How To Overcome Anxiety And Fear With Prayer
..But in every situation, by prayer and petition, let your request be known.
Have you ever been so worried that you couldnt sleep, or you manage to fall asleep, only to wake up after a few hours unable to go back to bed? I have a few tips on how to overcome anxiety and fear here.
I remember one occasion when I wrote a critical exam. After the test, I was asleep in the middle of the night suddenly, I woke up to remember a particular question that I had answered wrongly and what the correct answer should have been.
The strange thing was that in my waking hours, this question did not come to mind. Moreover, with over a hundred questions, why did I suddenly remember this one, and in the middle of the night? I spent that night agonising about that one question till daybreak. Talk about partnering with the enemy to steal my peace.
In retrospect, I missed out on a perfect opportunity to turn my worries and fears into prayers. I could simply have whispered my concerns to the Father and gone back to sleep. I now realise that you can not truly overcome anxiety without prayer.
The Bible teaches us what to do with our worries. One version puts it this way: Pray about everything and worry about nothing.
Turn your anxieties into specific requests, articulate your needs to God, and trust Him to sort it out. Prayer turns the problem to God while worry gives you the problem to solve yourself.
Praying The Scriptures Over Your Children
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Power Love A Sound Mind
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
God assures us that fear is not from Him. He hasnt given us a spirit of fear, but He has given us a spirit of POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND. When the enemy tries to lie to us or plant fearful thoughts in our minds, we can be sure that we have these three things.
- The power to overcome every lie and every scheme he throws at us.
- The perfect love of Jesus that casts out ALL fear.
- The mind of Christ- guarded and filled with the Word of God to measure the lies up against.
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What Does God Say About Anxiety And Worry
How many times is anxiety mentioned in the Bible? The word anxiety in the Bible often falls under the umbrellas of worry and fear. I havent counted for myself, but Ive heard it said that the phrase fear not is mentioned 366 times in the Bible. Thats one reminder for every day of the year, including a leap year. Youll find some of them in the verses about anxiety in the Bible section towards the end of this article. I believe God addresses it so often because He knew it was something wed be up against on a regular basis. The temptation to give in to fear and anxiety is real.
Can Christians have anxiety? Im sure youve heard it said just as many times as I have, If youre really a Christian you wouldnt have anxiety. I want to debunk this myth right now and let you know this is NOT a gospel truth. Its not. Becoming a follower of Jesus doesnt make you perfect and it doesnt make you immune to suffering or the hardships that are experienced because of sin entering the world. What sets us apart from those who dont have a relationship with God is that when hard times surface or spiritual attacks come against us , we can stand against them with the strength of a victorious God.
In the gospel of John, Jesus says, I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Right off the bat, we learn two truths about this life:
Believing For Gods Best
He will not fear bad news His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld, he will not fear. While he looks on his adversaries. Psalm 112:7-8 AMP
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants us to fear what will happen or could happen. But the truth is, God already knows what will happen. We can trust in Him as our Protector. We have no reason to fear. He promises that He works ALL things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Rather than believing for the worst, we can choose to believe Gods Wordthat He has our best interest at heart and will act on our behalf.
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Overcoming Anxiety In Parenting
Overcoming anxiety is something that we as parents must be intentional about. We must be purposeful in practicing how to focus on the present rather than uncertainty about the future.
In troubled times, such as what we are facing with this coronavirus outbreak, it is all too easy to worry. Uncertainties about the future can quickly spiral into anxiety and fear. The Bible tells us to cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you . How wonderful is it to know that God cares for us and the circumstances that we face? Even when we feel like things are spiraling out of control, God is absolutely in control. He knew before we were ever born that we would face worries. Thats why the Bible tells us, perhaps more than any other phrase, Do not be afraid.
As parents, it is critical that we train ourselves to manage our fears and anxiety in order to protect our children and train them to be resilient. Overcoming anxiety and caring for our familys mental health all starts with us.
How, then, can we as parents keep our anxious thoughts incheck? And how can we help our children who are anxious? Here is a look at whatanxiety is and what we can do as parents to overcome it.
Biblical Truths To Help You Overcome Fear & Anxiety
Its no secret, that we live in fear- and anxiety-inducing times. The news is full of troubling things to worry about. And thats not even accounting for the fears that happen inside our own headsthe fear of not being good enough, fear of failure, etc. Thankfully, the Bible has plenty to say about how to deal with fear! These seven truths will guide you in how to overcome fear and anxiety Biblically, and also, to replace that fear with love.
Yall, these are trying times. Terror, violence, and now a pandemic of epic proportionsand Ill admit, sometimes I look at these things on the news , and feel deeply saddened and distressed by it all. But then, when these things happen in our own backyard, thats when the real FEAR sets in. And panic, and freaking out, and all manner of unhealthy responses to that fear.
Whether youre facing THAT kind of fearthe acute fear of something thats threatening in your own backyard, like a contagious disease that your neighbor down the street now has, and youre afraid you and your family may get it tooor a milder kind of fear, such as worrying about the future of your career, its important to remember that FEAR IS A LIAR. As in, straight from the devil.
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Overcome Anxiety With Thanksgiving
Feeling thankful during a flash of anxiety sounds counter-intuitive, but its exactly what allows us to embrace the truth , grow in faith and remain joyful in miserable moments.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
In the past if I felt worried about something, I would feel a sense of dread. The downward spiral would either take over or not and I wasnt always sure which way that would go or why.
Now when I feel tempted to worry, I say a silent prayer in my heart like this: God, please help me to have the mind of Christ right now. I need you.
God works in our lives and does MIRACLES. I have prayed about situations and have seen God change the outcome prayed for help in times of tension and have seen God clear the air. My husband and I have prayed together for friends and family and saw people healed, relationships mended, spirits renewed and the list goes on and on.
