Be Anxious for Nothing
FrontLine January/February 2018 | VOLUME 28 | NUMBER 1
In the last nine verses of Matthew 6 Jesus says “take no thought” two times. Jesus doesn’t command thoughtlessness. Jesus commands His followers not to worry. The Prince of Peace calls us to peace and gives to us a “peace … which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7; cf. John 14:27).
Many believers must confess that they are like Martha, “careful and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). There are Christians who attract worries like a magnet gathers steel shavings. Instead of “casting all [their] care on him” (1 Peter 5:7), they carry their cares with them and stumble beneath the load.
This issue of FrontLine is dedicated to those who are distracted by worry. You are not alone. Worry is such a common enemy of Christian contentment that we need to be regularly reminded of the Lord’s promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
How do you handle the stress of home, finances, work, ill health, or tragedy? Some people run from stress by becoming irresponsible dreamers. Others turn to illegal substances or alcohol for relief from anxiety. There are those who fill their minds with the counsel of the world and find their hopes of peace snatched away by winds of doubt (Ps. 1:4).
Take the time to open the pages of this magazine in order to receive comfort from your fellow pilgrims (2 Cor. 1:3–4). The articles presented here are written by transparent Christians who are finding peace and hope by the power of the Spirit of God through the promises of the Word of God. The pages of this edition of FrontLine were not carefully crafted in the library; they were produced in the laboratory of sanctifying Christian experience.
The Lord wants your New Year to be filled with peace and free from anxiety (Phil. 4:6). Because each of us is either going into a trial, in a trial, or coming out of a trial, we need to know where to turn when trials come. As you open this magazine, it is our prayer that you will open your heart so that God’s peace can rule there (Col. 3:15). Your heart will either be filled with worry or filled with God’s Word!
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength” (Corrie ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook).
Charles R. Phelps
FEATURES
Finding God’s Grace When Your World Turns Upside Down
Chuck Phelps
A bus rolled over, and my world turned upside down.
Equipping Teens to Fight Anxiety
Caleb Phelps
It would be nice to think that we as Christians would never live in the valley of depression, anxiety, or discouragement.
Choosing to Change When Change Happens
Brenda Strohbehn Henderson
When change happens, we can choose to allow the change to change us for the better.
Caring until Death Parts Us
Cynthia Stratford
Each time death touched our family, it was different, yet God’s promises were always the same.
Facing the Crises and Trials of Sickness
Fred Moritz
“God has taught us by afflictions what we would not learn by mercies.”
God’s Grace for “Adulting”
Aaron Berry
As a twenty-seven-year-old, I’m struggling, I’m attempting, I’m bumbling, I’m dealing with normal life.
The Biblical Solution for an Anxious Heart
Ben Hicks
Anxiety is meditation gone wrong.
Pray about Your Praying
Ruth Bumgardner
DEPARTMENTS
Beyond Separation: The “Accursed” Principles, Part 3
David C. Innes
On Language & Scripture
Mark L. Ward Jr.
At a Glance: Studies in Isaiah 7:14
Layton Talbert
Taking That Next Right Step
Jonathan Yarbrough
Spiritual Potholes in the Ministry
Jerry Sivnksty