If you’re nervous, does it mean you are not trusting God? That is a good question isn’t it? Being Nervous is not necessarily a sin. Being nervous is a sin, if it prevents us from doing what God would have us do.

You see, in Genesis 1 we are given the account of creation. God created man in His image (Gen 26-31) and He declared all of His creation very good at the end of day 6 (Gen 1:31). This means that before the fall in Genesis 3, everything was very good in God’s eyes. This includes man and, yes, even his emotions. However, after the fall, God’s image in man, including his emotions, was distorted. Now, what used to be a very good emotion, is corrupted by our sinful nature.

Nervousness is an uneasy feeling about something or someone. This can be good. For example, being nervous about a strange person that is walking around our neighborhood is a good thing. It keeps us on alert until we determine if the person is a threat or not. However, this feeling of uneasiness becomes sinful if, once we determine the  person is up to no good, we decide to let them continue about their suspicious business without informing the proper authorities. Maybe we made the decision out of fear of getting involved or fear of what the person might do to us. In any event, by doing this we put other people as well as ourselves in danger. Our God-given emotion of nervousness has just turned sinful.

Nervousness turned sinful is called anxiety. The word translated “anxiety” in the Bible is “μεριμνᾶτε” ( merimnate ). This word has the sense of being unduly concerned about something. When we become so concerned about something (e.g. a situation, a person, etc.) that we stop doing what is right in God’s eyes this is being unduly concerned. In the example above, God would have us consider the safety of others (Matthew 22:39). The fact that we made the decision to not think of others is a sin.

So, are you in a situation that is making you nervous? Has the natural, God-given emotion of nervousness started to turn into sinful anxiety? If you are a Christian, God has given you everything you need to get the victory over sinful anxiety – Jesus! (1 Cor 15:57). Please, contact your church counseling ministry or pastor if you are having or think you are having issues with anxiety.  Feel free to contact V.I.C. Ministries for help. Also, read this helpful resource Getting a Grip on Stress.

Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior? His Spirit living inside of you is the only way these resources will truly help you. To accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, you must accept that God has standards and that you have failed to meet them. We all have. The Bible calls this sin. The Bible also says that sin is deserving of punishment in a place that even God calls hell. This means everyone who has ever lived including me and you. The good news is, God also provided the only acceptable way that we could have our sins forgiven, once and for all time! The only one who has ever met God’s standards is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth to pay the penalty that we owe to God for failing to meet His standards. He suffered the most excruciating death known to man, death on a cross, so that we could be made right in God’s eyes. And He rose again three days later so that we could have eternal life with God in Heaven! Glory to His name!

So, according to the Bible,

“… if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” –

Romans 10:9,10

This means you must admit that you are a sinner and deserve eternal punishment; you must believe that Jesus was who He said He was and did what He said He did; and you must come to Him in faith, trusting in Him, and Him alone, for your salvation. It is our prayer that you would come to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior today!

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