EP 03: Gospel Truths for Fear and Anxiety
Hey there! Welcome to episode three of the Daughter of Delight podcast. Today, we are going to take a look at some Gospel truths for fear and anxiety.
My Battle With Fear and Anxiety
Now, I realize fear and anxiety are not the same thing, but I believe the truths I am going to share with you today are helpful for both. I have received several messages and emails from sisters in Christ across the globe who are dealing with these very things, and so my prayer for this episode is that it will be like a balm to the soul for those of you who are seeking peace. I struggled with severe anxiety for years when I was younger. You see, I had this terrible feeling that something was going to happen to my mom and I wouldn’t be with her when it did. I was scared to go to school because she wasn’t in my sight. And I was scared to go to sleep without her by my side. As an elementary schooler, I remember my mom rocking me to sleep in her arms to help soothe my weary soul. After receiving some professional aid, I was able to move past this -- thanks be to God -- but my battle with anxiety has continued to reveal itself in different ways as I have gotten older. If you were to ask me to name the thorn in my side, I would tell you immediately that it’s anxiety. I tell you this because I want you to know that I know what it’s like to feel crippled by it. When I was younger, I really thought that it was my “normal” and that there was no escape. And I am so glad that I was able to learn that that is NOT the case!
Fear and Anxiety Do Not Have the Final Say
If I have learned anything throughout my journey with anxiety, it’s that it will never have the final say. It doesn’t get to determine who I am and because of Christ, I am no slave to it!That being said, I may not conquer it for good until I meet my Creator face-to-face, but at least I know now that I don’t have to fight it alone. Through Christ, I have the strength and the things I need to deal with it when it shows up unexpectedly on my doorstep. Now, the Corona pandemic our world is currently facing may have triggered some unwanted fears or anxiety for you. If that’s the case, or if you find yourself hungry for insight into how to better deal with either or both of these things, I hope and pray the truths and tips I am about to share with you encourage you and help make way for you to confidently cling to the peace that is yours in Christ.Let’s dig in!
God Cares About You
First of all, I want to remind you of the truth that God cares about you and what you are going through. This is a truth we hear often and one we should not discount or downplay. If you have refused to embrace this truth in full at times, don’t worry, you are in good company. But we must not do that. In all things, we must seek Him! Isaiah 43:4 tells us we are precious to Him and He loves us. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. The Christian life does not guarantee a life of ease, but we are promised that God will be with us every step of the way. Now, I know Satan has no authority over my life, but sometimes he is good at making me think otherwise. Can you relate? Remembering that my Heavenly Father not only goes before me, but also fights for and with me, even in the midst of my anxiety, is a truth I delight in. And this truth applies to you as well! Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” He’s got you, sis. In fact, He has a tighter grip on us than we ever will Him. And praise God for that! We are in good hands-- the best hands.
John 10:10
The second truth I want to share is found in John 10:10. Here is what it says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.Sis, the very reason Jesus Christ came to earth was to offer Himself as a sacrifice for OUR sins so that we might be reconciled to God! So that we could experience God’s heart for His children and ultimately eternal life with Him. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came to give life and to give it ABUNDANTLY. He is our Prince of Peace and He desires to see us set free from the things that try to hold us captive in this life. Be encouraged by His desire to comfort and calm our weary and troubled hearts. We have all access to the peace and comfort Christ desires to give within the holy pages of God’s Word. Take a second to jot down 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. This verse is one of my favorites to reflect on when my heart becomes anxious. I encourage you to spend time in it as well!
Unshakeable Truth for Fear and Anxiety
The third truth I want to share is that God’s Kingdom is and always will be unshakeable. He is the God of ALL Creation and He is sovereign above ALL things. Nothing can thwart or halt His plan.Isaiah 46:9-10 says, "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose."And Matthew 10:29-30 says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.”Nothing -- not one thing -- takes God by surprise. Not even a world pandemic. He is an omnipotent -- all-powerful -- omniscient -- all-knowing -- omnipresent -- everywhere all at once -- God and this the God we serve. He knows the number of hairs on our head and all the way to the very number of days we have here on earth. We are in the best set of hands, and our work here is not done until He says so.
