Overcome Anxiety With God: 6 Steps to Help You
I sit beneath the hemlocks while my little boy throws rocks into the water. I’m thankful we have a place to slip away from the demands of our days. Today, I’m desperate to overcome anxiety with God in this quiet moment by the water.
A question comes to mind as I sit in the silence: Where does my life feel out of control?
When I feel like I have a grip on my life, peace reigns. However, when my house is a mess, my schedule is overbooked, my kids are disobeying me, and my career feels uncertain, anxiety creeps in.
Not long ago, a friend looked into my eyes and said, “Stacey, Jesus wants you to find your peace in him, not in a clean house, obedient kids, and a certain future.”
Sadly, when I find my peace in pleasant circumstances, I overlook the truth about unchanging peace.
Peace is a Person.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Ephesus: “He himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
Overcoming Anxiety With God
Jesus offers us peace with God at the cross. He then offers us peace to overcome conflicts in our lives. Jesus is big enough to settle our external conflicts with others as well as our internal conflicts as we wrestle with our own desires.
Are you anxious today?
Are you anxious because some area of your life feels out of control?
Today, God is inviting you to find your peace in Jesus, not in peaceful circumstances.
Remember That Peace Is a Person
Peace is a Person who promised to never leave us.
I can overcome anxiety with God by remembering where I find my peace. I don’t find peace by keeping a grip on my life. This peace is fleeting and prone to change with circumstances.
The surrendered life does not require a perfect house, obedient children, or organized commitments in order to walk with peace. The surrendered life walks with the Person of Peace. He reigns throughout even the most chaotic seasons.
I can overcome anxiety with God by remembering where I find my peace. I don't find peace by keeping a grip on my life. #Peace #GodsPeace #PeacewithGod #anxiousthoughts Share on XPerhaps you need this reminder today, too. Perhaps you need some encouragement to help you rise above anxiety. This is for you:
How to Stop Anxious Thoughts and Overcome Anxiety With God
Here are a few suggestions for how to rise above anxiety in your life:
1. Begin by recognizing the anxiety.
Call it what it is.
Recognize your struggle and admit it to yourself.
Look for indicators. Learn to pay attention to the tightness of your chest, the headache that settles behind your eyes, or the racing pulse. Name the anxiety as soon as you notice the signs.
2. Ask one simple question to reveal the root.
Stop and ask where your life feels out of control.
Are you afraid of some upcoming event?
Are you afraid of what people will think of you?
Do you fear the future?
Are you finding your peace through a sense of control instead of Jesus’ presence with you?
Identify any areas of your life that feel out of control.
3. Assess which parts of your life you can control.
Do you need to make adjustments in your life?
Maybe you do need to cut back on commitments, more deliberately plan your weekly schedule, or find a schedule that will hold you accountable to clean your house regularly. Ask God to show you any changes he wants you to make.
4. Assess where you do not have control.
Once you’ve made adjustments for the areas in which you do have control, identify the specific areas of your life over which you do not have control.
You don’t have control over the way your coworkers treat you. You can’t control all of your child’s behaviors. Your job situation might not be under your full control.
Mentally release the parts of your life to God. Acknowledge your trust in him. Ask for his wisdom.
5. Overcome anxiety with God by clinging to what is true.
After casting your cares on the Lord, submit yourself to his work in your life. Cling to what is true.
Here are seven helpful truths for your anxious seasons: Truth for the Days When You Feel Anxious.
6. Worship while you lay down control.
It’s not easy to give up control of parts of our lives that matter deeply to us.
Worship God as you turn these areas of your life over to him. Ask him to help you accept an imperfect home, imperfect finances, imperfect children, and an imperfect schedule.
A Free Devotional Book to Help You Overcome Anxiety With God:
Lastly, I have a gift for you.
Are you tired of being paralyzed by fear, overcome with worry, and plagued by doubt? Let God Set You Free will help you find victory over fear, worry, and doubt by leading you on a 14-day journey into God’s Truth. For a limited time, get this online devotional for free right here with promo code FREE.
Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
