(I originally wrote this for our PD-Overcomers group.)
One thing we all have in common in this group is anxiety. In fact , if you have panic attacks you have extreme anxiety. Another thing we have in common is that most of us are Christians.
I’ve been asked many times if Christians should have anxiety. That is a really good question and one I’d like to attempt to answer. In order to do that we need to go to the Bible and see what God has to say on the subject.
I’ve read many books and articles, and listened to tapes on anxiety. I’ve read the secular along with Christian views. People say different things, but the one thing I know is that God’s Word is the authority and that is where we must start if we are going to get a handle on this dreadful malady.
Anxiety: What is it? Is it a feeling? Is it nervousness? Is it fear? Is it stress? Is it panic?
I believe it is all of those things in different degrees. Where does anxiety start? It starts in the mind.
Who has anxiety? Everyone at some time or other. Unbelievers and believers alike. In today’s world it seems everyone is anxious about something. Just look at the magazine covers in the grocery store. See how many times you see a title about anxiety or stress.
Or, listen to television news and see all the things going on in the world that make people anxious and fearful. If you listen to the talking heads too long you will certainly become stressful.
What does anxiety do to us? Anxiety effects us physically. It can make our blood pressure rise, it increases our heart rate, it makes our palms sweat, it makes us irritable, jittery, and nervous. It can lead to health problems like hypertension.
Anxiety makes us afraid. It is our enemy. Fear is our enemy and it is a liar. It tells us things that are not true and convinces us they are true. It upsets our life, hurts relationships, and hinders us from being all that God wants us to be. You can readily see why the enemy grins when he see us full of anxiety and fear. He has got us right where he wants us. We are like putty in his hands when we are full of fear. He is in control and takes us over. He pulls us along like a dog on a leash and never lets go of his grip. He gets us to think unhealthy thoughts that tear us down. He has a hay day with us. Fear is an ugly four letter word.
Where does fear come from? Well, way back in the Garden of Eden there was no fear. Everything was peaceful and tranquil until Satan, the serpent, came along and deceived Eve and she ate of the forbidden fruit. She disobeyed God and sin entered into the world, along with fear. If you remember, Adam and Eve hid out from God. What did they do that? They were afraid.
Gen 3:10 NASB He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
When sin entered the world, Adam’s conscience was opened and he was aware of things he never realized before. He lost his innocence. That was the beginning of fear and it continues today. It is part of the sin nature that we acquired as a result of the original sin.
Not all fear is sinful though. God has put in our hearts a certain kind of fear that protects us. It is the fear of stepping off a cliff. Wouldn’t you agree that is a good fear? Another good kind of fear is the fear of the Lord. It is the beginning of wisdom.
Psa 111:10a NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
Pro 1:7 NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Pro 9:10 NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Isa 33:6 NASB And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.
So you can see that the fear of the Lord is something we should treasure. We need to have the fear of the Lord in our hearts. Do you?
But, I’m not going to talk about those kinds of fear right now. I’m going to write about the debilitating kind of fear. The kind that ruins lives, marriages, careers, and families. That kind of fear has to be dealt with. Worry, fear, anxiety, nervousness, stress; they are all the same and do destructive work in our lives.
I fail to grasp the value of starting such an article, which some of us need so desperately at this very time, and then just stop and say, I’ll give you the rest later. How will I ever re find this site; and how will I know when you deign to give out with some more information?! What I have read seemed to be on target; and then, bam, that is the end of it. I am a believer; and I know in my heart that God is in total control of what ever happens, good, or otherwise; but I am fighting a tumor in the back of my brain, which has invaded my ear, and the nerves to my throat, and I am deaf of the left side now; and almost beyond being able to swallow at all; and my physical nerves and emotional conditions are approaching panic at times. I turned to the computer for some spiritual help, and its like you threw me a life preserver rope, but the rope is too short to reach me!This bundle of nerves growing out of control in my head, and among the nerves at the top of my spinal cord showed up on a head scan in 2008, when a doctor was trying to find out why my vocal chord suddenly paralyzed in the open position; and my swallowing began to stop as well. But if the doctor saw it, he didn’t credit it for what it is; and I only learned about in June of this year! It is now 3 times larger than it was then, and probably cannot be removed! All they can hope for is to try and shrink it enough that it won’t continue to affect my nerves so badly; but for every step we try to take forward toward a resolution, we take 2 or 3 backward. As an old Minister and Teacher who cannot preach or teach (because of the loss of my voice); and who is now having trouble with short term memory (due to the pressure on my brain) I greatly need a little encouragement from fellow believers, as well as from my Lord.
