Believe that God is who He says He is.
I get it. When you are in the throes of a particularly anxiety-provoking situation, it’s hard to function, to move forward when a difficult circumstance is looming over you. It could be a relationship struggle, a health crisis, a wayward child, aging parents, financial burdens, or grief. The list goes on and on really. Sometimes it’s not even the big things that cause us to be anxious, yet still, we are running on a high level of anxiety in our day-to-day lives.
The way I understand it, and I’m not a doctor nor am I an expert by any stretch, but when our bodies experience something that triggers our anxiety, especially if it’s a prolonged event, they will produce higher levels of cortisol as a result of being in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Those higher cortisol levels will feed on themselves, perpetuating the feelings of anxiety even though the crisis has already passed. We literally have to teach our bodies that they are no longer in danger and work to calm the sympathetic nervous system.
Therapists who work with patients who suffer from anxiety teach them breathing and mindfulness techniques to help the nervous system reset. When I was in a particularly bad season of anxiety, to the point of it being debilitating, I began using an app that guided me on how to breathe and quiet my mind. I did this every evening and it really did help to break the cycle. I, of course, added my own substitutions for how I handled my thoughts and mindsets while practicing the breathing techniques by using 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” I also meditated on Scripture verses to calm and comfort me while doing the controlled breathing. That’s all to say that modern ways to deal with anxiety can be very helpful. For some, it may even require medication, and that’s okay too. It doesn’t mean you have failed as a believer if you need medication. In the case of an anxiety disorder or whatever the circumstance, this might be the best course of action.
No matter where you are on your journey of battling anxiety, as believers in Christ, we have been given tools through God’s Word to combat anxiety.
Ephesians 6:10-17 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
I would say that the “schemes of the devil” are for the purpose of causing you to doubt God and your position in Him. Isn’t that what we are doing when we worry? We begin doubting God or what He can do for us. And we all know that worry leads to anxiety. Today, I want to focus on the “shield of faith” which is able to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” aka doubts.
Even if you’re like me and have a higher-than-normal cortisol response or you have an anxiety disorder, God’s Word tells us that we can still combat anxiety with the shield of faith.
Let’s look at 3 ways to do just that:
Believe That God Is Who He Says He Is
Something I learned early on about God is the importance of understanding his sovereignty. The Lord is in control of all things. Everything that touches us is allowed to do so through His sovereign hand. Charles Spurgeon once said, “When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.”
So what do we know about God as it relates to our anxiety?
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." Isaiah 41:10
"I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
This is not an exhaustive list. So much more could be said about who God says He is as it relates to our fears and anxieties, but even from this sampling, we must pick up the shield of faith that tells us we are cared for by Him. His peace which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts; He is God; He is with us; He is our God, and our help comes from the Lord.
Believe that God is who He says He is.
Believe in Who You Are in Christ
For us to have faith in anyone, we have to believe that they have our best interests at heart. That is indeed the core of our relationship with Jesus. When we are feeling anxious over a trying situation, we need to go back to the basics and remember who we are in Christ Jesus and that He absolutely has our best interests at heart.
So who are we in Christ Jesus?
“We are children of God.” John 1:12
“Made in God’s image” Genesis 1:12
“Heirs of God” Romans 8:17
“Precious in His sight” Psalm 116:15
“Loved by God” Romans 1:7
The next time you are filled with anxiety, combat those feelings with the shield of faith by meditating upon these truths of who you are in Christ, believing He has your best interest at heart. Then allow your body to rest in the loving arms of Jesus.
Believe What God Says
A very dear friend of mine who just passed away after a valiant fight with cancer said something that resonated with me so much. She said that when she is in a trial or has a concern, she will think, “I know God can, but will He?” Maybe you can relate to that as well. I tend to believe big for other people, but for some reason, with myself, I think, “Well it probably won’t be His will for my situation.” And indeed, we don’t know the mind of God or how He is going to work out our situation. In the instance of my friend, she did not get the healing she so desired here on Earth, but she is happy, whole, pain-free, and at peace in the arms of her Savior now. It really is all about perspective…
When we believe that God is who He says He is and believe who we are in Christ Jesus, it will come naturally to believe what God says, even if it looks different than how we thought it might go.
James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” Do you see that there? The verse says “when” you meet trials. God didn’t promise us a pain-free life. Quite the opposite. But without the testing of our faith, we will not have that steadfastness to draw upon when the next trial comes, and without steadfastness, we won’t have the shield of faith to combat our anxiety. Charles Spurgeon said in his work, The Trial of Your Faith, “... faith, in the very nature of it, implies a degree of trial. I believe the promise of God. So far my faith is tried in believing the promise, in waiting for the fulfillment of the promise, in holding on to an assurance of that promise while it is delayed, and in continuing to expect the promise, and to act upon it until it is in all points fulfilled to me.” Now that’s a life of expectant hope in believing what God says and believing what God will do.
When your faith is being tested in some of the ways highlighted at the very beginning of this article, look through the promises of God that you can hold onto for that circumstance. I’m not implying that you cherry-pick verses to your liking, but that you pray and ask the Lord to show you His promises related to your situation. Ask Him to point you to promises that will alleviate your anxiety over the situation and cause you to believe what God says. I can promise that when you pray with humility and sincerity to that end, He will answer you, but most importantly, believe what God shows you and says in His Word.
When our faith is tried and anxiety overwhelms us, may we all pick up our shield of faith by believing God is who He says He is, believing who we are in Christ, and believing what God says.
Photo Credit: ©Paweł Czerwiński
