SO! If you have read and completed what I explained in my previous anxiety post, you’ll know that we must always start with understanding our anxiety. We need to know why we have a problem to understand what it is. Today I would like to talk more in depth about what anxiety is/can be. We’re going to be stepping into some theology, but it is necessary. Theology is your foundation for everything. If your theology is flawed, your lifestyle will follow suit.

Sometimes we wrongly believe that:

  1. Anxiety has complete control
    If you are a Christian, you know who Christ is. And because you know and accept that He was and is God, the Son of God the Father, you know a lot about God. God is three persons in one godhead (the Trinity). He’s the Creator of the universe. He is goodness and perfection defined.
    Based on what you know of God, if you are truly part of His family, there really is no reason to be controlled by fear. The Bible talks about how illogical it is to fear people when you know and are intimately loved by the Creator of all people (Hebrews 13:6 “…The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” and Matthew 10:26-33 “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul….”). Anxiety is lying to you if you believe you cannot have victory over it and are a child of God at the same time. God doesn’t teach us to fear (2 Timothy 1:7), it’s not part of our identity anymore. It’s an outsider trying to get back in.
  2. Anxiety is helpful
    I do believe that God designed us to have something we like to call “common sense.” It is good for your heart to race during situations that are dangerous. It is good to have a mental to physical reaction so your adrenaline will kick in when you need it. We’re not supposed to be completely devoid of this emotion called “fear.” So I’m not trying to suggest that all anxiety is wrong or sinful, but I am here to talk to you about the application and extent of your anxiety or fear. I used to say that I used anxiety to help me get school assignments done on time. Was it true? Yes. Did I pass with good grades? Yes. But, because my motivation was anxiety instead of God’s glory, I paid for it in health by always feeling sick with worry and easily hyperventilating if I even thought for a second that I had missed something. Anxiety can make you think that it brings peace, but in reality it does not. How often are you afraid? How afraid do you get?

Clearly, there are different beliefs about anxiety. You will need to figure out which defines your situation and mindset before moving on. If you have been labeled with obsessive-compulsive disorder, then typically you believe that anxiety is helpful- but to a much greater extent than you should. Anxiety is what causes you to obsess over habits and actions until you are compelled to complete them, and you feel as though that is the only way to get things done and not have a reason to fear. I will write more specifically about OCD in the future.
If you say that you “have anxiety” or an anxiety disorder, you believe that anxiety has the power to control you, because you have let it control you for so long that it doesn’t even seem possible to resist any more. This is my main focus for this series.

Please take a moment to pray about your situation and humbly ask God to help you counsel yourself in a way that coincides with His Word.

If you’re ready to take the next step, answer these questions somewhere (mentally, in a notebook, whatever you would like):

  1. Do I truly believe that I am free or that I will have to forever live as a slave to anxiety?
  2. What is making it hard to see the line between my anxiety being a help or a hinderance?
  3. Who is one person I know who has learned how to fight anxiety with God’s help?

Try to really put thought into these answers, and review your answers from last time. Be that detective, that counselor, or that doctor that is looking for clues to learn more about the problem.

Let me add one more thing. We will always have to fight while we’re on earth. We’re not going to be perfect on this side of heaven. Period. However, we are called to fight sin in our lives, continue growing to be a little more like Jesus every day, and make sure we are ready for any tasks that God gives us. Allowing anxiety or anything else to control us will keep us from obeying and accomplishing what He’s assigned for us to do. That’s why we fight. You’re a targeted soldier, but not a helpless victim.