“In the morning you shall say, Would that it were evening! And at evening you shall say, Would that it were morning! — because of the anxiety and dread of your [minds and] hearts and the sights which you shall see with your [own] eyes” Deuteronomy 28:67 AMP.

“In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ sight which your eyes see” Deuteronomy 28:67 NKJV.

Amplified uses anxiety and dread, NKJV uses fear:

OT:6342 פּחד pachad (paw-kkad’); a primitive root; to be startled (by a sudden alarm); hence, to fear in general: KJV – be afraid, stand in awe, (be in) fear, make to shake.

Pey first from right to left means mouth. Jeff Benner says “This pictograph has the meanings of speak and blow from the functions of the mouth as well as the edge of something from the lips at edge of the mouth.” That made me think of being “on edge”. Then Hhets looks like a Roman 3 stands for a tent wall, which function is to protect those inside from the outside elements. Dalet is the last to the left of Hhets, and stands for the tent door.

Benner says:

“The basic meaning of the letter is door but has several other meanings associated with it as well. It can mean back and forth movement, as one goes back and forth through a door. It can mean dangle as the tent door dangled down from a roof pole of the tent. It can also mean weak or poor as one who dangles the head down! So very interesting it is translated anxiety in Amplified as that word has connotations of going back and forth in movement due to nervousness. It relates to a lack of tranquility. Inability to relax. Thus fear and anxiety is behind many with compulsions even without us realizing it at times. The enemy gets in with fear and roots of anxiety, worry and nervousness ensue.”

Father, I ask YOU to remove all the roots of anxiety, fear and nervousness within me. You know all the things that have contributed to my anxiety and compulsions, so I ask You to illuminate the roots, that I can pray and repent of anything that is keeping me from Your peace. Remove all the imprints of any of that trauma or rejection off my soul, every area of my nervous system and every cell in my body, that I would have PEACE Abba!

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad” Proverbs 12:25 AMP [Psalm 50:4; Proverbs 15:13].

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad” Proverbs 12:25 AMP.

Father, You know all things that are in me, like Jesus said, HE knew what was in a man, so had no need to hear from anyone else. Holy Spirit come, and rout all guilt or heaviness that contributes to my anxiety within. Help me to apprehend with all the saints, the length, breadth, depth and width of the Love You have for me, that I could walk in perfect peace and more than just in my brain/mind, would know by experience, like it says in Ephesians, the depth of Your love for me. Perfect love casts down all fear You said.

“Concerning and against Damascus [in Syria]: Hamath and Arpad are confounded and put to shame, for they have heard bad news; they are fainthearted and wasting away; there is trouble and anxiety [like] on a [storm-tossed] sea which cannot rest” Jeremiah 49:23 AMP.

Father, please remove all my shame, for anything I have held against myself, from all my past mistakes, and sinfulness, and remove any fear of punishment that keeps me in anxiety and unbelief in Your great mercy and the sacrifice Jesus paid that is finished. Thank You for your great mercy and GRACE towards me. You have so many times reinforced Your love to me, yet I still struggle at times with believing it. Thank YOU LORD for Your patience towards me. Remove all faintheartedness, and depression far from me, and all anxiety that keeps me caught up in compulsing on things. Lord deliver me from all evil, and all the mindsets/strongholds of the enemy that keep me from Your peace. In Jesus name.

In the New Testament there is the Greek word μεριμνάω for Do NOT take thought which in Matthew 6:31 is translated do not worry. The Greek word there is NT: G3309.

μεριμνάω Merimnao (mer-I’m-nah’-o); from NT: 3308; to be anxious about: KJV – (be, have) care (-ful), take thought. This comes from μέριμνα G3308 me/rimna merimna (mer’-I’m-nah); from μερίζω NT: G3307 (through the idea of distraction); solicitude: KJV – care.

So something in the world draws our attention away from the peace of God, thus creating anxiety within.

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon ( deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). ²⁵ Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:24-26 AMP.

Here Jesus is talking about money being one of the main distractions, or the lack thereof as being a stress in people’s lives. He is admonishing us to not serve two masters. Letting go of possessions we have, dedicating them to God alone, relieves a lot of pressure. We acknowledge though God has blessed us, all we have and are are from HIM. So He has sovereignty to bless or take away as in the example of JOB. He tells us to look at how carefree are the birds of the air, they don’t have to do much but to gather what they need, God provides it all for them. He emphasizes how much more worth we are, being created in His image and likeness.

