“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING”
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported last year that the number of Americans on antidepressant drugs increased 51% from 1999 to 2012. Nearly 15% of all Americans, or 1 in 5, take some form of antidepressant drug! That is astonishing to me and should be to you. We have a lot of people struggling with stress and anxiety.
Another way to define anxiety is a simple, four-letter word, FEAR. Fear is a spiritual matter, not just an emotional or psychological matter. Fear is the absence of faith. They cannot coexist. When we place our faith in Jesus, and truly turn over our needs to Him (remember our earlier verse, Proverbs 3:5-6), we live our life in the PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding.
Reflect on these words today. Is it any wonder why so many people are taking antidepressants? Think about another previous verse we studied, Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” A lot of people, including those taking antidepressant drugs, are living in the pattern of the world and are not living in the faith of Jesus Christ. We can do it our way, or we can do it God’s way. Our way, we think we control everything, get the full, head on attack of the world, and thus make bad decisions because we lean on our understanding and then ultimately end up needing to medicate to cope with life… God’s way, we put our whole heart faith in Jesus Christ, we still get the attack of the world, but we have the power of the Lord leading our decisions, gain comfort which transforms all understanding, and have our lives transformed in the process to an abundant and joyful spirit, having no need for medications.
God's Word for Fuel 