Blessed Assurance
The next truth I want to remind you of is this: In Christ, we have the assurance that everything is going to be OKAY!Take a look at John 11:25-26 with me: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'”To demonstrate His claim, Christ literally defeated DEATH. He is the very antidote to our anxious and fear-filled hearts. What He has accomplished and promised us -- that every tear will be wiped away, that sickness will be no more and all things will be made new, whole and right again -- are the very things that remind us we will overcome anything this world does to us. The King IS coming, sister. He is surely on His way.
Your Battle with Fear and Anxiety Does Not Mean You are Weak in Your Faith
Finally, battling with things like fear and anxiety does not mean you are weak in your faith! If you believe otherwise, this is your wake-up call! Satan would love to see us use our fear-gripped and anxiety-ridden hearts to build walls between us and our Creator. Want to know why? Because he knows that it’s the walls we build that keep us from drawing near and therefore make us weak in our faith. It’s not the struggles, but what we do with them that make or break us. But God has plans to use everything we go through in this life for His glory and our good. Nothing- not even our darkest days- are wasted in His eyes! Sis, God wants EVERY part of you. He desires to see you freed from the shackles of it all- and this freedom can only be found in Him! Yes, you may deal with fear and anxiety in this life -- perhaps its the very thorn in your side like it is mine -- but take heart in the fact that it can in NO way thwart God’s plans for you! Now that we have these encouraging truths in mind, here are two tangible tips I want you to hold on to!
Tip #1: Attack with Truth
First, attack with TRUTH. Do not talk back to your fears or anxieties. Talk to God about them and attack them with His truth! Reading the Word to my anxieties reminds me of the victory we have in Jesus. Breathe, trust, address your anxiety with God and place your concern where it belongs: on the things of God. Psalm 23:4, Psalm 34:4-8, Psalm 121:5, Proverbs 12:25, Joshua 1:9, Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 10:29-31, and 1 Corinthians 15:57 are all great Scriptures to spend time soaking in. I know that’s a lot of suggestions there, so you may want to rewind so that you can write them all down! Seriously though, keep showing up! It’s so incredibly important for us to show up in God’s Word in ALL things. He is to be our number one priority at all times. When you find yourself filled with worry, feed your heart with the wisdom of God’s Word and watch what happens! In doing so, I pray you would be reminded of your true need for God and His strength and that you would find yourself more and more able to confidently cling to the peace that is yours in Christ as you press on in faith!
Tip #2: Pray
My second tip is this: PRAY. Oh, the power of prayer, my friend! What a beautiful gift of communication we have from the Father. No matter what it is you are facing, pray for the strength to fully surrender it into God’s hands in exchange for His perfect peace. Again, don’t talk back to what’s floating around in your head. Give ALL of your “what-ifs” and worries to Him. Then, as we learn in Philippians 4:6-7, his peace, which surpasses all our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ. When we cast our anxieties on God, He supplies us with the strength with need to calm our anxious hearts. Even if you cannot find the words to say, just sit in His presence! Romas 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (ESV).
Press On in Faith
Although He can, God may not completely deliver me from my anxiety. And the same goes for you as well. The good news here is that God will never leave the picture, whether anxiety does or not. Take Peter, for example. Jesus did not take the storm away, but it was only when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus that he started to sink. You can read about this in Matthew 14:22-33. My main point here is to focus on God more than you do your circumstances. This life will not be free of trials, but the beauty in it all is that our trials are transforming and sanctifying us. Again, nothing is wasted in God’s eyes- not one thing. Everything that happens is for the greater purpose of glorifying God and getting us closer to the day when all of our fear and anxiety will be wiped away. Trust that there is something more, because there absolutely is. We are on our way to the Promised Land, sis! We are on our way indeed.
Thank You!
Sis, thank you so much for tuning in. I hope that you were able to be comforted by the truths I shared in today’s episode. I would love to know what your favorite takeaway was, so be sure to take a screenshot and tag @daughterofdelight in your Instagram story so that I can learn all about it and give you a personal shoutout myself! In addition, if you know someone who would benefit from this episode, please be sure to share!
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Coming Next Week
Thanks for tuning in to today's episode on fear and anxiety! Next week, we are going to talk all about why we don’t read the Bible as we should and what to do about it. This is going to be an episode you don’t want to miss, so be sure to make plans to tune in!