3 Ways To Deal With Fear And Anxiety
Did you know that God says, “Do not fear” 365 times in the Bible? That's a reminder for every day of the year!
God never intended for humans to live fearfully or anxiously. But we do anyway because these are side effects of sin and the curse. And life also gets us down--we don't live in a perfect world and bad things happen often.
Jesus left us clear instructions to seek peace and not to worry, in spite of life's disappointing moments and difficult situations. But sometimes that’s very, very hard to do.
Lately, the world has been scarier than normal. With millions of us out of work, political unrest, a pandemic, and economic uncertainty, we find ourselves carrying the weight of the world on top of our personal daily struggles.
Many of our client-mothers are dealing with a pregnancy on top of all this. Some of you are shut in with abusive partners. Mothers have lost jobs they were relying on to provide for their children. Life is complicated, uncertain, and messy.
While these are all huge concerns and legitimate issues to agonize over, it’s important to take a moment and do a few things to help you regroup. Jesus said life would be hard, and He told us to “take up our cross and follow him,” a phrase that indicates the difficulty of life. But he also said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1
Again in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Jesus literally tells us not to worry about tomorrow! He will be with us every day--we just need to slow down to experience Him NOW, in today's worry.
Jesus wants us to rely on Him for our strength, Hope, and deliverance. This last month I’ve gone through a few really intricate and difficult situations--every time I took them to God and fully committed them to Him, He heard my prayers and the situation changed in hours! I’m not saying He always answers that quickly, but He CAN! He is always working and peace is obtainable almost instantly for those who fully commit their hearts and situations to Him.
If you are in a difficult situation, here are 3 things you can do right now to ease anxiety and fear.
Read
Reading is a wonderful way to shift from our own heads and see our situation through new eyes. Sometimes the Devil likes to make us feel alone. He tells us lies because we are stuck inside the walls of our own minds. But we can only chip away at the darkness when we expose ourselves to light. We recommend the Bible--Pslams is a great place to start. However, there are millions of books and biographies about ordinary people who survived and lived through difficult times. Take time to get outside of your own situation and learn from those who have walked in your shoes.
Pray
That supernatural peace, the ability to be at calm in the middle of distress, is obtainable. But it is only found through Jesus Christ. The place to ask is through prayer. This is our telephone with God. You can dial Him at any time in any place and from any situation. You are not too bad to be His friend. Take time today to tell Him what’s going on in your life. Thank Him for all that He has done. Ask Him for a relationship. Ask Him to make Himself known to you. Ask Him to fix your situation and show you the way. When we empty out our hearts, peace follows.
Seek Friendship/Fellowship
Again, it’s easy to get locked into our own minds and only feel the echos of our own fear and hurt. One of the best ways to break free is to find someone you trust and ask for counseling. Even a chat with coffee sometimes is all we need to find new strength.
We NEED relationships to function in life. Other people can share a revelation with us that we needed at the moment. They can hug us or pray for us or just laugh with us. Holding in your fear is not healthy for physical and mental reasons--it’s also not healthy for spiritual well being. The Bible encourages (and even commands) fellowship throughout the whole Bible. Why? Because there is strength in numbers and in human relationships.
You don’t have to fight your battles alone. If you seek another human to walk alongside you, you are brave and on the first step to peace.
If you need someone you can trust to talk to about your life’s struggles, please reach out to Mary’s Pregnancy Resource Center! We are here to guide you and love you for as long as you need it.