You can listen to this post here on Refresh Her podcast.
I had a young woman reach out to me recently with this request – She said:
I have been struggling with anxiety over current events recently. It is so hard as a Christian because my God has been so faithful in taking care of me, but in my weakness, I am still fearful. Do you have any advice or favorite go-to Bible verses or songs that you would recommend?
I’m fairly certain that MANY or most of us could concur that this is a very prevalent truth in each of our lives. I don’t even need to list for you the reasons we could be fearful – we all have personal scenarios and situations that pop up daily that threaten to steal our peace, that could cause us to feel like we’re drowning in our own anxiety.
So what do we do when we feel that fear rising and overwhelming us?
I want to share a little bit of what I shared with my friend. It’s not that I’ve mastered all my fears, but I have received such comfort and help from the Lord, and that is the only thing that I have to give to you.
- We must be taking in large doses of God’s Word. We must read it not just to inform us; it must INFLAME us. It’s not enough to know that David ran from Saul and God kept him safe and he became the next king.
To be inflamed in our hearts means that it bursts with warmth to comfort us in our minds and hearts. I read in Psalm 37 that David said, Fret not because of evil doers, for they’re going to be cut down like the grass. I must not be envious against the workers of iniquity – for they will wither like the green herb. My heart is warmed when I’m reminded that God sees what the wicked are doing, and He will take care of them.
I have recently done a 40 day study in the psalms. We usually call God’s Word ointment, but I’d have to say as I studied, it was like gasoline – it caused the fire in my heart to be ignited even more. I saw that David also had fears, but the Lord intervened for him and also gave him courage and wisdom.
My fears should drive me to the Word,
then the Word will drive the fears from me!
- Limit media. Limit the amount of media you’re listening to to a very minimal amount. Garbage in, garbage out. We need Truth. To put it kindly, media is often not completely true.
If you’ve ever played Tether ball, you know that a ball is attached by a long rope to a pole. If it wasn’t attached, the ball would go flying off (like volleyball!). It has be connected to the strong pole so the plan of the game can be played. In a similar way, we cannot tether our minds to thoughts that are telling us words that constantly change. God’s Word is unchanging. It must be the firm foundation on which we stand.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isa 40:8
- Rehearse God’s attributes. Keep a list as you read Scripture. Remind Yourself of how great God is!! Being omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, faithful, merciful, holy, loving, good…makes Him a God Who can do ANYTHING. “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.“
- Train your thoughts – In those moments that your hands can be busy (washing dishes, drying your hair), be meditating on Scripture or singing, Turn on encouraging music that will point your heart towards Christ! Listen to a biblical podcast that will keep your thoughts on a train track of truth!
If you want to get rid of the fear that is crippling you, following these simple four principles can get your thoughts on the track that will free you from anxiety!
Refresh your thoughts with truth,
RefreshHer 