Inside: “Do Not Be Anxious,” what does this mean? How do we live in a world full of scary, hard things and not have anxiety? The Bible teaches us how to overcome anxious times, how to trust God during these times, and how to cope with anxiety.
*Disclosure: Post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See our full disclosure here.
Anxiety can disrupt life, and it can happen to any of us. Here’s the ultimate resource to learn “do not be anxious” from the Bible.
The fact of the matter is, this world is scary. Lots of threatening things happen to us daily. Disease, sickness, and terrorism, are only a snippet of the danger we face each day. It’s hard to not be anxious.
Anxiety is growing by leaps and bounds in our society. God, however, does not want us to get caught up in what’s happening in the world!
(Philippians 4:6, NLT).
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
What Does it Mean to Be Anxious?
A few years ago, anxiety descended on me in a big way. It turned my life upside down, I was feeling anxious 24/7. I went from living freely to feeling like a prisoner. I didn’t drive or go anywhere by myself for months.
As a result, when I did have to drive, I felt like I lost control and white-knuckled the steering wheel. My body felt out of control.
When you have anxiety, being still and trusting God are actions that are hard to do.
Worry and anxiety are used interchangeably many times, but they are different.
Worry is usually short-lasting, and the resolution of a problem ends the worry. Example: I am worried about the test I took yesterday and the grade I’m going to get. Once the grade is received, the worry ends.
Anxiety is broader with mental images, and verbal thoughts, and affects the body. It tends to linger and can affect relationships, health, and jobs. Anxiety can sometimes cause depression.
Anxiety is like a chain that keeps you bound up and we’re desperate to get our lives back!
If you’re not sure if you deal with anxiety or a friend does,
Here’s an explanation of anxiety while being a mom
Getting Rid of Anxiety
When I was anxious, I felt shame because Christians aren’t supposed to worry. We aren’t supposed to be hopeless and feel desperate, and we aren’t supposed to quit.
Guilt and shame help keep us stuck instead of leading us to relief.
Panic keeps us from fulfilling God’s plan for us.
Here’s the thing, God doesn’t want us to be so focused on the anxiety that we stay stuck. He wants us to be courageous and confident.
Our Father has given us tools in the Bible to use to conquer our stronghold. He has given us examples right from His word to fight the battle.
How desperate enough are you to start being intentional?
The Bible and Anxiety
Throughout the Bible, you can find incidents of anxiety: Jehoshaphat, Moses, David, Gideon, and many others are in the crowd of anxiety sufferers.
We need to remember God doesn’t allow us to suffer without His help. God gives us His words and wisdom in the Bible to traverse these seasons. He is bringing us closer to the image we had before the Fall into sin.
To recover from anxiety, we need to be active participants in the battle. Using God’s word through journal prompts or using Bible verses around the house to focus our attention on God are things we can do.
Parenting and Anxiety
As Christian moms, we have a great resource at our disposal: God’s wisdom in the Bible.
As we pray for guidance, He will lead us to parent our children in the right way. This doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes and screw up, actually, we will, but we have the ability to pray for greater wisdom for next time.
There is no such thing as the perfect parent, only a perfect God.
Christianity and “Do Not Be Anxious”
If anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses affecting our culture right now, don’t you think it spills over into the church? Our churches need to be a place of peace and comfort for those struggling.
We have Christian brothers and sisters fighting this battle daily. Here are some ideas on how to help someone you know with anxiety.
Are you living apart from God’s best? Are you being kept from relationships, and sinking under a load of this?
Through anxiety, though, God can still use you and turn this trying time into good!
How to Cope with Anxiety
It’s important for each of us to have simple tricks we can do to minimize fretfulness so we can live normally. When we fall victim to our anxiety and it starts to steal life from us, we can develop other problems.
Somehow in our Christian walk, many of us have bought into the thought that once we were following God, our lives would be abundant and easy.
However, living in a sinful world means Christians will have to deal with hard times.
Here’s how I found peace. (I was once a control freak).
Trusting God and “Do Not Be Anxious”
What I’ve realized is that each storm prepared me for the next one. Through the experience, I was no longer fearful and apprehensive. It’s not to say, I didn’t have a healthy fear of storms, but I was confident about Who held me. God reassured me it will all turn out.
We might think we need to conquer our nervousness before we take the next step. Many times, God wants us to step out even in fear. If we wait until the right time, when we feel the most comfortable, we might miss our chance.
God tells us to step out and we will see blessings in this act of faith.
Need some more resources for anxiety? Here are some of my favorites.
Links
God can use your anxiety for good
Christians and Anxiety Disorders
5 Things Christians Should Know about Depression and Anxiety
Trusting when Things are Falling Apart
Books And Products We Love
Our Favorite Picks
If you’d like to know how Young Living Essential Oils have helped on my journey through anxiety, read about my oily journey!
To sign up for our email list!
