OVERCOME ANXIETY THE BIBLICAL WAY!

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

• Do not be anxious or worried about anything.
• But in everything, with prayer and supplication, make your request known to God.
• Thank Him for what He has already done
• Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts.
• Scriptures that talk about ways you can overcome anxiety.
• Summary

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Philippians 4:6-7, tells us not to be anxious about anything but in everything through prayer and supplication to make our request known to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This scripture is full of nuggets on how to overcome anxiety, and today I want us to unpack some of them. We will divide the nuggets into steps and look at them on their own.

If you have been going through a season where bouts of anxiety keep attacking you, then this word is for you. You don’t have to keep on struggling and God wants you to experience the freedom that comes from Him. So let’s look at the word.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6‭-‬7

As we break the scripture, I want you to take note of the 3 key things that God tells us.

1. God tells us not to be anxious or worried about anything
2. But in everything through prayer and Thanksgiving, take your requests to God.
3. Then the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind.

Now let’s dissect this verse.

Do not be anxious or worried about anything.

I know you have had people quote to you this verse so many times when you worry. And although you know you should not worry, I know you cannot help it sometimes. First things first, worry robs you of happiness.

But what is anxiety? Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Wikipedia defines worry as the thoughts, images, emotions, and actions of a negative nature in a repetitive, uncontrollable manner that results from a proactive cognitive risk analysis made to avoid or solve anticipated potential threats and their potential consequences.

As you can see, anxiety comes from a sense of unease, while worry stems from repetitive actions, especially thoughts. These 2 actions, as you can see, do more damage than good. This is because at the end of the story, nothing changes when you are anxious or worried. All they do is rob you of your peace. And in fact, it is a false attempt at control over a situation you have no control over. When you worry, you are simply trying to remove God from the equation. And telling Him you do not trust that He has it all under control. So, for you to overcome anxiety you first need to decide that you will not be anxious for anything.

When you worry, you do not solve any problem. Let me ask you this today. What are you worried about? Can you change anything about it? If the answer to this is no, then you are wasting time. When you are worried about something, you get to the negative side. Never has there been a positive solution yielded by worry.

This is because worry does not come from God. It stems from the flesh. When you worry, you try to take the place of God. Which, my friend, you cannot do no matter how much you try. God is the one who is in control. And not only that, because He knows the end from the beginning. He wants you to trust Him by recognizing He has been to your future and He will never allow you to fail.

You can never do God’s job better than Him, so essentially this scripture tells you that inadvertently. Being anxious only strains you, so don’t give room to worry or anxiety.

Another thing to note is that God really tells you not to worry about anything. It does not matter if it is big or small, anything covers everything. It might seem small, but as long as you are anxious about it, you need to take it to God. God will never judge whatever you bring to Him. He will not judge you or call you petty. If it matters to you, it matters to God. The good thing about the Bible is that God tells you what not to do. He tells you what you need to do instead of worry, which is…

But in everything, with prayer and supplication, make your request known to God.

For you to overcome anxiety you need to learn to be open to God. He is ready to listen to you. God tells us to take everything to Him. often we overcomplicate prayer with formulas and church languages. But simply put, God wants us to communicate with Him. And tell Him all our worries and cares about the world. One thing to note is that we can never tire of God with our prayers. And so it does not matter how small or big, or even how extensive the list is.

You need to realize that if it matters to you; it matters to God. God is our heavenly father and we are His children. And the same way a father is interested in every detail of his child’s life so is God. He wants you to include Him in every area of your life, down to the little details like what to wear. What is on your mind? Pause for a minute and tell God about it. Just pour your heart out. He promises to take your burden and carry them for you. God tells you He cares for you. Why not take whatever is bothering you to Him?

When Hannah focused on taking her problems to God, that was when she found joy again. Before Hannah took to God, her need for a child; she stressed over it and it only made the situation worse. You see, Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah, taunted Hannah a lot for her barrenness. And this bothered Hannah a lot. But when she focused on God as the solution, she found her joy. Peninnah still taunted her, but God’s peace was sufficient in her life. Taking your prayer request to God is necessary for you, as that’s how God’s peace in your life prevails. What are you worried about today? You know what to do. Try it.

