5 Days to Believe You’re Going to Make It Ihe Atụ

God Doesn’t Want Us Tormented by Anxious Thoughts Today

Anxiety. Not one of us is completely immune to heart-stabbing, pulse-racing, anxious feelings. Most of us have had a personal struggle with this peace stealer.

I’m so thankful God spoke into this struggle in the Bible. 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 places of fear and missing out on seeing the good things He has for us.

Even Jesus Himself spoke to this topic when He told us in John 14:27 that He left us with peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).

Peace. Not worry. Not fear. Not anxiety.

Make no mistake, sweet friend, 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. 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 hearts and minds away from anxious thoughts and onto truths and safe assurances found in Him. We have full permission to pour out our hearts to Him honestly. We can bring every fear, every request, and every need to Him without hesitation or apology (1 Peter 5:7). 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).

3. Verbalize trust in Him. We can quote the scriptures we’ve memorized throughout our day. There is tremendous power in quoting a verse slowly and intentionally—claiming the truths contained within and verbalizing our belief in God out loud.

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.

RESPOND: What verse could you cling to tightly today as you overcome anxious thoughts? Ask God to help you set your mind on those truths.