Introducing “A Life Full of Forbearance but without Anxiety” from Bibles for America on Vimeo.
This post is based on the new book from BfA, A Life Full of Forbearance but without Anxiety, by Witness Lee, which is available for free here.
In A Life Full of Forbearance but without Anxiety, Witness Lee addresses an ailment every human being suffers from: anxiety.
Human life is full of anxiety
We’re all too familiar with anxiety. It pervades every aspect of our living. We have so many things to be anxious about: our family, our job, our health, our finances, our future. And in today’s world of twenty-four hour news, even global concerns weigh on us continually. We worry about everything.
In A Life Full of Forbearance but without Anxiety, Witness Lee says,
“Anxiety is the totality of the natural human life. Day by day and even hour by hour, the common human life is filled with anxiety…The more sober you are in mind, the more anxious you will be. If you are a person who is thoughtful and careful, you will have a great deal of anxiety. Sensitive people are especially bothered by anxiety.” (p. 54)
Looking at our own lives, we can all agree that human life is filled with anxiety. And our anxiety affects our relationships with the people in our lives. Yet the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6 charges us, “In nothing be anxious.” Is it even possible for this word to be our experience?
Let your forbearance be made known
Since anxiety is so intertwined with our human experience, do we just have to live with it? The answer is no. If we received the Lord Jesus as our Savior and life, we aren’t doomed to a life of anxiety. But how can this be?
When we read verse 6 in its context, we find a wonderful formula for being delivered from anxiety.
Philippians 4:5-7 says,
“Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
