Eight Tools to Battle Anxiety

You are not a real Christian if you are afraid.” From across the room, she pointed her finger at me. “Jesus told us to fear not. If you are afraid, you are not following Him.”

Shocked, I spat back, “I’m not afraid.”

Truth is, I was afraid, but her judgmental statement made me deny it and feel angry. Muttering to myself, I escaped her stare and headed home.

Her words drifted back into my thoughts for the next week or so. The accusations rang out in the quiet of the night, making me question my faith. Then I worried about my fear. Have you ever been anxious about being anxious? I don’t think her words had the effect she was hoping for.

Wrestling with anxiety has been a lifelong battle for me. Armed with tools from years of studying Scripture and wise counsel from others, allows me to live most days worry-free. I recognize the onset of these thoughts and capture them before they take hold.

Talking about anxiety is complicated; we can oversimplify the battle or over-complicate it. But this is not a new struggle; these human emotions are recorded throughout Scripture.  We see people like Gideon, David, and even Mary, the mother of Jesus, struggle through these emotions.

The Bible certainly tells us not to fear. Fear, anxiety, and worry are not sins. These emotions, unchecked, can lead us to turn our back on God. But there is a big gap between feeling the feeling and running from God.

Read Philippians 4:4-9 (NLT): 4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

These verses are so familiar, but we often read them individually and not as a whole. This is an invitation to peace, not a command to strive to live. Yes, there are instructions, but they are keys to a restful spirit. There is no condemnation here. 

Eight tools to battle anxiety

1. Rejoice: be glad, full of joy; remember the source of our cheer is Jesus, who loves us unconditionally.
2. Be considerate: be gentle and sweetly reasonable with the people around you. Yes, even the annoying ones.
3. Remember the Lord is coming. (Enough said)
4. Pray: talk to God about everything. He can handle our concerns; we see this throughout Scripture. Don’t be afraid to share all your feelings with God.
5. Tell God your needs. List for Him what you require in your situation. He hears you.
6. Gratitude: Thank Him for all He has done. You can even thank Him for what He will do.
7. Fix your thoughts on the good. This is so hard, especially when everything around you feels awful. The list in verse eight is life-giving. It helps.
8. Put it into practice. Like any habit we want to live into, we must repeat it until it becomes our normal response.

The result of these eight things is God’s peace. God’s peace, a fruit of the Spirit, resides in us when we nurture the things of God. God’s peace is more than a calm spirit; it is wholeness of mind and heart. With time and practice, we can learn to tap into this well of provision when our hearts and minds struggle.

If this is a battle you share with me, then tuck this away in your mental health toolbox. I love that our Prince of Peace wants to quiet our minds with His rest. May you find this rest as you move through this chaotic world.