Your Best Weapon Against Anxiety
Finding peace in our fast-paced world.
Our world breeds anxiety of a paralyzing sort. It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact, unique reason why this is the case. I believe it’s a combination of many factors, some accidental, some willingly created, that make it so our generation is one constantly crushed under the pressure of anxiety, fear, and needless worry.
Social media plays a part, corporate life plays a part, the sensationalism of the news plays a part, the poisonous modern diet plays a part, lack of exercise plays a part, drugs play a part, video games and TV play a part. It’s a cocktail of influences that, either by accident or by design, lead men to a state of constant fear, doubt, stress, and hesitancy.
Men are desperately looking for solutions to this problem, but they’re looking for them in the same influences that caused them. They smoke weed to numb their worries. They watch more TV shows and movies to quiet the anxious voices in their head. They go to a therapist educated in the modern ways, who prescribes them, again, more drugs to numb them.
To find a permanent solution, one must look outside the structure that created the problem. All we’ll find within that structure are industrial, temporary ways to mask the real issue, and suffer greatly when the withdrawal symptoms inevitably come. Smoke weed to numb your anxiety until you try to quit and feel ten times worse than before. Go to a therapist to use drugs to quiet your restless mind until you try to quit and those repressed voices come screaming ten times louder than before, angry and resentful at your attempt at oppressing them.
To fight against anxiety, you can’t use the weapons that helped create it. The solution lies in the eternal truths this anxious world has tried so hard to hide.
Your best weapon against anxiety is faith. Everything outside of faith won’t bring you peace. If you continue to look for the peace that only God can give you in substances, people, or entertainment, you’ll just be digging a deeper hole for yourself, and making it more difficult to climb out and see the open sky.
Only God can give you the peace you are looking for. Anxiety is a sign that your focus is placed somewhere it shouldn’t be. It tells you that you’re worrying about the wrong things. It also tells you you are afraid.
You’re afraid of the future. You’re afraid of coming up short. You’re afraid of not measuring up to some standard. You’re afraid to be seen as unsuccessful. You’re afraid to disappoint others. You’re afraid to suffer.
Faith takes those fears away. God doesn’t want you to be afraid. He wants you to put your trust in Him, and He promises He’ll have your back.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
— 2 Timothy 1:7
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
— Psalm 56:3
God has a perfect track record of always coming through. There’s no reason to think He won’t continue to be there for you, as long as you seek Him with an honest heart. Anxiety is merely fear, and fear starts to dissipate when you place your hopes and dreams in the hands of the almighty God who created you.
If you know God is with you, why do you fear?
If you know He takes care of those who love Him, why are you scared of the future?
If you know He has a plan for all His creatures, why do you stress over the circumstances of your life?
You have free will and the power to affect your circumstances, yes. You have very real responsibilities and things to take care of, yes. But don’t forget that you are not the main character here. You are not the one who’s ultimately responsible for what happens. Your job is to act righteously, be diligent, and raise the sail of your boat, but God is the one Who provides the wind.
A truly faithful man wouldn’t be afraid. Faith, my friend, is your antidote against anxiety. Trust in The Lord is the right weapon to fight the battle that goes on inside your mind. Nothing you could find in this fallen world will fix you.
Only Jesus can.
God be with you,
Simple Man
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I’m not a fan of therapy but it does have its place alongside faith. I’ve dealt with anxiety since I was a child. I couldn’t pray my way out of it. I didn’t use the free program called Recovery International which took awhile but I was finally able to find peace.
I really like:
Your job is to act righteously, be diligent, and raise the sail of your boat, but God is the one Who provides the wind.
I believe that this summarizes many of the biblical teachings of our job in life as given us by God. Indeed He alone provides our wind for life.
Thanks for this reminder today. I cherish it and will endeavor to live it out today.