How to Live Free of Worry and Anxiety at Last
Sometimes I think I was born worrying.
I perfected the art of asking “what if” questions as I was learning to read, write, and get along with others. Now I’ll be the first to admit that anticipating negative “what ifs” when it comes to trying to avoid the negative consequences of problematic words and actions is a good thing.
But for some of us … it goes way beyond that to a place where we’re wired with worry most of the time.
My doctor called it high anxiety agitated depression. And I was good at it!
Oh, sure … I knew the Bible verses:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7
Don’t worry, because I am with you.
Isaiah 41:10a (NCV)
And
Tell those who worry, the anxious and fearful, “Take strength; have courage! There’s nothing to fear. Look, here—your God! Right here is your God!
Isaiah 35:4 (Voice)
I knew the words in my head but I had trouble applying them to my heart and an even harder time convincing my insides to believe them.
I decided I must have a melancholy personality because anxiety over my own or someone else’s problems consumed most of my thoughts. Even though God’s Word was clear…
Worry and anxiety were not God’s plan for me.
Look at these words of Jesus from The Sermon on the Mount from The Message paraphrase:
“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions … Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 6:31–32,34 (MSG)
Maybe like me, you know the words but you’ve had trouble letting them a difference in your life.
Paul wrote…
We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLV)
I think this was my problem. I wasn’t actively doing what needed to be done to be free of my anxious worried thoughts.
Read those words again…
… Break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit and intentional proactive change to live worry and anxiety free.
Here’s what I’ve learned…
How to Live Free of Worry and Anxiety at Last
It’s funny … I sometimes wonder if Paul struggled with worry and anxiety himself … because he wrote about it so often. The words the Holy Spirit gave him to write and then used to finally help me take action and fight my own struggle head-on are found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:6–8
But I needed to pull the words apart and actively learn how to apply them!
1. Admit that God Doesn’t Want You to Worry!
Don’t worry about anything!
I had to finally stop excusing my worry and anxiety as just being part of who I am and admit that it is wrong – because it is not God’s will for me. And the truth is … it’s not God’s will for you either.
So, join me in confessing worry and anxiety and stand in agreement with the truth of God’s Word. He wants so much more us.
Write the Word on post-it notes and stick them on your bathroom mirror, your dashboard, and inside your planner. Read the Bible every day to begin and end each day implanting God’s promises in your heart and mind.
2. Pray and Ask God to Help You.
Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.
When God asks something of us . . . He will help to make it possible.
So, when you and I start to worry, He wants us to stop, identify it as a problem and pray.
My Prayer Plan…
- I admit that God doesn’t want me to worry about this problem.
- I tell God why I’m worried.
- I surrender the problem to Him and ask Him to help me carry it.
- And then I express that I know the Lord is able to help me face this situation, that I trust His love and know that He is with me. I ask Him to guide me to do what He wants me to do and help me to wait on Him.
3. Thank God for His Past Provision.
Thank Him for all He has done.
When I remember all that God has done in the past and thank Him for His help and provision, I can usually stop and say … “God, You have gotten us through more difficult situations than this one. I know I can trust You to help us live through this one as well.”
I can trust Him to keep His promises today because He has always kept them in the past.
Promises like this one…
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
4. Change Your Thoughts
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
When I want to change my thinking, I have to change what I’m doing.
I call a friend, take a walk, get a snack, play with our puppy, read a book, turn on some music or a classic movie, or exercise. I do something that will help me focus my thoughts on what God says is true, honorable, right, pure, etc. Things that will help me remember that I am a loved child of the God of the universe who has promised to never leave me or forsake. Whatever He allows … He will help me endure.
That has always been true in the past and I believe it will always be true in the future!
5. Bring Your Worry and Anxiety into the Light.
Talk to a friend, a counselor, or your doctor.
Too often our worries and anxieties reveal themselves in the middle of the night. We toss and turn fretting over things we can do nothing about.
I’m learning to take those dark hour thoughts and replace them with God’s truth. I praise God from A to Z. I repeat verses I’ve memorized. And I turn to Him in prayer.
The problem was that once I’d gotten through the night, I’d get busy and rush around trying to ignore my feelings until sleep evaded me again.
Nighttime anxiety loses some of its power after it’s been brought into the light through a helpful hopeful conversation. So, talk with someone who has previously experienced what you’re going through or with a professional who has been trained to help those who are emotionally drained from worry and anxiety. Don’t try to do this alone.
God is with you and He has put people around you to help.
I love this verse. I’m writing it down and keeping it close…
The Lord is the One Who goes before you. He will be with you. He will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone. Do not be afraid or troubled.
