Anxiety is an issue that everyone deals with throughout their life. For some it is a lifelong problem that may require medical intervention, but most experience seasons of anxiety in their life. It is an emotion that is very difficult to manage. However the Bible does give us some very clear steps to take in order to help us manage this powerful emotion.
Proverbs 12:25 says that “Anxiety weighs down the heart…” and it does. It can impact our lives in a myriad of ways emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. God never intended for His children (those who trust in Jesus Christ) to be controlled by anxiety.
In every place that the greek word for anxiety/worry is used in the New Testament there are words that say “do not” attached to it. And, the first place it is mentioned is by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6:25-34. He says several times in this passage “Do not worry.” In verse 27, Jesus asks “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Finally in vs 33 Jesus says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”
In this passage of scripture Jesus gives us 2 significant truths concerning anxiety. 1) We achieve nothing of value through our anxiety.
2) We should prioritize our relationship with God in our lives. Knowing Him should be first because He is the One who faithfully provides.
SIX STEPS TO DEALING WITH ANXIETY
1. The words of Jesus provide the first step in dealing with anxiety. Seek His kingdom and His righteousness. In other words, seek a relationship with Him.
From this point, we move to 2 very popular passages of scripture that will give us 6 more steps, 1 Peter 5: 6-7 and Philippians 4: 6-9.
2. Step 2 is Humble Yourselves. This is from 1 Peter 5: 6. What does it mean to be “humble.” It is a heart attitude that acknowledges our dependence on God. An understanding of who He is, and who we are in relation to Him. Trusting in the Sovereignty of God. This is the key point about being humble. The doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is the belief that God is supreme, has unrivaled authority and nothing is beyond His knowledge or controlling power. This concept is woven throughout scripture affirming God is the ultimate creator, authority, and sustainer of all things.
When we allow anxiety to control us, it is really about our desire to control. Being humble means we destroy our desire for power and control (ie. our pride) and recognize our dependence on the One who actually is in control.
3. Step 3 is Cast Your Cares. This is from 1 Peter 5: 7. The greek word for casting means to put responsibility on or to make one responsible for. This is actually telling us how to be humble. We recognize God’s Sovereignty when we make Him responsible for our concerns or circumstances. God wants us to give Him those things. He is asking us to do just that!! The act of casting our cares is an act of humility. Keeping our concerns or hanging on to them is prideful.
There is a problem though if we Cast our Cares to God. We have spent so much time and head space thinking on a problem or situation that we end up with empty space in our heads. Space that was once occupied by anxiety/worry, needs to be occupied by something else or retrieve what we have given to God. Matthew 12: 43-45 speaks directly to this problem. When we clean up our house, and don’t fill it with God, Satan can come right back in and occupy our space, and take up even more room. So, what are we to do to prevent ourselves from taking back the cares we have given to God? We must fill that space with GRATITUDE. This is from Philippians 4:6. Gratitude has power. We become more aware of God’s character and less consumed by our own concerns when we practice gratitude. It is such an important piece of this puzzle. Casting your Cares and replacing that brain space with Gratitude are both positive, powerful actions to moving forward.
4. Step 4 is Prayer. This is also found in Philippians 4:6. Our prayer life needs to be strong and faithful remembering who it is we are praying to. It seems in our culture we have forgotten about the reverence and awe of God. Very often our prayers consist of a laundry list of needs and desired outcomes (not saying we don’t pray for those things). However, we need to come to Him with a heart full of devotion and worship. He loves us so much that He came and died to save us from eternal punishment. We need to get back to praising Him and worshiping Him in our prayer life not just asking things of Him. Also in Phil. 4:6, it mentions “prayer and supplication.” Both are prayers, but they are separate. Supplication is praying, but specifically it is an outpouring of our heart. Recognizing our limitations and His sovereignty. There are many examples in scripture. Here are a couple…1 Sam. 1: 10-11 Hannah’s prayer, and Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsamane. Basically, supplication is honest, vulnerable prayer. Also, let’s not forget to thank Him for answered prayer. Very often we are quick to ask, but slow tho thank.
5. Step 5 is Peace. Philippians 4: 7-9 speak about the Peace of God or the God of Peace. We tend to think of peace as a feeling, but the greek word for peace means to bind together or essential parts joined together. Clearly, this is not defining a feeling. Peace comes when we are connected or joined to our God. It is not so much a feeling as it is a strength and an assurance. Vs 8 tells us to think on good things. Once again filling our minds with the things of God…Scripture, Christian music, Christian podcast, Gratitude, anything that puts God into our brains. Vs 9 specifically says to put into practice the steps God has given us in scripture and the God of peace will be with us.
6. Step 6 is Resist. 1 Peter 5: 8-9. We must always remember that we have an enemy in Satan. It is his goal to destroy our witness for the Lord, and that is exactly one of the effects of anxiety. We live in a broken world that is ruled by the prince of the air (Satan). There are many, many reasons to experience anxiety. It will always be that way until Jesus comes again. When we are living lives that are based on scripture and walking with Jesus, Satan will want to disturb our life. Instead of resisting God and turning away from Him, resist Satan, by following the scripture back to peace.
