Overcoming Anxiety With God

Overcoming anxiety with God can bring about a sweet peace and hope to carry you through life’s trials.

Some Memorable Keychains

My daughter is an artistic little lady. It is not uncommon for her to draw, color, or use her imagination to create some work of art multiple times a day. While visiting her grandma one day they colored some adorable plastic keychains together. The idea was to color them while they were still large. Then shrink them in the oven, what a fun idea!

When I arrived to pick her up later that day she was so proud of her creations. She excitedly gave me an adorable puppy and a happy little duck. I attached them to my key ring right away and never took them off.

On more than one occasion my husband (with a smile on his face) asked why I kept those on my keys. I think he was a bit embarrassed when he drove the truck and had to pull these cute little creatures out of his pocket. Not very manly I suppose… I smiled back at him and replied that her gift was special to me and I had no intention of removing them any time soon.

The Saturday I’m Trying To Forget

Fast forward a few months. It’s 2:00 AM on a Saturday morning and somehow over the noise of our two fans loudly humming in our bedroom I awoke to the sound of those two keychains quietly clanking together in the kitchen beside us. I immediately knew that something was wrong. This was not a sound that either of our children would be making at this hour.

I woke my husband and he quickly jumped out of bed to check things out. The door to the outside was wide open. My husband confirmed that someone was in our home and went to get the shotgun.

 Let me pause here for a second.

I cannot even begin to describe the sheer terror I felt as I cried out to God asking for the protection of our family. You see, our room is the only bedroom on the first floor and our children were all the way upstairs, which meant that the intruder was between us and our children. To make matters worse I heard movement on one of the baby monitors and became completely consumed with fear.

As my husband prepared the gun I repeatedly prayed that he would not have to confront the intruder, but that they would simply hear us and flee. A few seconds later I saw a cell phone light and dark figure walk past our door then quickly shut the door to the garage where they had entered. It was over.

Although it seemed like an eternity the whole ordeal lasted only between 60-90 seconds. Our keys were stolen, but they fled before attempting to get the vehicle. I immediately contacted the police who even brought a K9 out to search, but never found any leads.

Christian Anxiety

Some of you may be wondering if Christians should even be struggling with anxious thoughts. After all we’re supposed to be trusting in the all powerful God of the universe, right? The simple answer to this question is “yes”. Is anxiety a lack of trust in God? Also “yes”.

Friend, we are living in a broken world and will each have certain struggles this side of Heaven. It doesn’t mean that God can’t strengthen us in these areas or help us overcome issues altogether. Nor does it mean that our sin is excusable.

It simply means that we are sinners saved by grace who, although we are trusting in the finished work of Christ to save us, still have our struggles.

Back to the story…

Thankfully our children slept peacefully through the break in, and my husband was able to eventually fall back asleep and get some more rest that night. When morning came he had to leave for a prior commitment and was gone until late afternoon, which meant I would have to deal with this on my own for the time being and try to put on a smile for my sweet kiddos and pretend like everything was okay. I tried to keep it all together for my children that day.

I failed.

Inside I was a complete mess. The feelings of fear and anxiety were overwhelming at times. I became easily stressed, uneasy, and even jumpy at the slightest sounds.

Why did all of this happen? Was this person armed? Did they intend on coming back at some point to get the vehicle they were after? My mind was consumed with these thoughts throughout much of the day.

Our sweet dog, Sam, had just passed away three days prior. He was a big boy and very intimidating, he would have immediately alerted us and most likely scared the intruder away. Why didn’t this happen sooner so he could have protected us? Why did our sweet boy have to even get cancer to begin with? I missed him so much.

This page/post may contain affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This is true of any other affiliate links within this post. For more detailed information, please visit our Affiliate Disclaimer page.

A Special Gift

My little girl often senses when I’m having a rough day and without my knowledge she decided to make me something to cheer me up. I remember at one point texting my mom and telling her I wished that I could just cuddle up with a puppy while watching a Hallmark movie and eating ice cream so I could pretend that all was still right with the world.

A short while later my daughter came in ready to give me the gift she had been working on for so long. She had written me a very sweet message and handed me a handcrafted package with a gift inside.

It was one of her very favorite stuffed animals, a little green dog she had named “Puppy” several years ago.

She wanted me to have him now so that I wouldn’t be sad. Tears immediately came to my eyes as I realized that through the thoughtfulness of my precious daughter God had given me a “puppy” like I had asked for to show me that He was right there to comfort me.

To Overcome Anxiety With God We Need To Fully Trust Him

God’s love for us truly is amazing. Not only did he protect our family that night as I had prayed, over the next few days He continued to show me that He loved me and was right there with me.

I struggled with the darkness and nighttime hours for several days afterwards. I would often unintentionally replay everything in my mind as I tried to fall asleep. One evening before bed I was praying for the ability to trust Him better and to not fear anymore.

