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Here are 8 things to remember when anxiety hits:
1) You only have to do today
Often, when we are anxious, it’s either about some future thing we’re dreading or a past event we can’t change. But God doesn’t want us living in tomorrow or yesterday – He wants us living in today.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
As tornados spin and fires burn; while our family members spiral in addictions, God promises He will not let us drown in our troubles.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
No where in the Bible does God tell us to go it alone. He gave us His spirit, our family and friends, our church fellowships, as well as health care and medicine. We have both supernatural help in His word and power and earthly sources of help available.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
As the Bible explains, fear brings torment, described as “extreme pain or anguish of body or mind” by Merriam-Webster’s definition. Human tendency is to attempt to alleviate pain if it occurs. However, abusing drugs and alcohol or turning to dopamine-inducing behaviours like gambling and porn is causing millions of people worldwide additional harm.
“’I have the right to do anything’, you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
Contact with nature is associated with positive benefits including more happiness, a better sense of well-being and lower mental distress, according to a report by the American Psychological Association.
“Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.” Psalm 96:12
If you want to cut off the negative thought train in its tracks, find a good scripture to meditate on.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
There is almost nothing good reported in the news and social media can exacerbate anxiety. A better option could be to shut the screens off and turn the tunes up. Studies show music can elevate mood and reduce anxiety and depression. Maybe even better, we can pick up our Bible and read some verses aloud, forcing our minds off the dark thoughts and onto the light of Jesus Christ.
“ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Whatever trouble is pushing its way through the door, it’s only temporary. Our Lord and Savior is about to return – guaranteed. Those of us who are Chosen will then enter a blissful eternity with the King of Kings, leaving all earthly miseries permanently behind.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Daughter of God – it’s not true. Whatever is in your head right now – that niggling worry that you can’t shake, that thought that’s making you feel anxious, anything that is making you afraid – it’s a lie. There may be a fragment of reality mixed in, but you are not seeing the full truth of the matter if you are full of fear. Remember that Satan is a strategist. He knows your triggers. Is it worries about money? Your health? Is it fear of rejection or disappointing people? If the devil is on the attack, he will strike at the things that he knows are most likely to topple you – sometimes all in the same day! Keep in mind, Satan would like you to believe he is like God, but he is not. The devil is a finite being with limited resources who has already been defeated at the cross.
Here’s the truth – you are loved and protected by our infinite God who is already working on your problem – your moment of weakness, that devastating oversight or error, that loss – to turn it around for your benefit.
As the Apostle Paul wrote: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Another of Satan’s favourite ploys is isolation. Ever notice how he will work endlessly to obliterate a woman’s support system, keep her from her church, destroy her relationships and make her feel alone? He is a weak enemy but he is cunning. He has learned through the ages that humans need other humans to connect to in order to feel safe. His constant work is to destroy all human love through betrayals, abuse, addiction and all forms of strife. But there is one human connection Satan can never destroy and that is the one with our saviour Jesus who isn’t going anywhere. In fact He has gone ahead of you, is beside you and inside you right now.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Jesus did not want us to ever feel alone, promising the Holy Spirit will be ever-present with us as a source of comfort and someone to back us up.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
God has not left us defenseless. In fact, He entrusted us with the most powerful tool in the universe – His word. The apostle Paul instructs us to “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” This unseen armour is available always when an attack is launched in our minds, the battleground where our fears are generated. We cannot stop the enemy from attacking, but we can control our response.
In Hebrews 4:12 Paul writes: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Our chief weapon of warfare isn’t a physical creation of a mere man – it is a supernatural weapon of God’s power and strength (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are not expected to use our own mortal strength to fight for ourselves. We are given the power of Christ and the the truth of His word to slice off the lies creating the fear in our lives, leading us into victory.
In the gospels, Jesus warns that people’s hearts will fail them in the last days because of fear over what they witness in the skies.
Leading up to that, we are promised a great deal of calamity – false teachers leading Christians astray, heavy persecution, wars, earthquakes, famines and disease. A multitude of tempests will toss the sea and a world powers will tumble (Luke 21). As darkness escalates, there may be nothing tangible left in this world to offer anyone comfort.
Knowing that this will be a stressful time and that His people will be on the Earth waiting for his return, Jesus gave many instructions on how to deal with the threat of these fears on our hearts.
In John’s gospel, He tells us to “let not your hearts be troubled.” This passage seems to indicate that we have a choice in the matter. But how do we ease our troubling hearts when the world is falling apart? Believe in God and in Him, Jesus says.
At the end of His warnings about how the last days will look, Jesus lets us know the source of our ultimate hope: He is coming back to get us. As the world crumbles down around us, we are not supposed to cower with fear. He says, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)
We are not to be fearful, but rather hopeful, because though many in the world will be entering a time of great suffering, God’s chosen children will be about to realize their ultimate redemption in Christ, a reward well worth the wait.
The world rapidly unraveling around us is, in a way, good news for those of us who truly believe in Jesus. We are going to be home with our saviour. The end of pain and suffering on the Earth is finally coming, after millennia of children being abused, mothers being widowed, cancer ravaging human life, and every atrocity that rends at the heart. As the world accelerates towards darkness, our hope as Christians should rise knowing that permanent relief is on its way for us.
For those who don’t already believe, it’s a call to wake up to the reality that everyone will ultimately bow to the name of Jesus, either willingly now or forcefully after Jesus arrives to claim his throne as King of the earth.
