Seven Ways to Overcome Anxiety

For years, I have watched anxiety wreak havoc in my extended family. Growing up, my father experienced fits of anxiety coupled with anger. As he aged, everything had to be done in a certain way or he’d have a fit. My mother suffered from the type of anxiety that as she aged, it kept her locked up in her house and overly nervous about her children’s welfare. My husband suffered from pervasive anxiety which kept him from attending many family functions. Both my nieces had their bouts with anxiety, which impacted their lives. Now another family member is plagued by anxiousness and feeling its effects.

While many articles can be read on the internet about the causes of anxiety and solutions that espouse various products to reduce anxiety, I’d like to take a different tack. I’d like to focus on the mental and spiritual approaches to overcoming anxiety based on biblical principles.

You can’t read though the Bible without noting the many verses that address suffering as part of our human experience, which often produces anxiety. Some persecuted brothers and sisters are fearful and anxious for their very life.  By the preponderance of scriptures that address fear and anxiety, we know it is an issue that God has given His attention to because He made us and understands our makeup. Through the prophets, psalmist and apostles, God also gives us His perspective on solutions for dealing with these two causes of suffering.

While fear and anxiety are related cousins, I will focus primarily on anxiety. However, note that fear can cause anxiety, such as the fear of spiders can make one anxious about the creepy, crawly creatures. So, what does God instruct us in His word to do when various forms of anxiety assail us?

1.       Pray:  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7). Start a dialogue with God about the things that make you anxious. Ask him to help you to cope with them or find a solution to what is making you anxious. Ask him to show you the root cause and how to attack the problem. Maybe the problem is money and you need to create a budget. Maybe you don’t have enough time to get everything done and need to learn to make a schedule. Maybe you hate your job and get extremely anxious on Mondays. You might need an attitude change or a change of job. Ask God to show you.

     The next word of the verse points to another type of prayer: supplication, which means to plead with humility and beseech God for help. So, it behooves us to come to God humbly and not fear Him or be too proud to ask. Also when we come to Him, we're not just asking, but entreating His help, whether to overcome fear or anxiety or any other petition. However, this doesn't mean to keep begging God to work on your behalf. There is an element of casting away our fears and anxieties.

2.      Cast your cares on him: “Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). To cast means to throw. It is a deliberate act as when you cast a ballot. You think about who you are voting for. When you cast your anxieties on Him, name them: such as fear of not being able to provide, fear of your child being bullied, fear of not having enough money for retirement, or fear of getting sick and dying. There are many fears and anxieties we need to deliberately cast on to him and leave them at the foot of the cross. How can we do this? We need to know how much God loves us. He cares for us and wants to take our burdens, but he doesn’t grab things from us. We need to do the casting.

       Here's a practical exercise: Name 3 fears and/or anxieties and write them on a piece of paper. Place them on a paper clip and throw them into a wastepaper basket or put them in an envelope and tuck them into your Bible. Ask the Lord to take them from you and entrust them to God, which leads us into the next verse.

 

3.       Trust God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). Trust is an important element in a relationship. Without it, a relationship suffers. It’s important to trust God and entrust Him with your problems, worries, fears and anxieties. For years, my prodigal son caused me many worries and much anxiety. It wasn’t easy just to hand him over to God, but when I entrusted my son’s life to God, things began to change, both for me and my son. Trust that God cares for you, loves you and can handle all your anxieties, whatever the cause of them.

    

        Trusting God with everything means everything. Once again, pray and ask the Lord to show you areas of fear and anxiety that trip you up. For me, I get anxious when I'm in a hurry or try to fit too many things into a short time frame. I lose my cool, get anxious and angry. I've asked the Lord to show me when this starts to happen, so I can stop it before I go ballistic! I want to remember to stay in His peace and not lose it.

4.      Practice the presence of God: ^“”You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11). Being aware of God’s presence will fill you with joy and drive out anxiety. It will help you lay down your fears because his “perfect love casts out fear”(1 John 4:18). Often anxiety is based on not knowing what the future holds. As we come into God's presence more, the anxieties slip away. In addition, as we continue to abide in His presence peace will replace anxiety.  “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). The Bible encourages us not to be afraid because fear is often at the root of our anxieties. When we’re troubled and anxious, our eyes are on our problems, but when we are in His presence love surrounds us.

Love covers a multitude of sins and keeps us trusting God, and what He has in store for us. Establish a relationship with God based on love and not fear.

5.      Be Thankful: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). It’s not easy to let peace reign in you. Yet when we praise and thank God, it becomes easier. A thankful heart looks at their blessings and a praising heart looks up to God. This will help eradicate fear. Read a psalm a day or the words to a Christian hymn and let the truth of those words lead you into praise and thanksgiving. List thirty things you are thankful for and anxiety will begin to fade. Create a Gratitude Jar, and list one thing every day that you are grateful for.

6.       Don’t Fear: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Our fears lead to anxiety, but we can overcome them knowing and believing in our heart that God is with us and will strengthen both you and me. Every day I go to work, I ask God for strength and He supplies it. That use to be a cause of my anxiety. I thought I wouldn’t have the strength to get through another day of teaching, but I have gone through thirty years of this career and am about to retire. Believe me, God will strengthen and equip you for every task you are called to. Take each day one step at a time and don’t fall prey to fear, and you’ll watch your anxiety melt away.

        Some fears are more rooted in our personality and take more time to heal, especially if we've experienced childhood trauma. Covering up our fear or hurts doesn't help. We need to face them with courage, looking to Jesus and knowing His tremendous love wants to set us free from our bondage. Seek out Christian counseling or a program that addresses these more weighty issues of your life.

7.      Trust God for provision:  “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). I say this verse everyday and it has proven true. Trusting God for provision is not always easy. It stretches your faith, but it helps to allay many fears. Sometimes I substitute a particular need I might have for the day, wisdom with difficult children, favor with principal and colleagues or some issue regarding family. I trust that God will give me the wisdom to deal with it or get me through it one way or another.

        God's provision is not only material but emotional and spiritual also. In America, we use material things as a "fix it" or solution for deeper issues. We may need to trust God more for emotional healing, which may take many years. Yet we are not to grow weary in seeking God for the answer to our hurts or fears, but keep on trusting in Him. The Psalms offer great encouragement in this area, but sometimes we just need a good Christian friend with who we can share our problems. Ask God to lead you to the right person who has the wisdom and maturity to lead you into a deeper relationship with God.

These are just a few approaches that could help you depending on the cause of your anxiety. Sometimes however, medication and natural alternatives may be needed. I’m not saying this is a 7 step magic pill and all anxiety will vanish. Yet I do know as we change our mental attitude and focus more on God and his ability and less on our problems and weakness, we will have more peace, which is what anxiety tries to rob from us. 

We also need to be aware that the enemy of our soul, Satan, knows that when our hearts are not troubled, we will have peace and trust God. However, Satan works overtime to “kill, steal and destroy” that peace and cause you to have anxiety and fear.  Be careful that you don’t let him speak his lies to you and riddle you with anxiety. Take time to pray and ask God if the enemy is causing your anxiety, your own thoughts or you family heredity. Yet whatever the cause, apply one of these biblical principles each day for a week, then a month and a then a year. I pray your anxiety will be eased.