Every day brings personal challenges, needs and desires. When these inevitabilities are not met, we find ourselves anxious, stressed and frustrated.
What if we looked at the gospel not only in the context of salvation, but in its full scope through the life and ministry of Jesus, applying it to our everyday lives?
I believe there are four main ways that the gospel can reduce stress and anxiety in our daily lives:
1. How the Gospel Helps the Spirit
There is a very healthy trend today where people don’t hide behind shame when it comes to their mental health, but instead talk about it. Personally, hearing that someone else struggles the same way I do reassures me that what I’m experiencing isn’t just specific to me. Often, those who share their struggles also talk about what has helped them.
“He comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4
When it comes to mental health, it’s important to see a doctor when issues like depression, anxiety, and emotional disturbances interfere with your daily activities.
On the other hand, many of us experience events in our lives that trigger stress, anxiety, or depression when it is not a chronic condition, but we may be inclined to “go for it” when things get tough.
The life and ministry of Jesus, the gospel account, can help reduce these tendencies when we remember what God has done in the past and what He can still do today.
There are several stories where Jesus cast out demons. Just to be completely clear, I am in no way implying that those who struggle with mental illness have demons, but rather how tormented we can feel when we suffer from anxiety, depression, or intrusive thoughts, in the same way that those who suffered from demons in biblical times were tormented.
“And when Jesus had gone down from the boat, immediately there came to meet him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with chains and chains, but he broke the chains and broke the chains in pieces. No one had the strength to overpower him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he still cried out and cut himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus away he ran and fell down before him and crying out with a loud voice, he said: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, by God, torment me not. For he said to him: “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit”… And they came to Jesus and saw the demonic man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and healthy. of spirit…” Mark 5:1-8.15
In this account we see that Jesus had such authority over the unclean spirit that he recognized Jesus as the Son of the Most High God.
What if, when we struggle with anxious thoughts, depressive thoughts, or intrusive thoughts, we remember that Jesus has authority over these thoughts and that we are (able to destroy) speculations and every lofty thing raised against the knowledge of God (when we) take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) ?
Satan is the father of lies and he wants to have a hold on our minds so that when difficult situations arise, we turn to anxious and depressive thoughts. But we have the Gospel that tells us the Truth: Jesus has authority over the things that torment us. He will calm us with his love.
The next time a difficult situation arises, call on the authority of Jesus to remove the lies from your mind and replace them with the truth of the gospel.
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2. How the Gospel helps the body
Throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we see story after story of Jesus’ healing ministry. He restored sight to the blind, restored life to the dead, cleansed the lepers, and restored health to those who suffered for years, like the bleeding woman.
“Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and although she had spent all she had on doctors, no one could heal her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me? Luke 8:43-48
We may have found ourselves in a similar situation where we visited doctor after doctor hoping for a cure, but the doctor may have said there was nothing that could be done for that particular problem.
I have seen for myself that Jesus continues to perform miraculous healings. Last weekend, a friend of mine at church gave me the astonishing news that her stage 4 stomach cancer could be in complete remission by the fall. She suffers from a very rare form of cancer and the doctors were quite serious about their prospects of complete remission. Our entire church and many others prayed for his healing. The Lord led me to pray specifically that the doctors would be amazed during surgery and that God would do beyond what they hoped or imagined. My friend shared that when the doctor came to talk to her after the surgery, he laughed and said, “There is no visible cancer in your body anymore! The surgery was more than we hoped or imagined!” How the Holy Spirit led me to pray!
My friend, I do not promise miraculous healing because not everyone gets it, but we have a compassionate God who will provide miracles in other ways through our illness. When we walk knowing that God can do a new thing despite what doctors or science say, our mindset shifts toward peace because we rest in the truth of the gospel. We can know that no matter how the Lord sees fit to affect our physical health, He will be there with us to minister healing and/or strength beyond what we hoped or imagined.
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3. How the Gospel Meets Our Needs
The Gospel of Jesus highlights several instances where Jesus saw the physical needs of those who were with him and had great compassion for them. Twice Jesus saw the crowds and was concerned about their physical hunger. As a result, he took a very small amount of bread and fish and multiplied them to feed 5,000 in one account and 4,000 in another!
Jesus also sees our physical needs and He continues to strive to provide for us in amazing ways.
When my husband was unemployed for nine months, we were literally reduced to counting pennies. Our family ate pasta every other day because it was the cheapest meal. Our money was literally about to run out because my husband was no longer eligible for any unemployment extension.
I was a relatively new believer at the time, so I began to pray boldly, somewhat demandingly, for God to provide for our family when things became desperate. The next morning we learned that his unemployment had been extended. Despite what we were told, we received an anonymous $200 to cover grocery costs, and my husband was called in for a job interview (which he got)! The Lord saw our desperate situation and He provided!
If you are worried about finances, remember the gospel truth that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He will meet your needs.
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4. How the Gospel comforts us
In the Gospels, Jesus met two separate women. One was caught in the act of adultery and about to be stoned and the other was the Samaritan woman at the well who was also an adulterous woman. In both stories, Jesus did not condemn, but spoke to them with the comforting words of the gospel. The adulterous woman was told to sin no more and the Samaritan woman then testified that she had seen Christ. Because of his testimony, many Samaritans believed. Isn’t that the very essence of Jesus? He came to save the lost! Is this comforting?
When we distance ourselves from Jesus, we can begin a shame spiral that creates frustration and anxiety. Yet we must not fear that we will not be able to return to Him. He is waiting for us! If you find yourself in a state of despair because of your sin, go back and read the Gospels; There you will once again find the truth about who Jesus is and how he ministered not only then, but continues to do so now! You will find words of comfort that you are His beloved child and, like the prodigal son, He will accept you with joy.
The entire gospel message speaks of God’s desire to heal, provide, and comfort. May we view these accounts not as spectators of a story, but as characters within those stories, for we too will be similarly touched by his ministry of gospel love. The Gospel is not only a moment of our salvation; it is meant to be used every day. When we live with a gospel mindset, we find that our stress and anxiety disappear. Let us all live in the truth of the Gospel for His glory and our good.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Artem Peretiatko
Originally published on Thursday February 8, 2024.
