Are you battling anxiety, worry, and fear? Be encouraged. There is a pathway to peace. Read more for ways to talk back and win the battle against anxiety.
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“I heard your voice in my head this morning,” my friend chuckled on the other end of the telephone.
“I hope that was a good thing!”
“It was. I woke up and it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. It felt like I was having a heart attack, and I almost told my husband we needed to go to the emergency room to get checked out, but I knew with the stress of everything going on that it was anxiety.”
“So where did my voice come in?”
“I heard your voice saying, ‘You have no reason to be anxious. God’s got this, and you. Tell that anxiety to go away.’”
“Well, did you?”
“Yes, and it did. My heart rate settled back to normal!”
I chuckled as I responded, “Well I’m not sure if that was the Holy Spirit or me you heard replaying in your head, but either way, I’m glad you listened, and I’m glad it helped. Fear and anxiety are destructive and have no place in your life. You have power over them, as you proved to yourself.”
Speak out against the influence of fear and anxiety.
After we wrapped up our conversation, I thought back to the years that I accepted worry, fear, and anxiety, as an unwelcome tag-along passenger in the back seat of my life as if I had no say in the matter. Every day I drove to work with a boulder in the pit of my stomach, and tears streaming down my face plagued by anxiety when forced to face the overwhelm of the day.
I experienced dread as soon as I opened my eyes every morning, and I was plagued with body aches from carrying around the weight of the world that was never mine to shoulder.
That was until I realized that God had not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and I began to say “No!” to that spirit of fear. I began to take back my power and speak out against its influence, telling it instead that I had been given the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11).
I’m not suggesting that there aren’t times when we need to see doctors for help, but the enemy of our soul would like to paralyze us with worry, fear, anxiety, doubt, and dread, when God tells us to be anxious for nothing but instead to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7).
In Matthew 16:23 when Jesus told satan to get behind Him, He went on to tell satan that he was a stumbling block to Him:
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23)
Worry, fear and anxiety are stumbling blocks
That’s the way we need to view worry, fear, and anxiety as well: merely a stumbling block put in our path from the enemy, intended to take our eyes off God, our ultimate provider. Anxiety serves to distract and dissuade. But if we will keep our eyes on Him, He will smooth our path.
Just as Jesus spoke to satan and told him to get behind Him, and just as my friend did when she realized she was being encumbered with anxiety, we should do the same thing with anxiety, worry, and fear. It has no useful place in our lives.
Talk back to anxiety, worry, and fear!
Next time you find yourself battling with worry, fear, or anxiety, talk back to it! Tell it that it has no useful place in your life, that you aren’t willing to receive it, and that it must go, in Jesus’ name. Then remember to thank God that He promises to keep you in perfect peace when you keep your mind on Him.
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3)
May I pray for you?
Father, you know many things cause us to take our eyes off you and worry. Help us to keep our eyes on you, to trust in you, so that we may stay in perfect peace. Anxiety has no place in our lives for you have promised to be our peace. We love you and appreciate you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Because of Him, #PeacePrevails!
Resource to Break Anxiety’s Grip
No question, we have a lot to worry about. Children, jobs, homes, health, finances, and more. The solution isn’t to rid ourselves of the sources of anxiety – as if we could. Instead, we need to recognize that anxiety originates from a spiritual influence and that we can fight back using the God-given weapons of power, love, and a sound mind.
We can discover true peace in an age of anxiety.
In Breaking Anxiety’s Grip, Dr. Michelle Bengtson shares her own story of emerging from the battle with anxiety as well as the stories of others. She reminds you of your identity as a follower of Christ and of the peace he promises you in spite of everything.
She provides tools to cope with the crushing emotional burden of anxiety now and, more importantly, shows you how to reclaim God’s peace as a way of life so that you can break anxiety’s grip.
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com, Books-A-Million, and other fine book retailers.
Click here to learn more: Breaking Anxiety’s Grip.
It really works, pray out loud. And be quick to tell the devil off if your know something is the accuser of the brethren.
Love this word and God’s Word, Michelle. 2 Timothy 1:7 is one of my favorites for times of fear or anxiety. I often quote it out loud for my own soul’s benefit and so the enemy hears me loud and clear. If the Lord hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, then who has? The enemy! Thanks for using your “voice” for your friends, clients, and readers to remind us how “God’s got this.” Hugs!
I am your neighbor today at Holley Gerth’s link up. Thank you for these encouraging words. I am going to try it!
Years ago, when I literally thought I was going to lose my mind, our pastor instructed me to pray that very same verse over my mind. There is such power and protection in praying God’s Word for ourselves. God kept me then and has kept me ever since. I cannot tell you how many times since then, I have prayed the very same way for others and they too, have discovered the anxiety flees. Keep spreading the word, Michelle, for it is a powerful message! Blessings!
Amen! His word has the power to demolish every stronghold!
Thank you for this reminder that in Christ we are stronger than our fears and anxiety. We don’t have to give in to them. We have God’s power to live lives free from fear.
Words are so powerful! I can be anxious that something is going to happen to me, because I have had seizures. A few years ago, I started telling myself that God is not done with me. It helps me calm down!
Sharing on Twitter.
Hey friend. I am featuring your post this week…aka tomorrow at #TuneInThursday Thanks for always linking up and having excellent content for your readers and for those who come to my linkup as well. This post on talking back to anxiety really hit home with me and all that we have been going through with the new church building, and move, and book edits, endorsers etc. I am talking back and making anxiety flee! Blessings
Thank you so much for sharing the insights born out of your own struggle with worry, fear and anxiety.
When you described your mornings and going to work, that’s exactly where I am right now. My whole life, I have had seasons of anxiety, but this may be one of the worst brought on, I believe, by a serious illness my husband had back in September. I actually found this blog post through a comment you left for someone else on another post of yours that I had also commented on. I felt as though the Lord was answering my cries for help through a simple response you shared with another reader. I am so thankful to have come upon it and to have read this post. I had already started to implement what you talked about here, but haven’t been consistent. This blog post has encouraged me with more of the “why’s” for doing so and you have spurred me on through the Scriptures.
I’ve also been using the Calm app and their guided meditations which do indeed help. I am in the process of looking for a Christian counselor and hope to be able to talk to someone. The Lord also provided a resource through another blogger who has written a book that I just started which has opened up my eyes and is helping me to understand my anxiety as well.
I am so thankful for this blogging community and how the Lord uses each of us to help the other. It is truly a beautiful community.
Karen,
I can most definitely empathize with your personal story. I have several posts on my site about worry, fear, and anxiety because this is an issue that almost everyone struggles with at some point. So much so, that my book that is releasing from Revell in September is about exchanging our worry, fear, and anxiety for God’s peace. Just know that this is not God’s best for you and he’s going to keep walking alongside you to show you more and more of His perfect peace. Linking arms with you!! #PeacePrevails
My heart yearns for total peace yet the enemy constantly tries to put fear or anxiety on me. I do have freedom from both but it is still a battle. Your testimony, your words do resonate in my mind and heart. I can identify with the friend who said she heard your voice in her mind when she was experiencing anxiety. I also will hear your words or the scriptures you have shared and I am able to focus on the Lord and His message of NO FEAR, NO ANXIETY, NO WORRY. Thank you for the testimony of your life, your message, the calling Father has on your life and your obedience to that call. I do love and appreciate you so much!
I love this idea of bossing anxiety around!