Anxiety a Consequence of Sin
Deuteronomy 28:58 - 59, 65, TEV
If you do not obey faithfully all of God's teachings that are written in this book and if you do not honor the wonderful and awesome name of the Lord your God, he will send on you and on your descendants incurable diseases and horrible epidemics that can never be stopped . . . You will find no peace anywhere, no place to call your own; the Lord will overwhelm you with anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.
Psalm 38:1, 3, 8, NET
O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger! Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! . . . My whole body is sick because of your judgment; I am deprived of health because of my sin . . . I am numb with pain and severely battered; I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.
Psalm 38:17 - 18, HBFV
For I am ready to fall, and my pain is always before me, for I will confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
Psalm 13:1 - 2, NET
How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? How long will you pay no attention to me? How long must I worry, and suffer in broad daylight? How long will my enemy gloat over me?
Ecclesiastes 2:22 - 23, NLT
So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.
Hosea 7:13 - 14, TLB
Woe to my people for deserting me; let them perish, for they have sinned against me [God]. I wanted to redeem them but their hard hearts would not accept the truth. They lie there sleepless with anxiety but won’t ask my help. Instead, they worship heathen gods, asking them for crops and for prosperity.
Worry Due to the Gospel
2Corinthians 11:24 - 26, 28, NET
Five times I [Apostle Paul] received from the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I suffered shipwreck . . . I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers . . .
Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches.
Philippians 1:15 - 17, HCSB
To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of good will. These do so out of love, knowing that I [the Apostle Paul] am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
the others proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, seeking to cause me anxiety in my imprisonment.
Philippians 2:25 - 28, NIV
But I [Apostle Paul] think it is necessary to send back to you [in Philippi] Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.
Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.
Worry Stunts Spiritual Growth
Matthew 13:18, 22, NIV
Listen then to what the parable of the sower means . . . The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
End Time Anxiety
Luke 21:20, 22, 24 - 25, WEB
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand . . . For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves . . .
1Corinthians 7:29, 31 - 33, HBFV
Now this I say, brethren: the time is drawing close. For the time that remains, let those who have wives be as if they did not have wives . . . And those who use this world, as if they did not use it as their own; for this world in its present form is passing away. Now I desire you to be without anxiety.
Matthew 10:17 - 19, ASV
But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in theirs synagogues they will scourge you; yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak.
The Cure for Anxiety
Proverbs 12:25, NKJV
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.
Proverbs 16:3, ESV
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
Psalm 55:22, NIV
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 94:19, GNB
Whenever I am anxious and worried, you [God] comfort me and make me glad.
Philippians 4:6, NKJV
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
1Peter 1:2, TLB
Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children. And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him. May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.
Psalm 37:1 - 5, NET
Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers! For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants. Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the Lord! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.
1 Peter 5:6 - 7, TEV
Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.
Matthew 6:25, 27 - 34, HBFV
Because of this I [Jesus] say to you, do not be anxious about your life as to what you shall eat and what you shall drink; nor about your body as to what you shall wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
But who among you, by taking careful thought, is able to add one cubit to his stature? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not labor, nor do they spin; Now if God so arrays the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much rather clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we be clothed?’ . . . And your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
But as for you, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall take care of the things of itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil of that day.