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.

Similarly and throughout the chapter, Jesus speaks about and galvanizes the crowd to live a life devoted to righteousness. When I was younger, I never truly understood the word in part because it was a little hard to enunciate and sometimes overcomplicated.

Bible Study Tools is an excellent resource for doing in-depth studies into the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts of the bible to get a deeper understanding of certain words. They explain righteousness like this: the covenant people of God are called to live righteously, that is, in conformity to the demands of the covenant and according to God's will. Having within the covenantal relationship with God the gift of salvation, they are to behave as the people of the holy Lord.

Genesis 6:9 (AMP)

...Noah was a righteous man [one who was just and had right standing with God], blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked (lived) [in habitual fellowship] with God

From this scripture about Noah, we can see that righteousness insinuates two things: being in right standing with God and being in habitual fellowship with God. As Children of God, we understand that our right standing with Him comes from the grace we received when we accepted Jesus into our lives as our Savior. The habitual fellowship with God is the part many Christians have yet to embrace as a lifestyle.

Seeking His Kingdom

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus begins to teach the sermons about the Lord's prayer, charitable giving, and fasting, and the chapter concludes with Jesus' teaching on the Cure for Anxiety. From verses 25 - 32, He encourages the people not to worry about earthly yet frankly important things but rather to put absolute trust and reliance on God. He says in verse 26;

Matthew 6:26 (AMPC)

...Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?

I did not truly grasp the essence of this text till very recently. I understood this as, "Oh, no need to worry about all my bills because God will help and guide me." And guess what? It worked! I was not anxious, and I did not fret or stress. As I detailed in While I'm Waiting about the situation with my school fees, with the help of the Holy Spirit, there was an unwavering trust God would see me through. But I have learned that I missed out on the most crucial part of that chapter in verse 33.

God is Calling You Deeper

ft. a prayer playlist

Matthew 6:33 (AMPC)

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

The beauty of this scripture is that it is as personal as personal gets. Seeking God's kingdom starts from being in right standing with Him and then pursuing a holy life in habitual fellowship. In that pursuit, he will reveal what things he wants you to strive for within his kingdom. For some people, it is to further the gospel by establishing a ministry; for some, it is to start health outreaches to improve the lives of others; for some, it is to finance projects that propagate the gospel. For some, it is to use their positions of influence to bring the gospel to a new demographic. For you, it may be to start interceding for your family or neighborhood. It could be anything the Lord lays in your heart.

We can draw direct parallels from the Book of Esther. In a short introduction, Esther is a Jewish character in the bible, an orphan raised by her uncle, Mordecai (a palace guard), and later married to the Persian King Xerxes. In chapter 4, Mordecai informed her of the plan of the King's second-hand man, Haaman, to kill all the Jews in the Persian empire. For reference, the empire spanned from India to Ethiopia.

Esther 4:14 (AMPC)

For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance]. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?

Esther was once only an orphan who lived like every other inhabitant in Persia at the time with just enough to get by. God blessed her and raised her to be Queen and access to what was once not a dream. Same with you and me; we are not where we were yesterday. We have been blessed by God's grace, mercy, and favor. Esther initially did not realize the blessings God gave her so she could turn around and protect her entire country. God promises he will never forsake us, asks us to seek his kingdom first, and promises again that all the things we would've worried about would still be given to us. Sounds pretty awesome to me!

Today's question is, "How can you start seeking his kingdom first?" Ask the Holy Spirit to show you. You, like Esther, can be the gateway to transforming the lives of a lot of people. In the next blog Post, we will learn how to take practical steps to seek God's kingdom first.

Prayer

I pray that as you continue your journey in Christ, He will empower you with strength, peace, and perseverance. I pray that He will kindle the fire He has placed in you so that you may shine bright to the people around you and that their lives will be transformed by the glory of God exuding from you! AMEN!

Keep in Touch!

If the Holy Spirit taught you something, please comment so we can all benefit.

God bless you. Jesus loves you!

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