– Teaching On Anxiety –

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not
lean on your own understanding.
(Proverbs 3:5)

3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect
peace, Because he trusts in You.
(Isaiah 26:3)

34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow
will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:34)

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common
to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide
the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
(I Corinthians 10:13)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:6-7)

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(I Peter 5:6-7)

And the angel of the Lord suddenly stood
before them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and they were terribly frightened.

Luke 2:9 (NASB)

ICEA – “Church at Study”

Luke 2:9 is part of an account of foretelling our Lord’s birth. It explains the fearful nature of men who came in contact with the supernatural and the unknown. Two other Bible translations state: “fear came on them” and; “they were filled with great fear”. A third translation seems to stand out: stating they were simply “terrified”. Likewise, as humans, we often can be fearful of coming in contact with the supernatural. We are earthy…but we also have the capacity to be influenced by spirit, because God has given us a spirit (Job 32:8). God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Angels are spirits (Heb. 1:13-14) and demons are spirits, also. There are spirit powers in realms around us. These “messengers” (whether good or bad) have the ability to influence our thinking. When coming in contact with satanic powers, the struggle in our spirits and minds can be so intense! The Bible compares the struggle to…wrestling…not with flesh, but wrestling with spiritual foes. We read where Jesus wrestled with satanic power, as He was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. We also see Jesus… (Heb. 2.9) who was made “a little lower than the angels” for the suffering of death…that He by the grace of God should experience death for every man. He not only experienced death, but (vs 14) destroyed him that had the power over death, that is the devil. And this is GOOD NEWS, because in time past (vs 15), many under the law were terrified at the thought and consequences of death but He has come and given us an understanding that death has no sting and the grave has no victory over those whose lives are preserved in Christ Jesus! So, we don’t have to live daily lives of fear. He was born, died, and rose from the grave to save us from the consequences of sin and adverse spiritual powers! Praise God that we live a life through the Spirit… springing up to eternal life!

The popular gospel artist, Cece Winans sung “but there is still a war that rages….” So…while we wait for eternal life, there are two main areas our Lord wants to preserve during every struggle: our hearts and our minds (Phil. 4:6-7). These are two main areas mankind’s enemy often attempts to attack and defeat with terror. God doesn’t want us terrified by our adversary because there is One who ever lives and we can live victorious lives through Him!

ICEA – “Church at Study”

There are two great themes in the book of Hebrews. The one and greatest theme is Jesus is far superior than any man, created being, or Old Testament system. The second theme is less known and deals with the dangers of the writer’s readers returning to their former lifestyles. It seems they desired to be enslaved again in futile practices of religion and not worship Christ. He also sets forth many strong warnings about some readers not continuing to follow Christ the way they did before.

Let’s pull out key scriptures found in this great book and explore the writer’s secondary intent given to the readers of the book of Hebrews. Here are a number of scriptures in Hebrews that show the seriousness of anyone who desires to return to their former lifestyle apart from Jesus being central.

HERE ARE THE WRITERS CONSTANT WARNINGS:

Heb. 2:1  We aught to give…heed…lest…we should let them slip
2:3           How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation
3:6           If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
3:7           Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your  hearts…when your fathers tempted me
3:12         Take heed, brethren, lest there be an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God
3:14         For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end
4:1           Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it
4:11         Let us labor…to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief
4:14         Let us hold fast our profession
5:12         For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again….
6:1           Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on  unto perfection
6:8-9      That which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation
6:11-12    We desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that you be not slothful…
10:23       Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering
10:25       Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
10:35       Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward
10:38       Now…the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition…
12:1         Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…
12:3         Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
12:12       Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees
12:25        See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.

The warning are very real and they apply to us today! Don’t turn back!