Anxiety Can Be Crippling

Anxiety can be a crippling state of mind. It can creep in subconsciously and affect the way that you live your life before you even notice that it is there. Anxiety, much like Satan, attacks when you are weakest and gnaws away at the peace and joy that God has gifted you with. I am speaking from experience when I say that anxiety is a tool used to get you off focus and it proves that you are relying on yourself and not God.

I’m a naturally anxious person. I worry and fret and bear the burden of others heavily. My whole life I’ve been able to maintain anxiety to a relatively safe and healthy level, but as I’ve grown older I’ve noticed that anxiety has been harder and harder to control. Things that once had no effect on me are beginning to wear me down and it is now time that I take back control of my mind.

So many  things run through my head as I try to pinpoint the cause of some of my recent anxiety, but in reality the cause is a multitude of situations. Things build up: one on top of another. Eventually, they catch up to me and my nerves are shot.

Today, as I pray I am focusing on scripture verses which speak to the issue of anxiety. I know that a big part of getting this under control is my perspective. If I can focus on the peace and joy of God I know it will help me to overcome my circumstances. Fear is something that we bring into our own life by not letting go and trying to control everything without giving it to God. We were never meant to bear the burden of life without the help of God.

If you are anything like me and struggle with anxiety I challenge you to join me in reading through the following verses and commenting with something that sticks out to you that you can apply to your individual life.

1 Peter 5:7– Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Proverbs 12:25– An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

Philippians 4:6- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition present your requests to God.

For me, I know all three of these verses by heart and can quote them verbatim, but none of that matters if I can’t apply it to my life. I need to do a better job at recognizing when I am beginning to fear or struggle and immediately follow the instructions from Philippians 4:6 and pray to God. I need to relinquish my desire for control and give God permission to take control of my life. Only then will I see change.

 What sticks out to you from these verses on anxiety? What else works for you?