Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce. And today we have our first solo episode of 2026. I'm really excited. You know, I've missed the solo episodes. You know, don't get me wrong. It's a privilege to get to sit down with guests and talk and hear and, you know, dialogue and things like that. But Ultimately, like I love these episodes.
These episodes are sweet. It's like we're in, you know, the living room together talking and diving into scripture and many different things. And I kind of wanted to start off the year with something I struggled with for a long time. And I think something that people still struggle with to this day, and that's anxiety. I wanted to make an episode on anxiety because I think it's important.
And even the wisest man to ever live on earth outside of Jesus, Solomon, Even wrote himself, anxiety weighs a man's heart down. And when I hear that, I'm just like, man, how true is that? How true is that? That statement, that anxiety does weigh a man's heart down. It weighs your heart down. It weighs my heart down.
And to be honest, anxiety can feel like this inescapable, incurable disease that can't be conquered, that can never be fixed, only numbed like Advil does with pain, but with other things, whether it be medication or addictions or sin. So I really wanted to dive into today, Matthew chapter 6, on anxiety. And I think today can be really freeing. I think today can be really hopeful.
And I pray really sincerely that you find freedom in this passage. If you have your Bibles, go to Matthew chapter 6.
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Chapter 2: What personal experiences does Bryce share about anxiety?
We're going to start in verse 25. To get some context, I'm not... reading this scripture and teaching the scripture from a place of shame. And Jesus doesn't make this statement about anxiety out of a place to shame you either. And I remember, man, I grew up in a private Christian school. I grew up going to church. I'd been to camps.
I have heard this passage preached almost in a phrase of, man, why do you struggle with anxiety? You know, like, why do you struggle with that? You shouldn't struggle with that. You should not struggle with anxiety. That's what I always thought Jesus meant when he says in verse 25, therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. Do not be anxious about your life.
The amount of times I've heard that said and preached and shared, it's like, why are you anxious? You shouldn't be anxious. You shouldn't be struggling with anxiety and depression. You shouldn't be struggling with that.
You should actually, like it's almost the way that it was communicated was to make me feel bad as a human being for when I did struggle with anxiety and depression to go, man, I must be hardwired wrong or God must have screwed up when he made me because I struggle with anxiety or depression. And that is a total lie from the pit of hell.
Why do you think, and I'm not saying this in a shameful way, I'm even telling my younger self this, why would I ever think that the Lord himself would be like, shame on you for struggling with something I never designed you to struggle with? Shame on you for struggling with something that you shouldn't be bearing.
It's not how the Lord treats us with anxiety, but let's just read this passage and dive into it. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. What you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body. What you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air. They neither reap and neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns.
And yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his lifespan? I want to come back to verse 27. And why are you anxious about your clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, Do not be anxious about saying, what shall we eat? What shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. You know why anxiety tends to happen for the most part? Not every time, but for the most part. We have things on our plate. Maybe you've procrastinated. Maybe you have a hard confrontational conversation you have to have.
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Chapter 3: How does Bryce relate anxiety to scripture?
I know he's not talking directly about anxiety, but I think personally, anxiety tends to be a lot of the perspective of things in our life. how we look at things. I've got so much in my life. The pressure's all on me. It's only in my strength I can do this. I could never do this in a million years. That's absolutely right.
You can never do most of the things in your life in a million years out of your own strength. In fact, you will fail and crumble if you only lean on yourself. And I think that's why we tend to struggle with anxiety a lot of times because we look at things, accomplishments, to-do lists, pressures, confrontations, and things like that.
And we try to put all the pressure on ourself and we create this mountain of issues and this mountain of anxiety. No wonder you got the weight on your chest. And Jesus says, man, if you just have a little bit of faith of a mustard seed, you can move a mountain. If you just have a little bit of faith, the size of a mustard seed,
that God can give you strength through your circumstance, that God can give you strength to deal with the things you got going on today, that God can give you strength to get through today, through first period, through the first hour of your day, through the first 30 minutes of waking up. I think God will do a lot with your anxiety.
But I think it's so interesting how Jesus phrases anxiety here.
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Chapter 4: What does Matthew 6 teach us about anxiety?
We open up in verse 25. He says, do not be anxious about your life. When Jesus says, do not be anxious about your life, he's not scorning you, saying, you can't be anxious. I hardwired you wrong. You shouldn't be struggling with that. Jesus is rather saying, hey, you don't have to be anxious, actually. I know the amount of hairs on your head.
I know things about you that you've never shared with anyone. You don't have to be anxious. You're putting this unnecessary pressure on yourself. And for me, as a human being who likes to put pressure on myself, who likes to look at the mountain of issues and problems all at once, not the steps, and think, man, there's no way I can do that. That's what God is saying. Yeah, that's right.
You don't have to be anxious about dealing with that. Just trust in me. And that's why I love when we go back to verse 27, when he's like, which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his lifespan? Jesus is saying there is absolutely no benefit whatsoever in anxiety. Now, sometimes we can say and be like, yeah, right, Bryce, you're acting like I want to be anxious.
No, that's not why I'm saying that. And that's not why Jesus is saying that. He's not saying that because he thinks that you want to be anxious. He's just letting you know like sometimes anxiety is self-inflicted. Like sometimes we think that worrying is going to deal with it and it's not. It doesn't. It doesn't help. In fact, worrying will never help.
And I love the two examples that Jesus gives about anxiety because you and I as human beings are of a different value standard in God's eyes because we're made in his image. God created everything in beauty and splendor, animals, creation, colors, flowers, and they're great and they're valuable, but not as valuable as you and me because we're made in his image.
And so God shows us the care that he has for his creation that's not made in his image. He says, hey, look, if these birds of the air that aren't as, if he says, hey, look, these birds that don't have the same value as you, but I feed them every day and they don't have to work for their food, how much more will I take care of you? And even look at your clothing.
Do you get anxiety about that boy or girl that you have a crush on? Anxiety about people, the appearance, what people think about you? And he's like, look, consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't have to work to be beautiful. How much more... Will I take care of you? Meaning how much more beautiful are you actually without even having to worry?
I mean, that's not necessarily the context of that, but you get what I'm saying? Like we sometimes get anxious about careless things and God is saying, my friend, my daughter, my son, stop putting pressure on yourself of things you don't have to put pressure on. You know, maybe you're anxious about that boy or girl, how they're going to perceive you with the clothes that you wear.
But in reality, God knows who's going to love you, not just for your outward appearance, but for your character and your heart, for who God has assigned you to be. You don't have to be anxious about being someone that you're not to just impress your crush. Be who God has made you to be. Embrace the beauty that God has instilled in your character.
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Chapter 5: Why is anxiety often self-inflicted?
God, may we be sheep that leans on the staff of our shepherd, which is you, Jesus, on your word, on your wisdom. You are truth rather than ourselves. Sometimes our truth can be our feelings and it misleads us, but God, we don't want just feelings. We want you. So with every ear that will hear, God, would you give us strength to trust in you.
With everything we have in our life, good, bad, to-do lists, confrontations, pressures, we trust you in Jesus' name. Amen.