He is concerned about the minor stuff and is delighted in every area of your life, case in point is Psalms 139. And after all, that is how a relationship is built. God has an opinion and we know His opinions are true and transcend time. For us to learn to trust God in everything, we need to practice, and you can only build your faith muscle by starting small. Once you get comfortable talking to God about the small things, when the impossible situations come, you will cry out to Him because you know that the same way He came through before, He will definitely come through again.

As you’re taking your prayers to God, it is vital for you to be specific. General prayers will yield available results. If you want specific results for your prayers, make them as detailed as possible. Do not leave out any detail, as every detail counts. Not that God does not know what you want, He simply wants you to trust Him enough by telling Him what you want. Now there are moments when God will give you what you want without necessarily you praying about it. Still, make it good practice to be detailed in your prayers.

As you take your prayers to God, it is also good to also offer your praises to Him. Praise Him for who He is and acknowledge Him. The reason why this is important is that you minimize your problem by magnifying God. When you magnify God, your perspective shifts. And you suddenly realize that God is in control. The more you praise, the less anxious you are. So there you have it, an amazing key to minimizing anxiety is praise and worship to God.

Thank Him for what He has already done

Once you have taken all your worries, cares, and anxiety to God, now it is time to thank and praise Him. Thanking God for what He has already done is not for His benefit or to even stroke His ego. No! When we thank God, our faith muscles get reactivated, and we can believe Him regarding the situation we are currently facing. Having a heart of gratitude is key to helping you overcome anxiety.

Thanking God also helps us to shift our focus off of ourselves and turn it back to God. This simply helps us realize that although we lack control and solutions, our trust is in Him who has the control and who is the Solution. Again, in our praises, God inhabits, and obviously, where the presence of God there lies His Power. Praising also increases our faith and hope and keeps us expectant of what He will do.

Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts.

We cannot explain the peace that God gives us once we have done the steps above. God will only fill the empty places in our lives and that is why when we are full of worry and despair, He cannot give us His peace. After all, we are already full, and there is no space for Him.

When we take everything to Him, we empty ourselves, and that is when He moves on our behalf. The peace of God is not fickle like humankind is. His peace reassures your heart, guards your mind and soul, and is found in Him through Jesus Christ, who is our Saviour and Lord.

Scriptures that talk about ways you can overcome anxiety.

“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17

“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?” Mathew 6:25

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Luke 12:25-26

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Mathew 11:28-30

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:2

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” Jeremiah 29:11

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Summary

God has given us solutions to everything and when we only seek the answers in His word and actually apply them, anxiety and worry will not be a problem for us. Another thing is that it takes time. These steps are not just a magic potion that you take and everything gets back to normal.

• Don’t Worry, You Are Next.
• BREAK FREE FROM FEAR, WORRY, AND ANXIETY.
• OVERCOMING ANXIETY: A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE.
• A PRACTICAL WAY TO COMBAT WORRY AND ANXIETY.
• The Proven Method to Relinquish control and Minimize Setbacks in Your Life

You will need to exercise discipline repeatedly for you to see results. We learned these attributes over time, so it will take the continuous renewal of our minds and practices of the same for the solutions to be effective. Anxiety does not have to be something you battle with daily. Give it all to Him today.

• Don’t Worry, You Are Next.
• BREAK FREE FROM FEAR, WORRY, AND ANXIETY.
• OVERCOMING ANXIETY: A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE.
• A PRACTICAL WAY TO COMBAT WORRY AND ANXIETY.
• The Proven Method to Relinquish control and Minimize Setbacks in Your Life

Keep doing your part and God will do His. When the enemy tries to lie to you telling you it is not working, do not believe Him. God’s word is true and whatever He says, He does and means it. Remember, even when you cannot see, He is working, and He never stops working. Check out my other blog post on how to break free from worry, fear and anxiety.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

The Bible offers guidance and encouragement for overcoming anxiety through reliance on God and trust in His plan. Verses such as Philippians 4:6-7 remind us to turn to God in times of anxiety and trust in His ability to provide peace. Additionally, 1 Peter 5:7 encourages us to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” and Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles, as “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”