Scriptures: Matthew 6:25-34, Proverbs 19:21, John 14:27, Jeremiah 10:23

Recognizing the Stronghold

For years, it would baffle me when a friend would mention that their ‘anxiety would flare up’ in certain social situations. To me, it meant that they would perhaps feel nervous around people, or that they’d get a feeling of uncomfortability that would probably pass after a few minutes. The verbage was something I struggled to identify with, mainly because I didn’t realize that their language of ‘anxiety flaring up’ was my definition of being ‘stressed out.’ Our language was different, but the feeling was the same.

As I engaged more in conversation, I realized that my friend’s problems I would’ve previously said, “This’ll pass!” to were actually feelings I struggled with myself. I just had little awareness and even fewer tools to overcome. Anxiety, at its’ core, most often refers to an incessant worry or apprehension about what is to come. It’s a fear that surrounds uncertain possibilities or outcomes and affects the way we think and behave. We’ve all experienced that inexplicable and overwhelming feeling of dread in the pit of our stomach; a feeling that we can’t seem to shake off no matter how hard we try. We simply overthink, imagine the worst possible scenarios, and suffer at the hands of those fictional thoughts. It cripples our overall happiness, and can impact our external relationships.

The first step in overcoming habitual anxiety is to have awareness that it exists as a stronghold in your life. I can hear many of you saying, ‘That’s a no brainer for me!’ behind your screens. You get it, but verbalizing that its’ a stronghold is acknowledging to yourself and to God that it’s not welcome in your life. Sometimes we just assume that it is a natural response to any new, overwhelming, or unusual circumstance. While this may be true for you now, it does not have to remain this way. It does not have to be a way of life. Recognizing anxiety as bondage is the most crucial step in living a life of freedom and liberation.

Once we’ve identified this, what comes next? This form of fear can not possibly be our holy portion as believers. Nonetheless, in the Word of God, we see relatable characters personified. It’s not the stories of perfect and exemplary men and women who achieved great things, but rather the stories of flawed, ordinary individuals who went on to accomplish extraordinary feats because they chose to depend on God rather than their own strength. God uses people like them, and even stumbling and broken people like us, to show that He alone can turn things around. Experiencing anxiety is not abnormal, but how we respond to it is a choice; a choice to practice dependence on the Lord. With time and repetition, that route becomes second nature and our character reflects His; the Prince of Peace.

Reflection

You may be reading this plan because you’ve noticed a pattern of anxiety in your life already; after all, we all deal with stress unless we’re living in a bubble and have no contact with the outside world. Write down a few ways that you know when you’re anxious. How do your body and mind usually respond? Acknowledge these feelings to the Lord, and ask Him for His perspective.

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:6, Psalms 55:22

Why am I Anxious?

Another important aspect of dealing with anxiety is recognizing the root cause of it. What is the source of your worry? What causes you to turn into a bundle of nerves at the smallest hint of a problem? While this varies from person to person, the biggest cause of anxiety for me was not being in control. What I mean by that is simply that I was not able to control the sequence or outcome of a situation. When I felt like the situation was slipping out of my control and was unfolding differently than I had envisioned, I started panicking. While I knew that worrying would not help the situation in any way, I still did it because my mind had been trained to ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ instead of trust. Trust is a learned experience laced in faith.

The Israelites, as we know, struggled all throughout their journey to the promised land. They worried. They complained. They grumbled. Was it because they lacked something? Absolutely not! God performed wondrous miracles in their midst every single day, thus taking care of all their needs and supernaturally providing for them. But because they chose to focus on their problems, worries, and compared their present reality to the positive aspects of their former lives in Egypt, their perspective was skewed. Instead of being grateful for the blessing of today, they were fearful about the uncertainty of tomorrow. They had to learn to trust in God’s process, and that his purpose was not to get them to the promised land in mere physicality, but mentally and spiritually as well. In the same way, learn to trust and lean on His process. Freedom from anxiety is at your fingertips, and He is your ever present help in trouble.