Until His glorious return to the Earth, Jesus left us a present to prevent terror from paralyzing us.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
We are waiting, but as King David prophesied, those of us who believe in Jesus, who hope in Him, will receive strength into our hearts from God:
“Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.” Psalm 31:24
I divorced the father of my four sons when my youngest was seven months old. My middle son was still in diapers and my twin sons were in elementary school. At the time, I had no personal income, as I’d been home caring for my infant and toddler.
It was during this time of extreme financial pressure that I learned how to trust the one I’d begin calling my 11th hour God. Many times, I thought I was finished, believing I had failed myself and my children. There were moments I feared we were on the brink of homelessness. I’d find myself with only a few dollars left in my account, bills coming in fast and hard, the children needing food. I’d pray, agonizing over my situation. Then, at the 11th hour, just as there was almost no time left to deal with the problem, God would show up with the provision He’d been planning all along. As time and again, He showed up for me in this way, I began to trust Him at His word:
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33
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Following this command wasn’t easy to do. How does one put her mind and energy into actively seek after God’s righteousness when your children’s tummies are rumbling and the electricity needs to be paid? It became an exercise of learning that I had control over my thoughts. If I wanted to survive and remain sane, I would have to bend them towards God’s kingdom and away from the worries of this world. Back then, I believed this was a test from God to see if I would be more overcome by my physical need than by Him. Perhaps it was, partly. But looking back now, I can see He was teaching me that the secret to overcoming the perils of the world is to seek Him in every moment. Focusing on Jesus defeats the onslaught of hell trying to convince you that your very survival is wrapped up in your own abilities , in your bank account, in your possessions. That way, you will chase those things always. But God showed me to leave my survival is in His hands. This way, I free up my time and energy to pursue His Kingdom.
Over time, I began to realize that when I put my mind on Christ and off my earthly problems, I was able to minimize and even diminish them to nothing. When I chose to wallow in disastrous thoughts, anxiety would grip me hard. During these terrible times, when worry about money would take hold of my mind, I would feel my legs burning with the physical affects of anxiety. I’d have panic attacks with heart palpitations, my stomach wrenched in knots. I’d be rendered incapable of doing anything because fear had me physically and mentally bound.
I learned to meditate on Scripture. No, medicate on scripture, because no other remedy worked against the wall of fear I faced. When I let the Father’s promise of supply sink into my mind, and when I chose to believe it, the anxiety would settle enough that I could take productive action. I found this was a much more effective and productive way of handling financial stress.
If I was able muster the strength to believe, even if I had to force myself, it was better than succumbing to that crippling level of anxiety. After all, when the panic attack subsided, the bills were still there. Worrying about them never did a thing to solve my problem. God taught me to focus only on the 24 hours ahead of me. If rent and food were covered that day, I considered myself okay.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
For more on Jessica Lindsey’s journey, read A Way in the Wilderness: 100 Meditations of a Woman’s Spiritual Trial
I needed to work these Scriptures into my heart or be destroyed by worry. I had faith and God supplied, as His promise is written:
“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22
Many times, money became desperately tight, but I testify today that God was always faithful. Today, I the twins are in college and doing extremely well. I’m not where I want to be financially, but I believe the same God who saw me through the leanest of times will never leave me. I still have some praying to do for my financial goals to be achieved, but I do not suffer from the depths of anxiety I once had. Thank God, my troubles are not quite as dire as I now have my own source of income.
He proved to me that it is true that He will never leave or forsake me. He will always feed me. Always clothe me. I am loved.
Acceptance has been a difficult concept for me to grasp.
As a Christian woman, I struggled for a long time learning which were my conditions of living that I would have to accept, which were unacceptable, and therefore my responsibility to change, and which of my battles belonged to the Lord.
My dilemma was whether I should stay in my marriage or not, causing deep conflict within me. I wanted to please God, to be an example of faithfulness to Him and to my husband. Though our relationship was full of turbulence, I believed miracles would happen to restore our marriage to the glory of God. I wanted to please the church which seemed to only ever point to one resolution of every kind of marital madness – keep staying married, no matter what.
But there was a problem with that – I was the only person in our marriage who had adopted this mindset. I had taken doing all the work on my shoulders, expecting I’d have this wonderful testimony of how my faith was the game changer that turned things around for us. I’d be the hero. Angels would be applauding me in the halls of heaven for all the faith I’d had. So I prayed and I stayed. And yet, nothing got any better.
After my divorce, a spirit of rejection gripped me hard. I did not feel lovable and began building walls to protect myself from deeper hurt. I began avoiding new relationships, minimizing the time I spent with people I already knew. Relationships meant risking I could be further rejected at some point – I could not swallow one more ounce of it.
The divorce was a final devastating blow that shattered me, but my foundation was already cracked. I had a lack of trust in people from early on, and often felt rejected and insecure in my formative years, unsure whether my parents loved me or not. Born the middle child, a brunette between two buttery blonds, I was neither the protected youngest nor the preferred eldest, often not invited to play with my siblings. In school, I was the last picked for sports events, belittled by classmates, and never taken out on a date.
Was any of this rejection my fault? Some of it, surely. But I believe the enemy begins to strategize against us from our birth, planting seeds of rejection, framing us as unlovable. He continues his assaults until we believe ourselves to be unlovable.
I felt rejected by my husband before we even married, with more layers of hurt piling on throughout that relationship. Even though I was the one who did the leaving, the sense that my rejection was final landed with the divorce papers. Worse still, I perceived myself as rejected by the church and society because of divorce stigma and chronic singledom. It was like being among the ancient lepers of Israel, exiled by the community, waiting for someone to have mercy. The prospect of ever becoming loved by a regular man at any point in the future seemed impossible. I doubted at times that God could even love me, as ruined as I was.
