Anxiety is very common…more than 3 million US cases per year, but what exactly is anxiety and how can one overcome it?
Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate threat, whereas anxiety is the expectation of future threat.
Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. For a person with anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time.
Here are 12 signs you may have an anxiety disorder:
- Excessive worry
- Sleep problems
- Irrational fears
- Muscle tension
- Chronic indigestion
- Stage fright
- Self-consciousness
- Panic
- Flashbacks
- Perfectionism
- Compulsive behaviors
- Self-doubt
Anxiety is forbidden in God’s Word!
Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. I Peter 5:7 Amplified Bible
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6 Amplified Bible
Wikipedia defines anxiety as a feeling of fear, uneasiness and worry. It further defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints, and rumination (compulsively focused attention on the symptoms of one’s distress and on its possible causes and consequences, as opposed to solutions.)
The Bible tells us not to worry or have anxiety about anything and tells us what to do.
The answer to every problem is always found in the pages of God’s Word!
How do you overcome anxiety?
By casting every little concern, worry and care over on Jesus, because He cares about you!
The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 not to worry about anything, but in every circumstance and in every situation we should take our concerns to God in prayer. We should tell Him specifically what is bothering us and leave it with God. We should then rise from prayer in assurance that it is already settled by thanking Him for the answer.
The solution for anxiety is keeping your mind on God!
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3 KJV
Anxiety is simply experiencing worry, concern, uneasiness, fear, dread, being troubled and distressed because a person is thinking about something that could happen but has not happened. People experience anxiety when they are compulsively focused on possible causes and consequences instead of focusing on the solution…Jesus Christ!
The Bible says in Isaiah 26:3, He will keep us in perfect peace if we keep our thoughts on Him and trust in the One who can handle any situation that might possibly come our way.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, thing on these things. Philippians 4:8 KJV
What are you thinking about? What thoughts consume your mind? What do you meditate on when driving to work?
If they are negative thoughts start thinking positive thoughts. You might ask, is it really that easy? Yes, it is really that easy!
Meditate on the scripture of God’s Word, His goodness, the blessings in your life. Be thankful. Start thinking of all the positives in your life…your family, your health and that you even have a job!
The only way to get rid of a negative, is to replace it with a positive.
I used to love reading the newspaper. We had it delivered to our front door for years, until one day it dawned on me that after reading it, I would be depressed from all the bad news. I told my husband that day, I was calling and cancelling our subscription. I was paying to be depressed. I felt much better mentally when I stopped reading all the garbage going on in the world.
Now, I know bad things are still going on, I don’t have my head stuck in the sand, but I refuse to dwell on the negatives. I simply refuse to worry! You and I worrying all day long will not change our circumstances, but it will change our state of mind and our health. Refuse to worry. Worry is useless, meditating on God’s word is invaluable!
I want to read God’s Word and what He says. I want to meditate on His words, because His words give life. His Word builds my faith and help me to see the good instead of the bad. His Word also tells me what to do about the bad things happening to me. For example, if someone were to mistreat me, I’m to forgive them, then and there, whether I feel like it or not.
I choose to believe God’s Word and be obedient to Him. We have a choice to believe or not to believe.
I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live. Deuteronomy 30:19 Amplified Bible
We have a choice…we can choose life or death, blessings or curses.
The next time you’re feeling down and depressed, I challenge you to think about what you’re thinking about. Sounds foolish? Just try it. I can almost guarantee you, it will be negative thoughts. Change your negative thinking to positive thinking and your feelings will change. Just try this experiment the next time your feeling low.
Jesus came to give us abundant life…not just life…but a good life!
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 KJV
Jesus wants us to live the good life. He wants us to enjoy life and not be burdened down and depressed.
I challenge you to start listening to the Bible on CD’s on the way to work, or praise and worship music instead of the world news and you’ll go bouncing into the work place full of joy. You can overcome anxiety!
The Voice
The Voice Of One Crying From Cyber Space 