God is faithful and he wants the best for us. When we trust that, we do not need to fear evil.
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.
God offers the kind of healing that goes to the soul it goes straight through us into the darkest of the dark.
We turn to Him and say, I need you Lord He is there, holding us as we manage to put one foot in front of the other and make it through another day.
Cast All Your Anxiety On Him Because He Cares For You 1 Peter : 7
The encumbrances of life can threaten our peace but it is so good to know that we can cast all our cares on God our family cares, health cares, relationship cares Paul reminds us that God still cares. You can give to God every burden that seeks to depress or make you anxious, God is waiting to relief you and grant you His love, joy and peace.
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Identifying Triggers In Your Marriage
They were both convinced they had married the wrong person. From almost the very beginning of their marriage, Amber and Guy Lia experienced various tensions and personality clashes related to house cleaning, backseat driving, workaholism, and intimacy. In this two-day Focus on the Family broadcast, Amber and Guy discuss how they bravely faced the triggers head-on, and committed to working on their own relationships with Jesus. As you listen to the Lias story, youll feel hope that you, too, can see real marriage transformation!
For I Am Convinced That Neither Death Nor Life Neither Angels Nor Demons Neither The Present Nor The Future Nor Any Powers Neither Height Nor Depth Nor Anything Else In All Creation Will Be Able To Separate Us From The Love Of God That Is In Christ Jesus Our Lord Romans : 38
Paul is resolute in his decision to hold strongly to God regardless of anything that may confront him. The apostle Paul faced many situations of pain and turmoil in his life including imprisonment and was also shipwrecked. As a result of these experiences, he couldve sunk into depression, yet he places his full confidence in God, knowing that nothing that he experienced would cause him to be separated from God.
In times of depression and anxiety, it is always important to stay under the protection and guidance of God.
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Bible Verses To Overcome Anxiety
They say anxiety is on the rise.
That more women are more anxious more often than we were even five years ago.
Goodness knows theres enough in the news and in our life to crowd our thoughts with fear.
Scripture is the cure for our anxious thoughts. Reading scripture isnt the same as thinking happy thoughts. I can remember when I was young waking from a recurring nightmare and trying to fight my fear by thinking the happiest thoughts I could.
Those childhood wishes worked well enough then, but they arent enough to overcome the anxious thoughts that plague us as women and moms and wives and caretakers. And while positive thinking is helpful, not just any positivity will do.
We need to replace the lies of fear and anxiety with the truth of Gods Word.We need to fix our mind on Gods amazing promises rather than swim in the pit of what ifs. And we need to anchor our thoughts by remembering who God is.
The Psalms are filled with verses that help us fight anxiety. These are great verses to mark in your Bible, to write out and put on your mirror, to screen shot and pull up on your phone when you need them. Today Im sharing some favorites.
Bible Verses About Anxiety Show Us That Every Act Of Boldness Cripples The Enemy And Obliterates Anxiety
Did you know that the children of Israel were mighty in the sight of their enemies? And this was not because of their strength or their power but by the Spirit of the Lord God Almighty.
Hallelujah!
In fact, the king of Jericho made sure that the city was locked up– nothing went out and nothing went in. In other words, they were running scared for their lives!
âAnd the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.â
In the following verses, God gave the children of Israel some further instructions– instructions that would require faith, boldness, and courage on their part.
The Lord told Joshua, âAnd ye shall compass the city, all ye men of ware, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, and the people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.â
Can I tell you something? It all happened exactly as God had said it would. But it required boldness and courage.
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Loving Your Spouse Through The Seasons Of Marriage
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Make Sure Your Feelings Are Really Yours
Can you really trust your feelings are from you? Are you just repeating the thoughts and beliefs of your parents, an ex-lover, or someone else in your life because they impressed it upon you, or are these thoughts and feelings actually your own? If you come from a Christian worldview, how do you know your true thoughts and feelings are not being manipulated by your enemy Satan, the world, and your own sinful desires?
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Take Advantage Of The Fact That God Is Always With Youby Praying Continually
And part of trusting Him with our fears, means crying out to Him. Every day, all day, its so helpful to voice our concerns to the Lord. From the littlest thing , to the biggest thing cry out to God, and know that He hears you.
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
I think of all the Bible verses about fear and worry, Philippians 4:6-7 sums it up most beautifully: Dont be anxious, just pray.
When Kids Ask The Tough Questions
Kids always come up with great questions and, sometimes, theyre tough to answer. During the coronavirus outbreak, you can expect that your kids will ask questions such as What will happen to us if we get sick? Will we die? Or they may ask questions like, What will happen to us if Mom or Dad loses their job? It is important, no matter what questions the kids ask, to bring them back to the present moment.
You can respond to them by saying something like, We are thinking about and planning for that right now. We dont have answers yet, but we will let you know when we do. You may choose to share a little more information with your older kids than you might with your younger ones, but be sure to keep the information consistent and focused on what you as a parent are doing right now to keep your family safe, supplied, and planning for the future.
The illusion is that the more knowledge we have, the more we are in control. Having knowledge does not change whether you can or cannot control a situation. Be aware of this when discussing tough circumstances like this coronavirus crisis with your kids and do not give into the temptation to tell them everything.
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Remind Yourself Of Gods Goodness
In this world, things can look so scary. From Satans influences, to the consequences of our own sin and the sins of others, its all too easy to let anxiety set in. The devil would like nothing more than for us to be so consumed with fear, that we forget that God is in control!
But we know from these verses below, that God is a GOOD GOD, full of love and care for those who follow him. Yes, we experience troubles in this world, but God hasnt forgotten usquite the opposite in fact!
: Peace I leave with you my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.John 14:27
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28