Reducing Anxiety, Part 2
The only way a person does not experience anxiety is if they are dead. If you care about anything, you will have some level of anxiety.
I’ve been a vocational pastor since March 1987. You don’t have to pay me to study the Bible; I do it because I enjoy it. Yet, I still experience anxiety.
What makes me anxious? The well-being and actions of my family - mostly my kids, evoke anxiety within me. What else? All kinds of things have the potential to stir up stress from time-to-time but nothing as consistent as my family.
We all experience anxiety when we feel threatened. The problem with feelings is they are often misguided.
Have you ever noticed a young mother who experiences the thought “My little girl is gone!” just to find out she was in the other room? The simple thought that their baby was gone caused enormous reaction and stress! In reality the child was fine. Because one feels threat does not mean there is.
Anxiety is a normal part of the human experience and is useful when we are in immediate danger. But that’s not the kind of anxiety the Bible warns us about. It’s the kind of anxiety that distracts; establishes the habit of worry, and kills people from the inside out.
Prescription For Anxiety:
Pray all the time. The word “supplication” means an attitude of need or dependence on God. While the world celebrates the idea of an independent person, God is looking for those who are constantly aware of their need for him.
Pray with a 360-degree view. When you pray, talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Be transparent. Have you ever heard one of those public prayers that seem to be out of touch with reality? That’s not a 360-degree prayer. When you pray, practice “ACTS” Adoration – Tell God how great he is, it will remind you of how small your problems are; Confess – Tell God about your sins and weaknesses, it will take a load off your shoulders; Thanks – Thank God for all the good in life, it will remind you of what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t have; Supplication – OK, if you still got some ugly on your plate, let it go! Ask God for anything. Don’t be afraid… he loves you.
Pray out loud! You can journal, that’s good. You can talk to God with your thoughts, that’s great! But when you pray out loud, it takes more of you, more emotions, intellect, and will.
God promises to give peace to those who seek him.