I decided to finally sit down to read the most recent publication of The Voice Of The Martyrs (an organization for helping Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ). It just happened to be titled “Overcoming Fear”. The article went on to share how persecuted Christians in Africa were learning to forgive their oppressors, and turn their fear into joy.

Many of these believers had witnessed the murder of a spouse or child. I cannot even fathom the pain and fear that must have consumed them. How were they now able to move forward and find joy? I discovered the answer was quite simple.

They became eternally minded.

Each of their loved ones was killed because of their faith in Jesus Christ. These believers know that they will be reunited again one day. They know that this life is short and that trials and tragedies were not part of God’s original plan.

They know that they serve a Heavenly Father who loves them more than they can comprehend.

Is using their loss for good.

And will soon usher them into an eternity spent with Him where there will be no more sadness, tears, sickness, pain, or death.

Not A Spirit Of Fear

I am reminded of Paul’s encouragement to young Timothy when he says “…for God gave us not a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control… you then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:7, 2:1). 

Paul himself was awaiting execution and didn’t want Timothy to stop sharing the gospel out of fear that he would also be imprisoned and possibly put to death. Although these verses deal specifically with the fear of sharing our faith I believe it can also apply to fear in general.

All-consuming paralyzing fear is never from God.

Well known Pastor John Piper takes this a step further saying that “God regards fear of men as a manifestation of pride… The Lord says very emphatically, “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies” (Isaiah 51:12). So when we allow ourselves to fear the displeasure of man, we are acting arrogantly. We are presuming to set our wisdom above God’s promise.”

I had never quite thought of my fear as pride before, but how true it is that my fear led to a lack of trust in God. I was focusing on myself and my limited ability to protect my family… instead of choosing to remember that I serve an all-powerful God whose love for us never wavers.

True Joy

I know that many of you have experienced something much greater than a break-in. I am truly sorry for any hurt and fear that has come as a result. But I want to encourage you to not stay focused on the temporary here-and-now.

Our lives here are so short.

God simply calls us to be faithful and to trust Him, all the while promising to offer us joy, in the midst of our trials, until we meet Him face to face.

If you have never experienced true joy, I encourage you to call out to God. He created you for a purpose and gave His Son for you. He alone can satisfy your longings for peace and comfort.

6 Simple Ways To Overcome Anxiety With God

Statistics say that nearly 20% of Americans struggle with anxiety each year. Here are 6 simple tips to overcome anxiety with God’s help.

1. Faithfully Pray

Whether or not we’re willing to admit it, many of us seem to doubt God’s ability to act on our behalf. We limit Him. We act as if He turns a deaf ear toward our pleas for help.

This false assumption is precisely where our enemy wants us to stay. Please don’t believe this lie. God desires close fellowship with each and every person He has ever created.

He longs for us to seek Him and find rest. Faithfully and continually pray about your struggle with fear and anxiety. Pray in faith knowing the He hears and will help you.

2. Stay In God’s Word

Prayer and Bible study go hand in hand. One is how we talk to God while the other is how He speaks to us. If you constantly spoke to your spouse or child, but never took the time to let them speak and eagerly listen in return would this strengthen your relationship or demonstrate your love to them?

God’s Word is filled with wisdom that can calm our anxious thoughts and replace them with an unexplainable peace.

Read.

Study.

And memorize God’s Word.

This simple act is vital to putting those fears to rest.

3. Be On Guard

We should also realize that we have a very real enemy who knows our weaknesses and delights to deceive, discourage, and shame us. Don’t let down your guard.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:6-11).

4. Get Plugged Into A Local Bible Believing Church

A pastor who genuinely preaches God’s Word and shepherds his flock will be used by God to reach His people. It’s plain and simple. God designed it that way.

The church is not a building, but a body of believers who seek to build each other up, meet each others needs, and point others to the hope of Christ. Please be certain to faithfully stay connected to other believers.

5. Reach Out To Others

Our struggles are typically magnified when we keep our focus on ourselves. I know this because I catch myself doing it time and time again. Life is hard. We were never promised smooth sailing.

Instead of dwelling on your own struggles, I’d like to encourage you to ask God how He can use you to be a blessing to someone else. It doesn’t mean that your struggles aren’t important. BUT it will help to shift your focus, ease your despair, and point you to the One who can bring about true peace.

6. Rest In Knowing That God Is Ultimately In Control

The truth is that much of life is completely out of our control. But fully in the hands of the One who gave us life.

Trust that God is good, nothing takes Him by surprise, and that ultimately He is in control of it all. Then simply rest.

I remember teaching my daughter a Bible verse a couple of years ago when she was afraid of the dark “…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10). Funny how it’s now a comfort to me when I begin to struggle with my own fears of the dark…

The theme “fear not” occurs more than 300 times throughout Scripture. It is a natural human reaction as part of a fallen creation. But please remember that our enemy is not the victor. You were bought with a price.

Friend, He loves you and He can heal your anxious heart.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4)