The Beginning Of Anxiety Is The End Of Faith,…

…and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.

George Mueller was a man with great faith in God. He cared for thousands of children in Great Britain in the late 1800’s through the establishment of homes and schools to care for orphans. He relied on God for everything and as a result, God used him in great ways. Mueller lived for the glory of God and left a legacy that is a testament to God’s faithfulness.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

The autobiography of George Mueller is one of my favorites and I have read it numerous times. I really enjoy reading Christian biographies and autobiographies such as Mueller’s for hope, encouragement, inspiration and motivation. These true stories inspire me to have faith that God can use me in great ways too.

However, I must confess that anxiety is an ongoing struggle for me. Sometimes my faith falters and it is hard to resist the temptation to worry. This is an area of weakness for me, but when I’m anxious God is faithful to remind me of His flawless track record in my life. He renews my faith and trust in Him.

I can’t help but wonder if George Mueller was tempted by anxiety, because he had to trust God for such great things. I wonder if this quote was a personal reminder for him that the beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, because anxiety is the antithesis of faith.

True faith ends anxiety because we believe that God is true to His character and Word.

We can learn 3 important lessons from Mueller’s life that were foundational to his faith in God.

1) Find your joy in the Lord.

Where do you look for joy in your life? George Mueller made it his goal to always find his joy in the Lord rather than anyone or anything else.

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (NLT)

Psalm 92:4 says, “For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD…” (NIV)

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (NIV)

The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord. –George Mueller

2) Trust God to provide.

George Mueller chose to live by faith and he trusted God completely for everything.

If we have anxiety, we most likely are not trusting the Lord and placing our faith in God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

To know God is to love, trust and have faith in Him. How much faith and trust would we place in someone we didn’t know very well? Probably not much.

Developing trust with someone happens as we spend time with them and it works the same way with God.

Mueller made it his ambition to know God. He spent hours reading and studying the Bible. Then he sought to apply the principles that he learned to his life. We can do the same.

Our faith and trust in God can grow over time as we see His faithfulness in our lives.

3) Pray continuously. 

George Mueller prayed for everything. No request was too small or too large. He brought every petition to the Lord.

The Bible tells us that prayer is the remedy for anxiety and the means for receiving the peace of God.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.  (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

Thankfully as Christians, we can bring our requests to God in the name of Jesus Christ. We can receive His peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ.

We can strengthen our faith and defeat anxiety by finding our joy in the Lord, trusting Him and praying for everything.

Do you have a strong faith in God? Do you ever struggle with anxiety?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now.

Editor’s Note: This article deals with normal anxiety, not clinical anxiety which needs special treatment. I encourage those with deeper anxiety issues to seek professional help and possibly treatment through medication. If you have questions about the issue of Christians using medications in this way, check out my podcast Can a Christian Take Brain Chemistry Medications?

(The answer is Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. –George Mueller | CLICK TO TWEET

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How to Win Over the Sin of Worry

• Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows…

• All our fret and worry is caused by…

• 4 Ways to Find Contentment Now

• How to Renew Your Mind and Think More Positively

• 5 Ways to Deal with Regret and Move On Today

• Five Ways to Conquer Complaining and Find Happiness Now

• Four Steps to Climb Out of a Pit of Depression

• How to Overcome the Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

It Is Only With Gratitude That Life Becomes Rich. -Deitrich Bonhoffer

Gratitude makes life rich because it helps us focus on what we have instead of what we lack.  Expressing gratitude is a decision we make to count our blessings instead of our problems. We can learn to be grateful and with God’s help, we can even express gratitude during times of difficulty.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net. 

I learned about gratitude and resourcefulness during my childhood while my parents struggled financially with my dad’s landscaping business. He left the Marine Corp to pursue his love of plants but, after 8 years of back breaking labor, it became extremely difficult to meet even the basic needs for our family.

Then when I was 15, God gave my dad a wonderful job. He was hired by a wholesale nursery to sell plants to retail nurseries. He worked hard and was promoted to sales manager, and eventually he became part owner of a wholesale nursery. The company grew and expanded to sell plants nationwide to Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowes. My 2 brothers, my step sister and I all worked for the company at various times.

Those difficult early years taught us many lessons. We became rich in perseverance, hope and gratitude.

Gratitude makes life rich when we don’t take things for granted and appreciate the simple pleasures in life.

We can be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about what we lack. We can be grateful for faith, health, loved ones and friends. We can appreciate and give thanks for a sunrise or the sound of laughter.