PRAYER: Father, I ask You to remove from me all the thorns in my life, all the cares of this world. Give me the grace to lay it all down for You Abba, and I acknowledge You are my Source. Everything I or our family have is from YOU. We give You all the things that have any hold on our hearts, and we ask You to destroy their hold. We renounce all idolatry and dependence on other things than YOU LORD! Help me to accept that every thing belongs to You, and every day I must be dependent on You for everything I need. Forgive me Lord for depending on myself as well, for my pride and vanity. Help me to TRUST YOU more than I trust myself Abba! I choose to place ALL my trust in YOU.

“And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?” Matthew 6:27 [Psalm 39:5-7].

He makes us think about it, like how can worry do anything good for us. We are to CAST all our cares upon HIM, because HE cares FOR us. When I battled this and still do at times, it helps to say out loud to the entities trying to distract us. ” I REFUSE TO WORRY – GOD IS MY SOURCE, MY HELP. HE WILL PROVIDE! HE is my Provider!”

“And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these [1 Kings 10:4-7]. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28-31

So here He is getting to the root also of UNBELIEF that accompanies worry. Why do we worry, is it not that we don’t TRUST that He will come through for us? That is the root issue. Often there are experiences in life that keep us from believing that God is that good, that He will take care of us no matter what. Another strategy is to pronounce some things from the word that state in the hearing of the enemy, that GOD IS GOOD, and I WILL TRUST IN HIM. HE IS MY SALVATION. HE is my Deliverer! I choose to believe HIM.

“³¹ Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear? ³² For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. ³³ But seek ( aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ( His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. ³⁴ So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble” Matthew 6:31-34.

He reiterates the same thing, and says, to focus FIRST on His Kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added. He’s not saying focus on your own righteousness, get holy enough and I will do it. He’s saying focus ON ME, MY KINGDOM, MY NATURE, WHO I AM, WHO you belong to, My rightness, MY ability, My holiness includes love that is unconditional. I WILL provide because I am a good FATHER Who gives good gifts to My children. I am NOT a neglectful Father, or one who abandons their child in time of need. Neither is He a sugar daddy in the sky, He gives what HE knows is best for us. HE always does what is best for us, out of His incredible love. Which does not depend on how perfect we have been. In fact, He will sometimes allow failure, just to take all the religious ideas out of our heads, about Him!!!

“And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to bear testimony before them and to the Gentiles (the nations). ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you are to speak; for what you are to say will be given you in that very hour and moment, ²⁰ For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” Matthew 10:18-20 AMP.

Prayer: Father, impart Your grace to TRUST you that no matter what happens in this world, You are with me and Your Holy Spirit will guide me in what to say, when I need to say anything. Pour out Your love in My heart Abba that casts down all fear of the future, or any future suffering.

“Now when they take you [to court] and put you under arrest, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say nor [even] meditate about it; but say whatever is given you in that hour and at the moment, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and [have] them put to death” Mark 13:11-12 AMP.

Now we get to some real reasons for anxiety today as we see the soon closing of this age. We know that this is coming, and so many are watching carefully at events taking place, so as to prepare our hearts and those of others for end times events we are in now. But JESUS warned us these things would come, so we can watch, but we must not give in to anxiety. And we need to keep more of our time on looking at HIM, and for Him, and His Word, that we wouldn’t get anxious about what is happening.

“But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; ⁴² There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her” Luke 10:41-42 AMP.

Many of us get all anxious due to perfectionism we were raised with that says, you have to do, do, do, and do it perfectly, or you are not good enough. So we transfer that mindset to God as if He will treat us in the same way as our earthly parents. God wants us to be WHOLE, which the word in Greek means, but He is not up in heaven with a heavy whip breaking it over our backs like a harsh taskmaster. Satan in the form of religious spirit is that! Jesus said, His yoke is EASY and His burden is LIGHT!

“And [Jesus] said to His disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious and troubled [with cares] about your life, as to what you will [have to] eat; or about your body, as to what you will [have to] wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body [more] than clothes. ²⁴ Observe and consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn; and [yet] God feeds them. Of how much more worth are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being overly anxious and troubled with cares can add a cubit to his stature or a moment [unit] of time to his age [the length of his life]?” Luke 12:22-25 AMP.

Father, thank YOU that I am worth so much more than the birds of the sky to You. You always take care of me. Thank You for grace to trust you more and more. Help me to keep My eyes fixed on You, and My mind fixed on Your WORDS of LIFE. I choose to trust YOU in all things.

