Dealing With Anxiety

This morning I am reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians, which is one of my favorite letters from Paul.

Philippians 4:4-7 NIV:

[4] "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

These verses are an interesting prescription for dealing with anxiety. I think verse 4 and 6 and 7 all go together in this perspective. Paul's starts with and repeats the first step, rejoicing! Rejoicing is more of a choice about attitude, than an emotion. It involves our giving thanks and choosing to review a situation in a positive light, recognizing that there is something good in store for us regardless of the way it appears.

In verse 6, Paul continues the prescription by directing one's mind away from the anxiety causing issue, towards God. Changing our focus away from ourselves, and reviewing our situation from God's perspective is healthy and helps us to gain a different perspective. Secondly, doing this opens us up to God's peace, for when He views our situation, He views it from the place He sits which is filled with peace. When we bring our situations before God, it should be with the expectation that He will provide us with His perspective, and His plan, otherwise why would we bring it before Him? He is not asking for us to file our complaints, but rather to come to Him for answers and direction.

Anxiety is often the result of feeling out of control, and when we come to God, we come to the one who is in control. He helps us see what He thinks and what He is doing in our regard. When we bring these issues before Him, this establishes His dominion over the area that is causing anxiety. In God's dominion, peace reigns supreme, which is why peace then guards our hearts and minds, the two areas the enemy tries to attack. When we are before God, the enemy is unable to bring His attack to bear.

I was just thinking that coming before God into His Presence, where peace reigns, is much like seeking asylum or sanctuary from the attacks of anxiety. Anxiety can't penetrate, cant touch us there, and as a long as we stay in that place before God, we are safe and guarded. The enemy tries to get us to leave that place, tries to get us to pick our concerns and worries back up and carry them back out of God's presence, where he can renew the attack. That is why Paul encourages us to come to the Lord in every situation, which means we are constantly before Him. If we are constantly before the Lord, we will be guarded and protected.

Finally, often times anxiety can be the result of habitual lines of thinking, such as self-doubt, self-hatred, self-condemnation. When we come to God, He reveals His truth, which breaks through the lies and deception of the enemy. So, once again, following the prescription laid out by Paul, we can experience victory in these areas of our life.

Lord, break the chains of anxiety in our lives, with Your peace and Your presence!