I am ashamed to have anxiety; and have reason to believe it is a part of a deliberate demonic attack; but for what ever reason, I can’t seem to gain control over the situation. Several people, who claim to be believers also, just simply imply that since it is sinful to have a lack of faith; that all I need to do is just believe, and it will all be fine. I feel like telling them to tell that to the poor sheep who had to shed their blood, and give their lives so that Adam’s sin could be covered; (and we still aren’t told if he had anxiety later or not!)
Well, I am wandering on and on to no purpose, I suppose. I’ll go look for some biblical and spiritual help elsewhere. It was a nice start; and I hope you might get it finished someday, for the sake of others who may have an immediate need of it as I have today. And I hope you’ll forgive me for any remarks which you might think were uncharitable or unkind. I am having a problem with my social graces of late; as well as my faith life. In spite of my whining, and complaining, I hope you will allow me to consider myself your servant in the hope of God’s grace in Christ and His finished work on the cross, and by His resurrection, on behalf of His elect people, Larry L. Burton
LikeLike
Hi Larry, I’m sorry that you were disappointed with the ending of my article “Should Christians be Anxious?” This article was written back in March of 2010, so it is hard for me to remember the details of what I was thinking at that time. I should have been more sensitive on how I ended it. But, I did follow up this article with two more in April of 2010 called, “Should Christians Worry?” Part 1 and Part 2. If you would like to read them you can do a search on my page for them. Or go here:
Also, if you click on the tab at the top of my blog that says, “Free E-Books,” you will see one called, “Fear of Fear.” This e-book is made from a five part series I did on that topic. If you are interested in reading it you can download it from my blog site. http://www.hatchcreek.com. In that book I talk about different kinds of fears and how to overcome them.
My heart really went out to you as I read your post. You certainly have gone through and are still going through a terrible time. You are fortunate that you know the Lord and have his Words to get you through the bad times. Have you ever wondered how unbelievers cope with horrible situations? I don’t know how they do it. Without Christ I am lost. (in more ways than one.)
I don’t really know what to say to you. You are a fellow believer, you know the Word of God, and you love the Lord. I try to help people deal with anxiety. I’ve been through a really hard time in my life having panic attacks for about 20 years and actually dropping out of society for several years. There were many things I had to learn to do over again when I got better. It was a long haul, but God in His grace, had a reason for my down time and suffering. I guess it won’t be until I can see Him face to face that I will know the “whys.” I don’t know how I would deal with what you are going through. I’m sure God has His reasons there too. The best way I can think of on how to deal with fear and anxiety is to learn to control ones thoughts. That is where the enemy like to play, in our minds. If we can control them, then we can have peace. I know that God gives us the strength through the indwelling Holy Spirit to beat the devil at his games. We need to rely on Him, lean on Him, call out to Him, and trust Him through it all. Anxiety doesn’t have to rule us. We can win the fight of control of the mind. But, we can’t do it in our own strength, only with the Holy Spirits help.
Dear God, Right now I lift up to you this dear one of yours, Larry. Lord he has some tremendous physical problems that are weighing him down. I ask Lord, right now, that you give Larry your peace that passes understanding. I pray that you will lift him up spiritually and emotionally, and help him be an overcomer of anxiety and fear. He needs your supernatural power in his life today. We don’t understand why these kind of things happen to us, but we do know that you know the beginning from the end, and that nothing happens to us that you do not permit for you own reasons. So, Father, please help Larry and help him to be free from fear and anxiety. And, Father, if it be your will, I’d pray right now that you’d do a physical healing in Larry’s body. In Jesus, most precious name, I pray. Amen.
*Visit my Author Page *
LikeLike