“If then you are not able to do such a little thing as that, why are you anxious and troubled with cares about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither [wearily] toil nor spin nor weave; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory (his splendor and magnificence) was not arrayed like one of these. [1 Kings 10:4-7] ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you [people] of little faith? ²⁹ And you, do not seek [by meditating and reasoning to inquire into] what you are to eat and what you are to drink; nor be of anxious (troubled) mind [unsettled, excited, worried, and in suspense]; ³⁰ For all the pagan world is [greedily] seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them”
Luke 12:26-30 AMP.

“My desire is to have you free from all anxiety and distressing care. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord — how he may please the Lord; ³³ But the married man is anxious about worldly matters–how he may please his wife– ³⁴ And he is drawn in diverging directions [his interests are divided and he is distracted from his devotion to God]. And the unmarried woman or girl is concerned and anxious about the matters of the Lord, how to be wholly separated and set apart in body and spirit; but the married woman has her cares [centered] in earthly affairs — how she may please her husband. ³⁵ Now I say this for your own welfare and profit, not to put [a halter of] restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly and in good order and to secure your undistracted and undivided devotion to the Lord” 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 AMP.

So often in life we are concerned with things that are worldly. But in many cultures, there are great differences in how we look at life. In India it is vital for example for a woman to have a husband, as he is the provider for the family, and a woman who is alone is at great risk of poverty and shame from others. It was the same in ancient times around the earth. But as Christians we are not bound to earthly customs and conditions. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Father, help me to keep my eyes on YOU and how great You really are. You are the Creator of heaven and earth, and nothing is impossible with you. Help me to know Your will for my life Abba, and to trust You fully with it. Give me the inner peace that comes from keeping my mind STAYED on YOU. Open my eyes to see more clearly when I need it Abba. Release revelation of Your love for me, to change my heart and mind view to Your’s.

“For I wrote you out of great sorrow and deep distress [with mental torture and anxiety] of heart, [yes, and] with many tears, not to cause you pain but in order to make you realize the overflowing love that I continue increasingly to have for you” 2 Corinthians 2:4 AMP.

Yes, true shepherds labor with anxiety over our souls. Just as you labor over the souls of your children, so a good shepherd will do the same for his flock. This is how you know a true shepherd from the false. The true shepherd will be interested in you as a person same as family, because we are supposed to be brothers and sisters in the Lord. He will pray over you, labor over you with tears as led to.

“And besides those things that are without, there is the daily [inescapable pressure] of my care and anxiety for all the churches! ²⁹ Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to stumble and fall and have his faith hurt, and I am not on fire [with sorrow or indignation]? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that [show] my infirmity [of the things by which I am made weak and contemptible in the eyes of my opponents]” 2 Corinthians 11:28-30 AMP.

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ( definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. ⁷ And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7 AMP.

Here Paul shares with us all the means to putting off anxiety, and it is through prayer and petition, and thanksgiving, praises. Those who are mature in the Lord, know to get in his presence through worship or prayer in order to displace all anxiety and distractions of the enemy.

“Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] interweaving and knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes; ⁴ But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For it was thus that the pious women of old who hoped in God were [accustomed] to beautify themselves and were submissive to their husbands [adapting themselves to them as themselves secondary and dependent upon them]” 1 Peter 3:3-5 AMP.

Here Peter says that true beauty is not in adornments, but in the hidden person of the heart. We do well to remember that when intimidated by those who are more sophisticated, or smarter and more talented than we. God gives as HE wills to us all. There is no need for competition or jealousy, or anxiety over such things if we KNOW in our hearts the love GOD has for us all. All are necessary Paul said, even those who are weak.

Too often in the western church there is focus on how handsome or beautiful or talented the leader is, instead of the fruits of the Spirit which speak louder than the outer appearance. Vanity of Hollywood & the world has invaded the church such that there is a great prejudice against anyone not fitting the sophistication of a TV personality, or actor/actress. Thus a reflection of the amount of IDOLATRY that is in the church and nation.

 

– by Priscilla Van Sutphin

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by: PRISCILLA VAN SUTPHIN of Upstream Ministries, California www.upstreamca.org www.blogtalkradio.com/Upstream Email: goinupstream @hotmail.com Donate to Upstream: via secure paypal by sending as gift to goininupstream @hotmail.com Or send to Upstream, PMB 545, 14311 Newport Blvd, Suite G, Tustin, CA 92780, USA.