How to Deal With AnxietyParaugs

How to deal with anxiety (Part 3)

There are 30 Bible passages where words like anxious or worry show up, and two of them specifically encourage us to pray. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). Peter added, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Your Father doesn’t want you to be anxious about anything. He wants you to cast off all your anxiety and put it on His solid shoulders because He cares that much for you. Your constant worries might wear down your friends or your mom or your husband, but not God. What a thought!

There’s a woman from our church, whose faith I really respect, who recently told me that anxiety has been part of her story for a long time. She said her anxiety was a survival mechanism during her dangerous childhood but that it stuck around even after the danger was gone. How does she learn to deal with it? She told me, “I don’t. I don’t handle it because I cannot. It is only through Christ that victory is found.”

I love that. When you’re one-on-one with the father of lies, it’s hard to win the mental fight. So bring God into the room. Or, more accurately, close your eyes and remember that your Father is already there. Pray. That’s another powerful way to deal with anxiety.