Worry - A Red Flag

Written By Mr. Brian Black

If there is one thing a teen can be - it is anxious or worried. There are so many new challenges  to your faith as a teen in school and in life that it is hard at times (or a lot of the time) to stay  anxiety free as you look to move through those challenges. Name any category that a teen  faces and you will have a number of associated cares that come with it. Friendships, classes,  new job, school assignments, schedule, opportunities, sports, health; the list could continue on  for sure.  

As I write this, I am not saying I have noticed a bunch of you teens consumed with your worries  and cares, I am simply making the observation of how easy it is to become worried in all that  you face. There are two passages in the New Testament that lay out what it means to be  anxious and also in the same passage give us ways that we can and should respond when we  are. Luke 10:41-42 tells the familiar story of Martha and Mary where Martha comes to the Lord  because of all the responsibility she was ‘handling’ and wanted Christ to command Mary to  help her. Christ’s response was that she was careful (anxious) and troubled (disturbed /  disquieted). These are like two sides of the same coin. Whenever you find an anxious heart,  you also find a heart that is not quiet - crashing internally like waves on a beach. It is often the  UN-quiet response of our heart that is the tattle-tale to our thinking that we ARE anxious about  something in our life. The second passage that gives a diagnosis and cure is Philippians 4:6  where the passage states that we should be careful (anxious) about nothing and then follows  with a gracious ‘BUT . . .’ 

Anxiety is like a fever when you are sick or smoke alarm when there is a fire. It is the signal or  the symptom that raises a red flag that something in your life needs attention or possibly  intervention. When you take a moment to think through what is disturbing your peace,  especially in a devotion or quiet time with God (which should be the first response of an  anxious heart), God will reveal to you what is challenging your walk of faith and how it is being  turned it into a worry without faith. Your anxiety needs a big dose of Bible ibuprofen and then  you can focus on the faith challenge from the power of a Word driven solution that God  provides. Why does He always do this? Because His plan, His vision for you is ALWAYS bigger  and better than what your heart can perceive in the moment. 

The first step is to remind yourself that when you are anxious, you must find time to be like  Mary. Christ stated to Martha that Mary had chosen the right priority and that was to be at His  feet. It is needful and ‘necessary’. GO TO HIM! The next step is to carry the anxiety of your  heart to the Lord in prayer - prayer filled with thanksgiving recognizing all that Christ has done  and will do for you - and then request that He reveal to you the faith challenge that has  disquieted your soul and made you anxious. He will answer! Philippians says that He will give  the peace of God to referee your heart back to a right position and then He will guard your  heart and mind through what He reveals and teaches you. 

Praying for y’all,  

SOME BIBLE IBUPROFEN

  • Joshua 1:9 

  • Deuteronomy 31:6  

  • Psalm 4:8 

  • Psalm 46:10 

  • Psalm 55:2 

  • Proverbs 3:5-6 

  • Proverbs 12:25 

  • Ecclesiastes 3:1 

  • Isaiah 41:10 

  • Zephaniah 3:17

  • Matthew 6:25-27

  • Matthew 6:34 

  • John 14:27 

  • 2 Corinthians 5:7

  • Philippians 4:13

  • 2 Timothy 1:7

  • 1 Peter 5:6-7

Mr. Brian Black
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