Reflection

Take some time out to identify the reason(s) for your anxiety. It may be an unaddressed sin, a guilty conscience, feeling insufficient or insecure, a deep rooted and exaggerated fear or, as in my case, a sense of not being in control. If you are like me, you’ll soon come to realize that not being in control may just be a blessing in disguise. While it took immense effort and a lot of time for me to hand the reins back to God, it was the most rewarding and liberating experience because the burden was no longer mine.

Let’s dig deep into your memory banks for a time as a child where you experienced anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. Now, in that scene, imagine Jesus walking in. How is he responding to your stress?

In recent events, what has caused you to worry? What has caused you to lose your peace? Even on this day, how is Jesus responding to your stress?

Scriptures: Psalms 46:10, Philippians 4:6, Mark 4:35-41, Psalms 34:17

Power of Prayer

Once anxiety takes hold, it slowly tightens its grip; clawing to a point of mental and physical exhaustion. Despair sets in, and somehow intensifies as we dwell. Perhaps anxiety is not merely the lack of air we feel in that moment of desperation, but the lack of hope. What’s difficult is moving from a place of habitual anxiety to a place of habitual invitation towards the Prince of Peace to enter in; especially in the raw of our most exposing meltdowns. When we recognize the need to run to God in these vulnerable moments, and then do so, we are building a muscle of dependence on Him. No matter how weak of a ‘yes’ it is to lean in to Him, it’s still a ‘yes.’ Your small prayer is a welcome mat.

Once the welcome mat is laid, watch what He does. Though the prayer may not be elaborate in dialogue or ornate with long and regal verbiage, it still moves His heart. It shows Him that you desire conversation with your Father. While God already knows every little detail of your life, the conversation is important because it comes from a place of surrender. The focus naturally shifts from worry back to God as you come in weakness to seek His strength. Everything else just becomes far less important compared to the assurance that God gives you.

This is exactly what the disciples experienced in the midst of the storm. As long as their attention and focus were riveted by the storm around them, they failed to recognize the power and authority so near; a power that came from the man asleep on their boat. Jesus attributed their fear and worry to a lack of faith and to a lack of trust in His provision and plan. Sometimes our biggest breakthroughs may not come from a place of deliverance or a miracle, but rather in the midst of the storm itself. When Jesus stepped in, the disciples immediately recognized who He truly was. Even the wind and the waves obeyed Him.

In like manner, the wind and waves of your life must obey. He’s done it before and He’ll do it again, especially as you trust in the power of His name and the command of His voice. Surrendering to Him is an act of faith; a declaration that He is Lord over wind and waves; the calmer of your storms. In a moment of surrender, He simply says “Be still and know that I am God.”

Reflection

Take a moment to lay out a welcome mat and invite the Prince of Peace to give you His perspective on your storm. Ask Jesus for grace to walk in greater levels of trust with Him.

Scriptures: Exodus 3:4, Psalms 37:8-9, Proverbs 20:24, Proverbs 12:25

A Posture of Worship

The bondage of anxiety has the potential to keep us from maneuvering into the plans and purposes of God. Your soul is cherished by God, and you would not be here unless the Lord had much to display in and through your life in your unique sphere of influence. To agree with a life of habitual fear is to agree with a life void of faith. God always responds to faith, so choosing to trust Him paves the way for the miraculous. One way to position our hearts for this kind of faith that overcomes fear is through a posture of worship.

In hindsight to the days of Moses, we can see that he was purposed for great things. Early on, after the killing of an Egyptian man, Moses assumed a posture of disqualification. At the onset, his grave mistake seemed unforgivable, and the shame of his actions drove him into the wilderness. It took years before he finally encountered God again. Even when the plans for his life were revealed, the great responsibility seemed too much to bear. His mind had not shifted, so lingering and persistent fears from his past came back to haunt him. He was focused more on his shortcomings and the possibility of failure than the God who chose him for the task. Because of this, time and time again, we see God reassuring Moses that the task was not his to complete alone. The feat was a master plan of the Mastermind Deliverer who uses human vessels to carry out His purposes.

Now you best believe that the posture of disqualification is easy to stay frozen in. Reminders of your past, insecurities, and doubts can sometimes be constant, but once you give in to God’s reassurances, like Moses eventually did, know that it’s His plan that takes over. However disqualified you feel, God can have His way when you display a heart that is yielded to His delivering strategy. When we position our hearts in worship rather than disqualification, we are telling God that we are in agreement with His purposes. It’s His master plan, not ours, and His goal is deliverance.

So, how do we shift to a posture of worship? My encouragement to you would be to do what has worked in the past. Is it memorizing scriptures on God’s faithfulness? Is it turning on a song about how Christ is your deliverer? Is it journaling about your fears and making them a topic of discussion with Jesus? Even surrounding yourself with a prayerful community who shakes you out of a ‘posture of disqualification’ can change everything. Approaching Jesus today with a posture of worship makes you a conduit for miraculous deliverance.

Reflection

How can you relate to the feelings that Moses might have been going through before he came out of the land of Midian? What is your favorite way to take a ‘posture of worship’? How do you plan to worship God this week?

Scriptures: Romans 12:2, Acts 16:16-40, 1 Corinthians 7:32, Psalms 28:6-9

Stepping into Freedom

Some of us have been struggling with anxiety for so long that we no longer feel the need to overcome it. It simply becomes a part of our lives; a menace which, although bothersome, we have somehow grown comfortable with. Maybe you’ve stopped believing that you can be used by God. But in that moment of sheer despair, will you allow yourself to be freed? Will you take that step of faith towards God and be open to His work in your life? 

Most people don’t realize that while continuing to live in this bondage, they are compromising on a life of fullness and freedom that God intended for them to enjoy. Maybe the breakthrough at the end of the tunnel is not just for you, but for those around you. The more you dwell on your fears, the more you are enslaved by them. But when you use prayer and worship as your weapons, the spiritual strongholds that have held you captive are pulled down. You may not feel anything change physically or instantly, but as you begin to pray and worship and just delve into the presence of God, you come to the end of yourself. In that place of brokenness and surrender, God takes charge of your life. 

Both worship and prayer come from a place of submission and declaration that God is bigger and greater than anything else in your life. While Paul and Silas could have chosen to resent God and be bitter in the face of their predicament, they chose to worship God through the pain, persecution, and uncertainty. Their worship came from a place of joy and gratitude; a joy that can only be birthed in your heart by a revelation of who God is. That’s what helped these men brave every storm that came their way. That’s what helped them look past their pain and hurt and just burst out in exuberant and powerful worship. The joy of the Lord is our strength! 

Oftentimes, our first response to a stressful situation is that of fear and anxiety. That is the nature we were born with, but not the nature we were reborn with. Paul says in the book of Romans, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The renewal of mind is a process orchestrated by the Holy Spirit as we yield to Christ’s teachings. He will empower us and help us respond with faith over fear and lead the life of victory that we are called to live. 

Reflection

How has Christ been renewing your mind so far when it comes to the topic of anxiety? Write down three truths that you’ve learned so far, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you greater understanding of these truths. Freedom dwells within you, and His name is the Spirit of Christ.

Scriptures: Matthew 10:19-20, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Isaiah 35:4, Psalms 1:1-3

Staying Your Mind on Him

The presence of God is a place of comfort and reassurance, a place that builds up the broken and uplifts the weary, and a place of overflowing joy and perfect peace. His presence can’t be our last resort in times of trouble, but our first home in every situation. As children of God, we dwell in that place, living our life in union with God and never apart from His presence. He indwells, and is the seal of our salvation. 

Living from this reality is easier said than done because our minds have yet to catch up in understanding of our immediate position in Christ at the moment we are saved. We try to deal with problems on our own, forgetting that He dwells within. This must be our way of trying to restore a sense of control and order when stressful situations come knocking down our peaceful sanctuary. When we take on the burden of anxiety without inviting His peace, things can seem to escalate rapidly. We sure do have a knack at making matters worse sometimes. Oftentimes, it’s only when we reach a point where there is nothing more we can do that we turn to God, knowing full well that we’re handing over an even bigger mess than we initially started off with. On the contrary, what if we could learn to live continually in the presence of God? 

The Bible asks us to meditate on the Word of God day and night. This means that the presence of God is not a magical circle that we step in and out of when trouble or misfortune lurks around, but a place of continual rest and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Word is living and the more we draw from it, the more it imparts life to our spirit and strength to face each new day. Every form of devotion begins with discipline. We don’t just wake up one day and find that it becomes an easy thing to do. And while it may be hard initially, like everything else in life, the grace to follow through with it comes from God. Staying your mind on the things of God and dwelling in His presence are disciplines that each of us must develop. Here we begin to hear the voice of God that leads and directs us into the perfect will that He has for us. Out of this obedience and communion with Him comes perfect peace and joy; the kind that has been dwelling within by His Spirit all along. 

We know that David was anointed by God to be the next King of Israel while Saul was still in power. Even after being marked as God’s anointed, David faced a lot of persecution and hatred from Saul. He spent loads of his time fleeing from place to place for fear of his life. Despite these harsh and uncertain seasons in his life, David continually leaned into the presence of God. He knew the will of God for his life, and drew wisdom and strength from this place of intimacy with the Lord. What gave him peace in the most hopeless times was the fact that he was chosen by God and nothing could separate him from the love of God. Staying our mind on Him is a sure recipe to hope, and even peace, through unexpected trials and tribulations. 

Reflection

How does the life of David encourage you to seek God in the midst of your trials? Do you have a favorite Psalm of David that brings encouragement, and why? Journal your thoughts to Jesus and thank Him for the indwelling Spirit that is a steady source of peace.

Scriptures: Psalms 94:19, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 8:38-39

Becoming Peace

When God asked Abraham to leave his land and his father’s household and follow Him into a new land, that was just the first of many steps that Abraham had to take in faith to reach the destiny that God had planned for him. Because of that one step of obedience, he went on to become the father of many nations; even paving the way for the birth of the Messiah several generations later, who is the Prince of Peace. 

As you honor the will of God and take these small but consequential steps in trusting His guidance, He’ll reveal swiftly that his yoke is indeed easy and his burden is light. Like Abraham, we begin to pave a way for the Prince of Peace. Every step we take in trusting Him reveals more of His character, and that in turn transforms our character. We become more like Him, and the gospel of peace treads in our every step. No longer do we leave a path of anxiety behind us, but become ministers of reconciliation. Being deeply touched by the peace of God, we exude it through our words, actions, and blessings towards others. We become the opposite of what we struggled with at first. Sometimes the people who struggle with anxiety the most become the hugest testimony and resemblance of the peace of God. He does that, He can do that, and He will do that through you. 

Does this mean that wherever we go will be void of hostility and anxiety? The answer is no. Jesus himself suffered hatred and persecution while on this earth and his believers can expect the same during their lifetime. His indwelling peace does not guarantee a problem-free existence, but rather the assurance of His ever-present peace that has the power to calm a storm. 

Reflection

There are undoubtedly moments where God has used your life to bring peace to a situation. As you get to walk with Him more, take note of these moments. Be encouraged that the Prince of Peace is more than willing to use you as a minister of His gospel of peace. Dream with Jesus for a moment on what it looks like for you to be a minister of reconciliation in your sphere of influence, and sketch down these thoughts as you chat with Him.