John MacArthur - Found: Gods peace: experience true freedom from anxiety in every circumstance

NOTES

Introduction

.Marian V. Liautaud, Todays Christian Woman , July/August 1991, 24.

Chapter 1: Avoiding Anxiety through Prayer

Chapter 2: Casting Your Cares on God

Chapter 3: Having Peace in Every Circumstance

FOUND: GODS PEACE

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LCCN 2014948631

ISBN 978-0-7814-1276-6

eISBN 978-1-4347-0894-6

1993, 2015 John MacArthur

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

The content of this book is derived from Anxious for Nothing 1993, 2012 John MacArthur, ISBN 978-1-4347-0297-5.

The Team: Ingrid Beck, Amy Konyndyk, Jack Campbell, Helen Macdonald, Karen Athen

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First Edition 2015

JOHN MACARTHUR JR. is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California; president of The Masters College and Seminary; and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. With over four decades in ministry, John has written dozens of life-changing books, including The MacArthur Study Bible and The Gospel According to Jesus .

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Anxiety , fear , worry , and stress are familiar words in our day and familiar experiences to many. Extreme displays of anxiety are often related to an unfounded fear so overwhelming and so overpowering that it clutches a persons heart, forces the heart to beat faster, produces chills or perspiration, and makes the person feel completely unable to cope with the moment.

One woman wrote grippingly of her experience with panic attacks. She began, While interviewing with my prospective employer, something terrifying happened. The windowless room where the interview took place closed in around me, the air became thin. My throat tightened and the rushing in my head became deafening. All I could think was, Ive got to get out . My mind and heart raced for what seemed an eternity as I feigned composure. Somehow, I made it through the meeting without giving my interviewer a clue I had been seconds away from fleeing his office or passing out on the spot. I endured a rush of the fight-or-flight instinct one usually experiences in life-threatening situations. The reality, however, was that she wasnt in a life-threatening situation.

Anxiety is, at its core, an inappropriate response in light of circumstances; its very different from the cares and concerns in life that cause people to attend to business in a responsible way. Stress and pressure, instead of being things to avoid, strengthen us to accomplish the challenges God sets before us in life. The apostle Paul wrote that apart from the unrelenting external pressures he had to face, such as persecution, hardship, and imprisonment, he also had daily upon him the internal pressure of concern for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28). In spite of that, he had room in his heart to feel the anxiety of others, for he went on to write, Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? (v. 29). He wouldnt have had it any other way, though. In fact, that kind of response to pressure was what Paul looked for in those who would serve with him. Note how he commended Timothy to the Philippian church: I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare (Phil. 2:20; cf. 1 Cor. 4:17).

Anyone who knows and loves Jesus Christ is capable of handling pressure that way. The wrong way to handle the stresses of life is to worry about them. Jesus said three times, Do not be anxious (see Matt. 6:25, 31, 34). Paul later reiterated, Be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6). Worry at any time is a sin because it violates the clear biblical command.

We allow our daily concerns to turn into worry and therefore sin when our thoughts become focused on changing the future instead of doing our best to handle our present circumstances. Such thoughts are unproductive. They end up controlling usthough it should be the other way aroundand cause us to neglect other responsibilities and relationships. That brings on legitimate feelings of guilt. If we dont deal with those feelings in a productive manner by getting back on track in life, well lose hope instead of finding answers. When left unresolved, worry can debilitate ones mind and bodyand even lead to panic attacks.

To tackle worry and anxiety in a biblical fashion, first we need to know the primary Scripture passages on the topic. Then we need to consider those passages in their context, not merely cite and recite them unthinkingly or use them as props for a nice story or a suggested behavior-modifying technique. As a person thinks within himself, so he is (Prov. 23:7).