In our Bible study group this week we had a lesson on peace as a grace which is produced by the Fruit of the Spirit. Every woman in the room agreed that she could use more peace in her life. Over the next few days, we will look at some of the things that contribute to anxiety and rob us of our peace and we will discuss how we can be overcomers. 

While anxiety can affect anyone, its most vulnerable victims are women and young people.

One major enemy to our peace is anxiety. As the the things of our world become more and more uncertain, anxiety becomes more and more prevalent. While anxiety can affect anyone, its most vulnerable victims are women and young people. According to a 2020 survey by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (yes, apparently there is an anxiety organization), an estimated 31% of Americans will suffer an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Think about that, among three of your friends, it is likely that one of them is suffering with anxiety. 

What is the cause?

The Greek word for anxiety comes from the root word merizo which means to divide, separate, or sever. There was a time when life, from a moral standpoint, was black and white. Right was right, and wrong was wrong. Those are not the days in which we are currently living. These days man does “what is right in his own eyes”. When even the so called experts cannot agree on when life begins, what defines gender, or what constitutes child exploitation, and so many other issues, is it any wonder that our society, our relationships, and even our minds are divided?

Peace-robbing division doesn’t end with our human relationships. In fact, the greatest source of our anxiety is our divided mind concerning the things of God. Suddenly (or so it seems), professing Christians are in disagreement on the sovereignty of God, the existence of the Trinity, and the infallibility of the Bible. These are the things which have always been accepted by the Church as indisputable truths, but no longer. The wolves have snuck in and the very foundation our faith has been shaken. Without a plumb line against which to measure truth, we can have no sure sense of direction, no peace.

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In tomorrow’s post we will continue our search for peace by exploring what God’s word has to say about how we can have “true peace”.