{Glory Art} Scripture Challenge #7, Anxious

Note: Please click here to see today's Glory Art {Tip}.

The Study

Today we are going to talk about being anxious. Dictionary.com say that anxious means:

Anxious: Concerned, greatly worried.

At one time or another, we all have felt anxious but it is something we need to try and give to God instead of being worried or anxious. Last week, one of my daughters had a very important test. She had to run 2 miles in a certain amount of time for Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). She was distraught and anxious about it because failing this test would mean that she could no longer be in ROTC. She had failed previously by 20 seconds, and now this was her last chance to pass. She was concerned she would fail again which would mean she would have to leave the ROTC program. I continually told her that I was praying for her and to trust God with His plan. I also reminded her that God doesn't want us to worry about tomorrow let alone the test that was ahead of her days later. I could tell her that over and over but getting her to relax and truly trust Him was another thing. 

Have you ever been in a similar situation—so anxious about something that you couldn't sleep? Or so worried that it consumed your thoughts and you couldn't focus on anything else? Maybe it even caused you to be rude to others. When we are consumed by fear and worry, we are not putting our faith and trust in the Lord. So how do you let go of that anxious feeling? What does God say? Well, Philippians says this:

Philippians 4:6-7 "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." 

He tells us to pray, give our worries to Him, and we will then experience His peace. The Life Application Study Bible says this about Philippians 4:6-7 "Imagine never being anxious about anything. It seems like an impossibility. We all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school. But Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray!"

Love that! As I always tell my girls—as soon as that 'worry' creeps into your mind, pray. Shoot up that arrow prayer and focus on Him. I used to be a big worrier. And over the years, God has transformed me, and I no longer worry like I used to. I am so thankful for that. God created you, and He can be trusted with the details of your daily life. Jesus teaches us about worry and being anxious in Matthew Chapter 6:

Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

You can also read Luke 12:22-34 for Jesus' warning about worry. So will you allow your faith in Christ to free you from being anxious and worried? Will you pray right now and give it all to Him so you can experience His peace and enjoy the day He has given you right now?

And if you have gotten to the end of this lesson, yes, my daughter passed the running test! My specific prayer was that she beat the required time by 20 seconds. God is good, and she beat the required time by 26 seconds. Praise God!

The Art

Today I decided to create an art journaling page. I share step-by-step how this page was created in today's Glory Art {Tips}. Be sure to see that by clicking here. I used the new Blue Fern Studios Halftone stamp set on this page too. It is a great mixed media set! The scriptures I used are listed above. I felt they were perfect for my page.

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies and art tips, please see this post here. Have a blessed week!

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