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NCV)
One of our greatest blessings is God’s promise to never leave His children alone and afraid!
He will give us everything we need to live one day at a time free of worry and anxiety and that’s a great reason to give Him glory!
When worries come my way, I’ve learned to turn to God in prayer. It is so freeing! Yes, at times, the concerns and anxieties try to creep back in, so I simple repeat the process. Great advice for all of us, Deb!
Blessings!
Amen, Martha! Giving things to Him more quickly is the best way to free my heart and mind of worry. What an awesome God we have that He willingly helps us carry those things that worry us. Blessings, my friend!
I love how you explained changing your thoughts you need to change what you’re doing by focusing on God. This is so true and helpful for me! With so much worry and anxiety in the world, these are great steps to redirect us back to God and His promises for you. Thank you!
Deb, Loved this from your article above: “The problem was that once I’d gotten through the night, I’d get busy and rush around trying to ignore my feelings until sleep evaded me again.
Nighttime anxiety loses some of its power after it’s been brought into the light through a helpful hopeful conversation.” So true! I ignored my feelings, too, and found that opening up and talking finally gave me a breakthrough. Loved this article as always. Thank you for the verses and the encouragement to take it to God in prayer – and talk about it too!
Thank you so much, Leslie! I think I added to my worry and mind-spinning because I wasn’t willing to talk about my concerns. Having a kind counselor and surrendering it all to the Perfect Counselor has helped me so much! Thankfully with God’s help, I’m getting better and giving things to Him more quickly and talking about them more openly. I am blessed by your kind encouragement. God bless you!
You’ve always struck me as such a positive and upbeat person, Deb, that it’s hard for me to think of you ever struggling with anxiety and depression. God’s word surely has helped to anchor you in His peace and love! Your life and blog give testimony to that shift and power! Thanks so much for this! Pinning!
Oh, Beth, I used to have to fake my upbeat positivity … by God’s grace, I now consider it a tremendous gift of His grace. There are still plenty of things to be anxious about but the Lord is so faithful and kind to help me carry them. I sure do appreciate your encouragement. Blessings, my friend!
Happy Monday! hi, Ms. Deb, just wanna let you know how much I LOVE reading all your post…They highly inspire me to be a much better person and take much courage to conquer my day to day challenges.
May God Bless you always in all your works…Thank You!
Thank you so much, Eva! Your encouragement is truly a blessing!
Hello Deb! Thank you for your meaning-filled blog about Faith in God and his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. I posted a prayer request and heard that at least 3 people had prayed for me. I was having a breast biopsy today (2-17-20) and everything went so well because I know that God was with me, as always. I will hear my biopsy results on 2-20-20. I know that no matter what the outcome is, I will be in God’s care and for me that is comfort and assurance that I will always be watched over by God and held in his loving hands. I am not worried because my trust is truly in him.
Oh, Ann, I’m so glad to hear that you are doing well and that you received kindness as you went through this procedure. We will continue to pray for a good report later this week. God be with you!
Deb, I just love reading your posts. You have been gifted to express yourself in a way that really resonates with me. I have to admit that worry and anxiety often chase me down and, often, I let those thoughts consume me. I am learning, though, to take my anxious thoughts, give them to God and allow him to help me with them. Thank you so much for your insights.
Thank you so much, Rosemary! I think we are all in the process of learning to trust God in every situation. I am so thankful for His patience with me and for the countless times He has shown me that He will indeed give me everything I need when I entrust my cares to Him. God bless you!
Excellent, something I will refer to often! Thanks you for sharing.
Thank you so much, Joyce! Your encouragement blesses me.
Hello Deb! This post is fabulous! Turning everything over to God in prayer…so freeing this is I know. I am about to become a grandmother soon. Our daughter and her husband live a couple of hours away. They are due to have a baby boy on Feb. 22. I want us to be more connected. I feel I am not needed. She is an only child…well, lots going on but nothing going on. It’s very odd. I am not working…have time on my hands…a spouse who is compromised somewhat, a mother-in-law who lives alone but should not be alone, a sister-in-law who is going through radiation treatment for breast cancer (after having a double mastectomy and chemo), a twin who is my dearest friend and comrade…again, thank you so much! Fix my thoughts, the Lord implores me to do, on all that is true, honorable, right, etc.
That’s a list of things that could certainly cause worry and anxiety. I am so thankful that we can take everything to God. One of my favorite verses is Jesus saying, “Come to me all who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” He promises to help us carry our burdens and I am always humbled by the things He has helped us carry. I’m praying for your family and can’t wait to hear that your grandson has arrived. Thanks so much for visiting and for your kind encouragement. God bless you!