January 14, 2024
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25.(ESV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6. (ESV)
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. (ESV)
“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25. (ESV)
“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” John 14:27 (NRSV)
Have you ever heard someone say that Christians should not have anxiety, or that anxiety is a sin?
Over the past week or so I have focused on the topic of ANXIETY in my Group Ministry Page on Facebook “Spiritual & Emotional Healing For Women of Faith.” After working for over 20 years in various areas of psychiatric nursing and clinical coordination of psychiatric services, and later becoming a certified Biblical Counselor, I have witnessed and come to understand the detrimental results of unresolved issues of the heart, in the family, church, and society.
It has become my passion to learn and share as much of my professional experience and information that is often misunderstood or ignored, and the results have caused much pain, suffering, and dysfunction in every area of society and yes including the church! I venture to say, many times, issues of the heart, are ignored, suppressed, and “swept under the rug” which is an idiomatic expression that is used to describe a situation where certain information, issues, problems, or problems that are deliberately concealed, ignored, or hidden and not dealt with.
I often hear the phrase “I am too blessed to be stressed” and I would agree, however, because we are an imperfect people living in a fallen world, and living in a fast-paced and unpredictable world we will encounter, moments of anxiety which may become a much to familiar companion. Whether concerned about the future, the stress of daily responsibilities, or the weight of past regrets, we will experience moments of restlessness, mistrust, nervousness, misery, and a disquieted spirit because we are human. The operative word here is moments!
Life happens and gives us so many thoughts and reasons to be anxious. The state of our political world, crime, natural catastrophes, the constant threat, and ongoing state of COVID or other unknown health concerns, toxic and broken relationships, and financial instability. Not to mention our day-to-day living filled with concerns about school-life, work-life, home-life, appointments, tests, deadlines, and the many other pressures of life. 
Yes, I venture to say, that Christians get stressed and have moments of anxiety, and it has nothing to do with your faith or that you are a weak Christian.
Again, yes, Christians and non-Christians, experience to some degree moments of anxiety. The Word of God, the Scriptures, are full of examples that illustrate anxiety and distress are part of the human experience! Let’s go to the Word of God and take a look at some well-known biblical characters who had strong faith and encountered challenging circumstances and experienced and struggled with anxiety. However, they turned to God in their moments of anxiety, seeking His guidance and comfort.
Here Are a Few Significant Examples:
King David: Although King David, was known for his bravery and leadership, he experienced moments of anxiety and fear. Psalm 6 and Psalm 38 are just 2 of the many Psalms attributed to him that reflect his emotional struggles, where he cries out to God in distress.
Elijah: The prophet Elijah had a moment of severe anxiety and depression. After his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he fled from Queen Jezebel’s threats and sought refuge in the wilderness, where he asked God to take his life. However, God provided him with comfort and sustenance.
Jonah: Jonah is a well-known story of a prophet who was sent to Nineveh, and he experienced anxiety, and fear when he tried to escape God’s command by boarding a ship heading in the opposite direction. During a storm at sea, Jonah’s anxiety grew, and he was eventually thrown overboard, leading to his famous encounter with a great fish.
Job: Here is a man who was called a righteous man, who endured immense suffering and anxiety. He faced immense loss: his wealth, his health, and his family, which led him to question God’s purposes and wrestle with deep existential anxiety. His story is penned in the Book of Job.
Moses: In Exodus chapter 4 Moses as a great leader experienced moments of anxiety and doubt. He expressed anxiety about his ability to speak before Pharaoh and lead the Israelites. God reassured him and provided his brother Aaron as a spokesperson.
From a medical and scientific perspective, anxiety can sometimes be a healthy emotion that saves our lives, as well as an unhealthy emotion that produces a host of negative unwanted physical and emotional effects. Again, let’s go to the Word of God!
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul penned, “I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (ESV)
Paul was writing to the church at Corinth in this passage on the topic of marriage and the benefits of staying single versus getting married. He says a single person can be anxious about the things of God and focus solely on what pleases Him and living a godly life. While a married person by nature will have divided interests as they will be anxious about how to please their spouse, as well as God.
