3 Steps to Overcome Anxiety
Anxiety. Not one of us is completely immune to its vicious attacks. Most of us have had a personal struggle with this peace stealer.
I love Proverbs 31 Ministries and First 5 app by Lysa Terkeurst and her team, so I wanted to share this resource from First 5 app and encourage you download it, open your Bibles and your hearts and I am praying for you to hear God’s unique, personalized love for you today and His supernatural peace to transcend whatever anxieties you are struggling with today. God cares. He sees you and cares for you!
3 Steps to Overcome Anxiety
Today’s Reading: Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:6 (NIV) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Anxiety. Not one of us is completely immune to its vicious attacks.
Most of us have had a personal struggle with this peace stealer. Apparently so did the people of Philippi, evidenced by Paul’s choice to address the topic of anxiety in this closing portion of his letter to them.
And I’m so thankful the Lord had Paul speak into this struggle. It reminds us that God doesn’t want our lives to be constantly hijacked by anxiety. He doesn’t want us walking through our days or lying in our beds at night tormented by anxious thoughts. He also doesn’t want us making decisions from a place of fear and miss out on seeing the good things He has for us.
Even Jesus Himself speaks to this topic when He tells us in John 14:27 that He left us with peace. Peace. Not worry. Not fear. Not anxiety. And in today’s passage, Paul spells out for us how we can begin living lives guarded by and at rest in the peace that is freely ours.
The portion of Scripture that immediately comes to mind when fear is mentioned is
Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I love these verses. I made sure I taught my kids these verses when they were young. But as I’ve spent time studying the whole of Philippians 4, I’ve noticed something really interesting. There are four very powerful words that come right before the “do not be anxious” part. Philippians 4:5 ends with, “The Lord is near.”
When we put the verses we just read about being anxious for nothing in context and see how God promises His nearness, they take on a whole new meaning.
Because the Lord is near, we don’t have to be anxious. We have the assurance of His presence that soothes us, sustains us and empowers us. Much like a child finds safety and security when they crawl into bed with their parents after a bad dream, our souls find comfort and rest when we cry out to our heavenly Father in our times of distress. He is near.
Make no mistake, sweet friends, the enemy wants us to feel hopeless. He wants us to live enslaved to our worries and fears. But God wants us to know that we don’t have to let anxiety rob us of our peace, our hope or our joy another single day.
So instead of allowing anxious thoughts to wreak havoc in our hearts and minds, let’s try these three steps:
1) Pray Honestly –
Prayer connects our overwhelming anxiety to God’s overcoming power. God can help us redirect our heart and mind away from anxious thoughts and onto truths and safe assurances found in Him. And we have full permission to pour our hearts out to Him honestly. We can bring every fear, every request, every need to Him without hesitation or apology. (1 Peter 5:7) And when we do, we’ll find that prayer and peace walk hand in hand.
2) Read God’s Truths –
We can intentionally think on truth by seeking out scriptures that speak to the issues we are facing. When we tuck God’s truth into our hearts, we are arming ourselves with the most powerful tool available – His Word! (Hebrews 4:12) It’s God’s presence plus His promises that chase away our anxious thoughts.
3) Verbalize Trust in Him –
We can quote the Scriptures we’ve memorized all throughout our day. There is tremendous power in quoting the verse slowly and intentionally – claiming the truths contained within and verbalizing our belief in God out loud.
Yes, I’m convinced the more we draw near to God in prayer and the more we fill our minds with His Word, the more crowded out our fears and anxieties will become.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for the tender ways You offer to help me when my heart feels anxious and fearful. Instead of shaming me for my feelings, You offer to sit with me in the midst of them. Instead of expecting me to pull myself together, You offer me Your Words that hold me together and bring me peace. You are such a good and gracious Father. One I know I can trust and call on, at all times. In Jesus’ name, amen.
More Moments:
Discovering the path to peace in our minds isn’t the only type of peace Paul addresses in Philippians 4. He also speaks to God’s desire for us to have peace in our relationships.
More Moments About Philippians 4:6-7
Discovering the path to peace in our minds isn’t the only type of peace Paul addresses in Philippians 4. He also speaks to God’s desire for us to have peace in our relationships.
At the beginning of this chapter, we read Paul’s plea for unity between two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Sadly, even within the body of Christ we are prone to the effects of sin and the disunity and disruption it can cause. And apparently these two women were allowing their sinful nature to stir up all kinds of problems within the local church.
But Paul reminds them, and each of us, how unity is possible – “in the Lord.” Paul calls them to regain and maintain the unity that is found in Christ with an appeal for them to be like-minded. This can only take place when people choose to turn their hearts and minds toward Christ and find their commonality in Him. It is from this place that unity can be established and maintained.
And this isn’t the first time Paul speaks to the issue of unity. All throughout his letter to the Philippians, he reminds us of God’s call for us to live this way. It is a unity that is reinforced by our citizenship, which is found in heaven. (Philippians 1:27) A unity that is bound together by the power of the Spirit of God. (Philippians 1:27; Philippians 4:2)
And finally, Paul calls us to a unity that stands firm even in the midst of hardship, trials and persecution from the enemies of God. (Philippians 1:28; 3:18) With all of this in mind, Paul urges us to “stand firm” in unity, in light of all that the Lord has done and will do.
Major Moment: Don’t be anxious about anything.
My Moment:
Are there any anxious thoughts that have been stealing your peace recently? What verse can you focus on this week to redirect your heart and mind to truth?
One of my favorite verses to pray in the midst of fear and anxiety is
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
I love to persinalize Scripture and put my name in there as if the Lord himself is speaking these promises to me. I encourage you to practice this and allow his love to wash over you.
I also love what Lysa Terkeurst shares:
Psalm 91:1-2, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'" (NIV).
I love that God is called both a refuge and fortress. A refuge is a quick place you duck into to find shelter. A fortress is a place built intentionally for the purposes of exceptional security. God is not just a quick refuge from the storm, but He’s also the place where fear no longer has access to me.