Three Ways to Combat Anxiety and Fear
Some might say, how can you not worry when things are going wrong? I am not suggesting that you put on rose-colored glasses or be oblivious to reality. My goal is to affirm your power to make conscious decisions and to remind you to be aware of your thoughts. Your thoughts influence your life.
Whether it is a financial, professional, relational, social or even a health situation, you may feel devastated in times of crisis. You may be overwhelmed, and your decision-making ability can be impaired because of your worry. Some people lose their appetite, become unable to sleep, and can even experience physical pain.
God has given us a recourse for this dilemma. What can we do to lessen these symptoms? He has provided the solution for achieving peace. We simply must be intentional and apply His principles to our lives. He desires to give us perfect peace. What does the Bible tells us:
"Do not be anxious about anything" (Philippians 4:6, NIV)
"whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. "If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
"Don't let your hearts be troubled." (John 14:1)
"…we take captive every thought..." (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)
Joyce Meyer has a book called "The Battlefield of the Mind," which I enjoyed reading. One of Joyce's quotes, "One of the greatest revelations of my life is: I can choose my thoughts and think things on purpose. In other words, I don't have to just think about whatever falls into my mind." That is powerful! She says, "The enemy knows that if he can get enough wrong things going on in our heads, they will eventually begin to come out of our mouth." And, we already know that there is power in our WORDS.
Be intentional, and don't let your mind be a battleground of fear and worry. Purposefully fill it with faith-filled thoughts. My point is, to cast your cares on Him, you must commit to monitoring your thoughts. Commit to eliminating counterproductive, negative thoughts that contribute to worry. For example, you can hear bad news. Then, suddenly your mind is off to the race. It conjures up every possible scenario, it can imagine. It is then, you must make a decision. Take control, train your mind to stop running rampant. Stop and stand on God's Word? It is not easy to eradicate bad habits. Just think about it, you may have spent your lifetime practicing this habit of worry and have accepted it as normal. If so, I challenge you to establish a new Normal.
Action Step #1:
When you begin to worry, look for a scripture that applies to your situation. Learn to Replace Worry with the Word. What does God say about it? Review a passage that encourages you to release your cares and trust God. We know that there is nothing higher than God and His Word! Study it.
You must be an active participant in controlling your thoughts. Fill your mind with the WORD of God. Then, you will have ammunition when the next situation arises.
"Meditate on [the Word] day and night." –Joshua 1:8.
Action Step #2:
Learn to speak God's Word. Our thoughts are interrupted when we speak. Try it. Start saying the ABCs silently, then before you finish, start counting out loud. What happened? Your thought pattern, the silent counting of the ABC's was interrupted. Just think of the power you have when you interrupt negative thoughts of worry with scripture, promises of God.
Action Step #3:
Be intentional at the beginning of your day. As soon as you wake up in the morning, start your day with prayer and affirmations of faith. Your affirmations can be something like
God’s power moves through my faith. Corinthians 2:5; With God everything is possible Luke 1:37; My faith can move mountains, Mark 11:22-24, or My faith is empowered by God’s Word
Romans 10:17. Start today, find affirmations of faith that resonate with you and begin reciting them aloud each day. Refuse to worry. Instead, stop, pause and pray. Then speak God’s word. Have the faith to believe that you belong to Jesus, and that He cares for you !"