This type of anxiety or concern is an example of the healthy kind of anxiety, as Scripture does teach us to be concerned about the affairs of our households noted in Ephesians 5:24-26, and Colossians 3:18-20. In this case, anxiety isn’t a sinful fear but a deep, proper concern. We will and oftentimes should exhibit some anxiousness or anxiety when it comes to the well-being of our spouse, children, and family.
Proverbs 12:25 is an example of Unhealthy Anxiety: “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25 ESV
This verse shows us that anxiety can indeed be a significant negative force in our lives, to the point that it weighs our heart and mind down. Have you ever felt so anxious that you believed your situation was completely hopeless? Or so worried about something that you felt the crushing weight of despair that led to a full-blown anxiety attack?
That is literally how anxiety can affect us. We can be grateful that this same Scripture teaches that a good word of encouragement can help to dispel anxiety. It is important to remember that we experience the effects of the fall of man daily, which is the spiritual root of anxiety for everyone. No matter who you are and regardless of your individual triggers that you may have, ANXIETY! It is a very real and natural emotion that we exhibit as the result of our sinful nature, which is corrupted with unbelief in our hearts/minds.
So, is anxiety real? Yes. Can a Christian struggle with anxiety? Absolutely Yes!
We can become anxious, and anxiety can grip our hearts and minds, making it a challenge to find peace and solace often. But there is hope in navigating the turbulent waters of anxiety. The operative word here is moments! As Believers in Christ, we don’t have to stay in that place of being anxious, we have the Spirit of Christ which is our Comforter and Helper in times of distress. We can look into the Scriptures, to seek wisdom and comfort, and discover practical ways to cope with anxiety while drawing closer to God.
Let’s GO TO GOD ABOUT OUR ANXIETY!
Let’s view the anxious heart and find insights, encouragement, and biblical guidance to help us. So, how does God want us to deal with our anxiety as Christians?
- He wants us to go to Him about it!
God knew that we would have impossible burdens to carry, as we cannot attain true rest or peace in this life on our own. Rest for our hearts/minds is ONLY found in Jesus, and as Christians, we have that rest already! He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
We must keep on coming to Him daily to enjoy the ongoing benefits of the rest that God provides. And we do that by going to Him with our anxieties, leaning on His Word, and learning to trust in Him. And we are to do so from a heart posture of humility that recognizes that God is both sovereign and good.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV
The Bible never promises that bad things won’t happen to us in this life. In fact, there are times when God allows difficult situations and circumstances to teach us to depend on Him and to remind us that He cares for us. As Christians, we have the privilege of being able to go to God and give Him every one of our anxieties as they arise.
This is not about pretending that things don’t affect or hurt us. Rather, it’s about learning how to run to God when hardships and trials happen. It’s going to God and telling him exactly how you feel, presenting your frustrations, fears, confusion, and sadness to Him. It’s about being honest with God about your emotions and asking Him to help us just like our bible heroes did.
Paul wrote to the Philippian church after experiencing his own anxiety. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV. When Paul wrote this letter, he was imprisoned in Rome for preaching the gospel which added another layer of appreciation for his words. He gave his anxieties to God. What a turnaround from the anxious thoughts about despairing of life that Paul had in the verses we looked at earlier! And the fact that
- Do not attempt to handle your problems on your own, seeking help from everyone but God, or by trying to numb your pain and anxieties with alcohol, drugs, sex, social media, the internet, TV, gambling, etc.
God doesn’t want us to allow anything to disrupt the rest, joy, and peace He has given us. Instead of worrying, being anxious, and pursuing our own means of resolution, God wants us to learn to pray and seek Him more. Staying anxious and constantly worrying NEVER resolves anything. And oftentimes, there is actually very little we can do to help our situations anyway, so why not just surrender it to God He says we can approach His throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Matthew 6:25-34-, says “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ESV
- Placing your focus on Christ’s kingdom helps us to take our eyes off our own troubles and circumstances, which are often the source of our anxieties. This does not mean that we should ignore our troubles as if they didn’t exist, but it does mean that shifting our focus can help keep us from being anxious and worrying about them.