Most people express gratitude when they feel happy and things are going well in life. As I write this article, there are almost 10 million posts on Instagram using the hashtag “gratitude.”

I wonder who people are thanking and if they know the One who is worthy of all gratitude.

In fact, gratitude is God’s will for us.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Gratitude is a habit worth cultivating and biblically mandated for Christians. Believers are called to an even higher standard that seems counterintuitive, which is to practice gratitude even during times of suffering.

Gratitude is a mindset and a choice. We glorify God as we thank Him for all He has given to us including our salvation.

Gratitude benefits us because it helps us to defeat negative habits such as: jealousy, comparison, complaining, bitterness, discouragement and depression. In addition, it is a powerful witness to unbelievers of our faith and trust in God.

Gratitude can foster joy, peace and contentment.

So how can believer’s express gratitude that makes life rich; especially during times of pain and difficulty?

The answer is to look for the blessings. It may not be easy, but in most circumstances, there is usually something for which we can give thanks.

Usually when I’m not grateful it’s because I am complaining. When this happens, I ask God to forgive me and for His help to break this habit and express gratitude instead.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

I have found that I need the help of the Holy Spirit, to change me as I submit to Him and resist the temptation to complain.

God has been working in my life to change my habit of complaining to gratitude over the past few years.

I started using a gratitude journal to help me focus on my blessings as explained in this article here.  Making daily entries of things to be grateful for is training my mind to develop a habit of gratitude.

What about you? Has life become rich because of gratitude?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. –Dietrich Bonhoeffer | CLICK TO TWEET

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Thanksgiving – A Most Important Attitude

• Why Thanking Prayers Are So Important

• How Praising Unlocks Heaven on Earth

• Five Simple Steps to Conquer Complaining and Find Happiness

• 3 Steps to Get the Help You Need Today

• What Does God Owe Me? How to Avoid Comparison in a World Filled with It

• How the Curse of Comparison Crushes

• Why Christians Can be Confident in Crushing Circumstances

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

God, Who Foresaw Your Tribulation, Has Specially Armed You…

…to go through it, not without pain but without stain. –C. S. Lewis

God is omniscient. He knows each trial and tribulation that we will face in our lives. But, thankfully He has graciously provided for believers to go through difficult times not without pain but without stain.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net. 

The idea that I can be in God’s perfect will and still be suffering is oddly comforting to me. I think it’s because sometimes when I face tribulation, I tend to think God has forgotten about me, or I am being punished, or maybe He’s mad at me. I think if only I could do better I wouldn’t be suffering.

But knowing that God has orchestrated all of my days including the painful ones to accomplish His plan which is ultimately for my good and His glory is a blessing. It helps me to realize there is a purpose for each trial and tribulation.

Being a believer doesn’t exempt us from suffering. We live in a fallen world, which means we will have times of trial and tribulation.

God knows and sees everything, therefore He is never caught off guard. He’s in control and He has a good plan.

God isn’t surprised by trials and the Bible says we shouldn’t be either.

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12 NLT)

Some people have a hard time accepting pain and suffering. They question why God allows it and their hopeless response to suffering becomes a stumbling block to faith.

Sometimes we suffer tribulation because of others and sometimes it is the natural consequences of our own actions. In either case, we need help and hope when we go through tribulation.

Believers have the Bible, other Christians, prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit to go through times of tribulation.

The Holy Spirit teaches us, (John 14:26), prays for us, (Romans 8:26), guides us into all truth, and He will never leave us, (John 14:16-17).

We have hope in the promise of God to work all things for good for those who love Him and are called by Him, including our times of trial and tribulation, (Romans 8:28).

James 1:2-4 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (NLT)

We can find hope in the truth that endurance grows when faith is tested through tribulation.

Christians go through life not without pain but without stain.

Sin stains our souls. In truth, we are all born sinful and self-help, self-effort or will power cannot remedy the problem.

We need the grace of God. Thankfully, He has provided the way for our sins to be forgiven through the blood sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In fact, the blood of Jesus is the only stain remover that can cleanse us from all sin. 

Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. (Isaiah 1:18 NLT)

Are you going through a trial or a period of tribulation right now?

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain. –C. S. Lewis | CLICK TO TWEET

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• The Best Quick Biblical Answer to Suffering

• What if God Eliminated all Suffering?

• My Classmate Bart Ehrman’s Hopeless Response to Suffering and Death

• 6 Solutions When You Suffer for Doing Good

• What Does God Owe Me? Why is There so Much Pleasure in the World?

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth