As the government shutdown continues another day, many Service Members are struggling with its ramifications. A military couple said this about the shutdown, “we count on the pay we earn from our monthly training. Without it, we don’t have enough money to pay all of our bills.”
Like this military family, you might have certain challenges in your life, possibly in your marriage that is causing you to feel anxious about how things might turnout. I want to let you know that despite how hopeless things may seem at times, with God’s help all things are possible. He loves you and wants you to have a brighter future. You can overcome.
Gideon was a war hero who struggled with anxiety due to the enormous challenges he had to face. Convinced that God had abandoned him and his countrymen, he lived in constant fear of his enemy.
One day God asked Gideon to lead his countrymen into battle against an enemy he had feared for years. At first, Gideon questioned why God would even ask someone like him to lead an army, let alone when the survival of his people was at stake.
Gideon eventually said yes, gathered his men, and to make matters more interesting, God had Gideon send most of the men home before the battle. Though this turn of events would give anyone in his position anxiety, Gideon and his army were victorious because it was God who won the battle for them. After the battle was over, Gideon learned a valuable truth. He learned that the more he learned about God, the easier it was to believe that everything in the end was going to be okay (read Judges chapters 6-7).
Gideon discovered that as his relationship with God grew, the less anxious he felt. If you want to reduce the anxiety in your life, then learn from the life of Gideon, that the more you learn about God, the easier it will be for you to calmly proceed through life while others are drowning in stress.
Be encouraged my friend!