There is no one who, when faced with some new problem, obstacle, difficulty, threat, or danger, will never have anxiety pop up in their life. And we don’t have to feel shame when we can’t quiet our anxieties on our own. We were never meant to handle them alone!
We can’t prevent anxious thoughts from entering our minds, but we can practice the right response when they do. In fact, since we have the mind of Christ, we are equipped to fight against ALL mental and emotional strongholds (i.e. anxiety, depression, doubt, fear, sadness, loneliness, worry, stress, frustration, etc. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV
The godly opposite of anxiety is peace and contentment rooted in trust in God’s Word. And that is what God wants for us! Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 NIV
HEART
CHALLENGE: If we as honest, we can’t avoid anxiety, however, anxiety should not become a sin. In and of itself, anxiety is not a sin, nor is it a lack of faith. As previously noted, anxiety can be an important emotional and necessary response in some instances. Like anger in the Word of God, anxiety can become sinful depending upon what we do with it when it arises. The reality is that oftentimes, we don’t go to God about our anxieties. In fact, if we are being honest, sometimes we choose to sit in our anxiety, letting it fester and grow. Then we seek help or comfort from everyone and everything but God. A Kairos Moment
When we don’t handle our anxiety or anxious heart the way Scripture tells us to, that is when it becomes a sin! When we find ourselves failing to include God in the equation by NOT talking to Him about our issues and even refusing to trust Him, that is sinful anxiety.
So, is anxiety a sin, or a lack of faith? Anytime we get so anxious and worked up about something or someone, to the point that we literally forget, refuse, or choose not to go to God about it, then YES that is when anxiety becomes a sin. And leaving God out of the equation is indicative of a lack of faith in God as well. We can go a step further to say that when we refuse to go to Him with our anxieties, He will see to it that we don’t get the rest and peace we are looking for.
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Hebrews 12:5-6. NIV
God won’t reward us for trying to figure out life on our own, apart from Him. In fact, sometimes He may increase our anxiety for failure to obey His Word and trust in Him. A good example is found in the Old Testament where God laid out blessings for the nation of Israel for the obedience to the law, and curses for their disobedience. Part of those curses included giving them an anxious mind and terrified hearts in Deuteronomy 28:64-67
“Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. Among those nations, you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.” NIV
Jesus made it clear in the passage we looked at from Matthew chapter 6 that certain worries or anxieties of life are the things that should be troubling for non-Christians, but not for us! Matthew 6:32. Choosing to stay anxious, leaving God out, and pursuing other means is pointless, and brings no resolve for us whatsoever.
AN NEW
HEART: ANXIETY is a real emotion, that everyone experiences to some degree, but God is Bigger! He can be trusted with our anxieties, and He will take care of us. It exists due to the existence of sin in the fallen world we live in and can be exhibited in both healthy and unhealthy ways. God knows all this and cares about our mental health. And because He does not want His children living in a continuous state of anxiety, He commands us to come to Him with our anxieties when they arise. When we do so, we will find rest for our anxious minds that only He can provide.
NOTE: Speaking as a medical professional, this does NOT mean that there is no place for therapy or medication when it comes to dealing with anxiety. Whether we experience general anxiety, or if we are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, God should ALWAYS be a key part of our coping and healing process! Period. He is still a healer and miracle worker. To rely exclusively on any and everything else (therapy, medication, and other resources), while disregarding God from the process altogether, is not only detrimental for us as Christians, but it’s also sinful!
FATHER GOD, Thank You for Your Word that provides us with clear instructions on how to bring our anxieties to You and not wear ourselves out trying to fight through the anxieties of life on our own. Thank You Father for the precious Gift of Prayer, in the Precious, Powerful, and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen