How can I overcome anxiety?

[dropcap]T[/dropcap] he company I work for attend conferences across America. Every time they get back from conferences they bring swag with them. One day we were asked to take whatever we like. My eyes were drawn to this small shiny toy. I have found this toy in every store I went to for a period of time. It was called a Fidget Spinner. To my curiosity, I got hold of it and yielded it a whirl to find out how it goes. I heard some asking, “are you stressed?”. In disarray, I replied “No”. It was my team manager. She then continued, “That was created for the people who have stress and it aids to handle stress”. I smiled and we continued our meeting. Later I was back to my desk, I researched on this gadget and found out that she was right about that. At least how it is promoted.

[one_half] The toy has been promoted as helping people who have trouble focusing or those who fidget by relieving nervous energy or psychological stress. There are claims that a fidget spinner can help calm people down who suffer from anxiety and other neurological disorders like ADHD and autism. However, as of May 2017, there is no scientific evidence that they are effective as a treatment for autism or ADHD. – Wikipedia

As I was reading about this, my thoughts went on to a known scripture text which talks exactly about the same.

[/one_half][one_half_last][quote]Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [/quote][/one_half_last]

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, v, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Emphasis added) Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

Jesus spoke so much about this in (Matt 6:25-34) assuring his promises yet commanding us not to worry,

25 “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? 26 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? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

While science gives you hints on how to deal with anxiety, like requiring a timeout, yoga, counting to 10 slowly, the Bible gives us the cure for anxiety that is by prayer. But does it actually work? The solution is simple and profound because of its source, Jesus Christ Our creator.

What does anxiety look like?

When things go well, we feel happy and when things don’t go well as expected we get nervous. John Piper says, Anxiety seems to be an intense desire for something, accompanied by a fear of the consequence of not receiving it. In another sense, we imagine the future in the worst possible way and we freak out about it. We can freak out about whom we marry, Will I ever have a perfect marriage as I always wanted or I don’t know what to do moment.

So what does Anxiety do to you?

1. It will only weigh you down. (Prov 12:25), you feel like you have the whole universe along your shoulders.
2. Anxiety makes you forget God’s promises.
3. Anxiety Kills Joy and Peace.

Tony Merida, explains it succinctly, Anxiety is a joy killer. Anxiety will also make you self-absorbed. When you’re consumed with your worries, you will be less likely to serve others wholeheartedly. Worry distracts you and keeps you from the mission. It also robs you of peace, which Paul says will fill the hearts of praying believers. All of these results in spiritual issues. There may also be physical results that display signs of anxiety. Here are just a handful of them: unusual mood swings, irritability, anger, sweating, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, exhaustion, nervous twitching, decreased concentration and memory, nausea, shortness of breath, hair loss, weight gain or loss, panic, indecisiveness, canker sores, muscle tension, insomnia, self-medicating, high blood pressure, eating comfort foods, and reckless driving.

How can we overcome the problem of anxiety?

We may be caving in many ideas including exercise, feeding well, obtaining adequate rest, taking deep breaths. While God blesses us with many pieces of evidence of His common grace through some of these means, we should start with what He said to us about the issue specifically in His word. In Matt 6:25-34, Jesus tells us three times, ‘Don’t worry’ and that tells us that it is important to note.

Here are the high spots of its passage Matt 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6-8 together as a reminder and how we should respond to this problem.

God supplies for birds and flowers; He will surely bring home the bacon for us (Matt 6: 26, 28-30). – HE IS SOVEREIGN
Worrying is pointless (Matt 6: 27, 34). – DON’T DO IT.
Worrying is a pagan practice, not a disciple’s practice (Matt 6: 31-32). (My Favorite)
God knows our needs more than we do (Matt 6: 32) – TRUST HIM
God will supply everything we require when we seek His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt 6: 33). –  ASK
Cast all of your cares on God who cares for you (Phil v4: 6-7) – BELIEVE
Fight anxiety with Faith in God’s Promises (Phil v4: 5-7, 19) – SOLUTION
In addition to Paul highlights the need to think of admirable things. Think about what’s true, not fictitious. Think about honorable, not dishonorable. Think about just, not unfair. Think about purity, not impurity. Think about being a blessing, not hostile. – ACT

Jesus never broke his promises and neither has he ignored the problems we confront. Rather, he offers a way to defeat it and he assures that he will be with us as we deal with this. Because he cares (1 Peter 5:7) for you.
Christ is our intercessor, problem solver, and the deliverer. Surrender your thought life to Jesus, and don’t allow it to drift into the gutter. The God who gives peace will be with you.