Our Faith in Jesus – The Bridge to Cross when Anxiety Strikes – Purity 1819
Purity 1819 11/20/2025 Purity 1819 – Audio Podcast
Purity 1819 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a proverbial bridge over troubled waters comes to us from Dave Baun Photography , who shared this sideways view of the Dunfield Creek bridge in the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey on social media back on October 24, 2024.
Well, It’s Thursday and I share this bridge pathway photo as a visual encouragement to get on or to stay on the path of Christian Discipleship where our faith in Jesus Christ is our bridge to a whole new life of peace and joy. With that said, it’s the faith in Jesus, not necessarily the circumstances that surround us in our new lives of faith, which provides the peace and the joy that go beyond understanding. Our faith in Jesus is the bridge that carries over the river and through the woods of this calamitous world until we fully arrive in God’s eternal kingdom. Yes, we can walk through life with the promise of heaven and eternal glory forever more, but the Lord doesn’t leave us alone until then.
Jesus is our Emmanuel which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and after we put our faith in Him, the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) indwells us and goes with us from here to eternity.
However, if we just think this is poetic or theological language and not a present-day spiritual reality, we can “quench the Spirit” by not really believing that God is with us. If we travel through life with someone and never talk to them, acknowledge they are there, or ask for their help, it’s as if we are walking alone. The same is true with our relationship with God. To enjoy the benefits of our new life in Christ, we have to talk to the Lord, follow in His ways, and ask for His help. And we don’t just do this when everything is going ok and we can easily be thankful for how great our lives are.
Although the enemy would love for you to believe that trials and troubles are an indication of God’s punishment of you, God doesn’t abandon us when we go through difficult seasons. Scripture tells us that God is near to the broken hearted and that we can cast our anxieties on to the Lord.
Speaking of anxiety, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion from November 8th addressed what to do when anxiety strikes and I am sharing it on the blog to encourage us all to draw close to God, even when our circumstances cause us to lose hope.
“When Anxiety Strikes
If you are troubled by anxious thoughts, ask God for what you need and give thanks for all you have.
If you needed help understanding something, would you hire just anyone? Of course not. You’d want to be sure the person teaching you had experience and was qualified. That’s why the apostle Paul is an excellent person to help us understand the value of contentment. After all, he wrote on the subject while under confinement by Roman authorities.
In today’s passage, Paul says that prayer safeguards the believer’s heart from anxiety, and there is no greater prayer than the one Jesus Himself taught us. The Lord’s Prayer underscores adoration of the Father and de-emphasizes focusing on oneself (Matthew 6:9-13). Concentrating on God’s greatness puts our needs in perspective and encourages us to rest in His strength.
Also consider Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46). Even as He was crying out for relief, Jesus nevertheless submitted to the Father’s will (v. 39). As a result, a supernatural peace fortified the Savior and enabled Him to face His executioners.
In today’s reading, Paul offered a radical peace plan: Praise the Lord while suffering persecution; thank Him when facing trials; pray about everything. Each prayer braces your heart against anxiety. That’s solid advice from a man who practiced what he preached. – Charles Stanley
Amen. When we are faced with hardship or an uncertain future, we have a choice. We can worry about it and live in a constant state of anxiety, or we can practice Paul’s radical peace plan.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles wrote the Epistles in the New Testament to encourage and to instruct other believers in Christ in how they were to live. They heard from the Lord and shared what living with and for God was all about.
God wants to help us to approach life in a way that is different from the world. He recognizes the problem of anxiety and gives us the way out of it.
The word calls us to praise the Lord while we suffer, to thank Him in the midst of trials, and go to God in prayer about everything.
God calls us to go against the grain – doing the opposite of what would seem natural (praise Him when we suffer, thank Him in trials? Really Lord?) but when we do that and talk to God constantly (pray about everything), God opens the door to us – bringing His power, strength, love, guidance, and peace into our lives.
So, trust the Lord and also what His word says. When you obey the Lord’s advice, you will discover why He gives it – it works! Gods peace and love are radiating towards us every day. When we seek God and His ways, we experience it.
So be radical and follow the Lord’s path for you. It leads to a good place, but you have to walk it out to get there.
——————————————————————
For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
——————————————————————
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Persecution.
Acts 4:18–20 (NASB) And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Today’s verse is the first of three passages of scripture that fall under the fifteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Persecution.
15. If persecutors threaten you, obey God rather than man, as did Peter and John.
Today’s Bible verses show us an example of faith that is compelled to speak of the goodness of God, even when persecution is threatened.
In Matthew 10:28 (NLT), Jesus told the Apostles: “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. And apparently Peter and John, heard Him because they refused to be silent and boldly declared that they would defy the local authorities rather than not share the good news of what God had done and was doing through Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus, the Apostles brought the power of God to heal a man, but the religious leaders threatened them with arrest if they talked about it.
But when you know the truth about Jesus and experience His power in your life, your spirit within you is compelled to speak about it. So, obey God rather than man and follow the Apostles’ example to never waver in proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ.
———————————————————–
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 318
Why are you … putting on the disciples’ neck a yoke …? – Acts 15:10
To require a Christian to observe the rules of Judaism before allowing him a place in Christ’s church was terribly wrong. The Old Testament ceremonial system was, as Peter said, a galling yoke that neither the fathers nor they, when they had been under it, were able to bear. This legalism dogged a person’s steps everywhere he went, in everything he did. Christianity offered, instead, Christ’s light yoke that did not rub the neck sore (Matthew 11:8–30). Bondage was lifted when Christ died. If you know of anyone who represents Christianity as a set of galling rules and regulations, steadfastly oppose that person to his face. He is binding, where he ought to be loosing! While the requirements of present day legalists will differ from these mentioned at the Jerusalem Council, the bondage that underlies each is the same, and must be rejected wherever and whenever it appears. Christ has set us free![1]
The MT4Christ247 audio podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartradio, Podbean, Audible, and many more podcast platforms!
Subscribe to The MT4Christ247 Channel on YouTube!
Email me at m.t.clark@mt4christ.com with any questions, or comments, or to inquire about our Christian Life Coaching or Prayer Ministry Services.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Support MT 4 Christ Community Freedom Ministry!
To Give via Pay Pal Go to the MT4Christ Donations Page
Or Give Via Venmo or the Cash App by scanning the QR Code below:
[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 326.
Leave a Reply