Four Steps for the Christian to Help Anxiety
As Christians, we know we aren’t supposed to fear. “Do not be anxious about anything…” Paul writes in Philippians 4:6. And such admonitions are found throughout Scripture.
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus dedicates a significant portion of the Sermon on the Mount to fear and anxiety in verses 25–34. “I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?... Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
2 Timothy 1:7 additionally says that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity.”
Joshua 1:9, probably the most famous fear-related verse, says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” While the command is directed towards Joshua, the principle of course applies to all who trust in the LORD.
In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel experiences a terrible vision which causes him intense pain and fear. An angel responds to Daniel’s distress saying, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” Daniel then writers, “And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened” (Daniel 10:19, emphasis added).
Clearly, a life characterized by fears, anxieties, and troubles of the unredeemed world is not the life God wants for his children. A life of terror is not the kind of new life Christ purchased with his blood. In fact, Christ warns against preoccupations (which often involves anxiety) with the world. In the parable of the sowers (Luke 8:5–8), Christ warns that there will be some believers who are choked out by thorns and weeds, which are the cares of the world.
While the word of God has immense power, my guess is that if you are struggling with anxiety, reading those verses didn’t eliminate your anxiety. It may have (and praise God if it did!). While encouraging and exhorting Scriptures like those listed above are a remedy for spiritual anxiety, fear is a multifaceted emotion.
Fear is not inherently sinful. Imagine walking down a dark alley in a not-so-good part of town. You have your five-year-old little girl with you, and you also happen to have over a $100 in cash. Fear makes sense. It is appropriate. Or imagine you are a combat veteran who lives right by a train station or close to an airport. When you hear a train horn or a plane fly overhead, you may experience an intense fear response.
Fear that results from not trusting the LORD is indeed sinful. All fear provides an opportunity to trust God even if part of the cause is physiological. Think of the person in a sketchy situation. Fear is the signal that the situation may be dangerous or unknown. The body and the emotions are telling the mind, “Hey something’s not right about this. I don’t feel safe.” The combat veteran has been through intense trials. The physiological fight-o- flight response that helps humans overcome challenges and face danger has been messed up by overexposure to stressful experiences. In this case, having the fear is no more sinful than having a stomachache after eating something bad at a restaurant. However, both situations provide and opportunity to trust. Not trusting would indeed be sinful.
Therefore, fear can be sinful. It very often is sinful. But it is not ALWAYS sinful. Now, the causes of fear are complex and multifaceted. However, there are four simple yet powerful things the believer can do whenever fear strikes.
B – Breathe. Oxygen is essential for life. Taking deep, belly breathes calms your sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight rapid responses). A conscious deep breath is a message to yourself that “Things are going to be okay. I have time to take a deep breath and care for myself.” This helps the parasympathetic nervous system take over (rest-and-digest; relaxation). It also helps muscles that may have tensed up to relax.
R – Refocus and remind. There is the temptation to become overly focused on oneself during a fear response. Sometimes, the fearful person may be preoccupied with what is making him or her fearful. There is a time for that self-exploration, but not in the midst of anxiety itself. Trying to find the causes in an already emotionally draining situation may lead to self-condemnation and even more fear! (See Romans 8:1). Remember, in stressful situations, look to Christ. God is the healer. While he will guide us into self-exploration, self-exploration is not the ultimate healer. Take a moment. Remind yourself of God’s promises and of his lovingkindness even in the midst of your fear. “Oh man greatly loved!” Get the focus off of yourself. “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This is the second part of Philippians 4:6. Tell God about your fear. He may take it away right then. He may not. He will certainly guide you through it.
A – Acceptance. Building on the last step, accept that you are afraid. This doesn’t mean resigning yourself to the fear. It also doesn’t mean saying that sinful fear is okay. However, too often when we have a problem, we try to white-knuckle it. In your refocusing away from yourself, don’t deny that you have any fear! God knows you. He knows you’re afraid. Don’t metaphorically hide from God like Adam and Even actually did. A small prayer like this may be of help, “LORD, I know I am afraid. I confess it to you. I don’t like this feeling. Guide me through it. Show me what I can learn through this experience. I do not hide my faults from you. Rather, I trust you with them.” You may not fully mean it when you pray that. Do it anyways. Tell God you are having trouble. He will work this to your good (Romans 8:28).
G – Gratitude. Numerous secular studies have found that gratitude helps people cope with anxiety and depression. Let’s focus again on Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” See that bolded phrase? Find three things to be thankful about. Tell God about them. Tell your family or friends about them. Write them down.
You may have noticed that the acronym spells “BRAG.” Bragging is usually a result of pride. But there is one thing Christians can brag about that is totally, 100% righteous. It may even help with anxiety. “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
Boast is Christ. Boast in his heroic work. He has saved you and he is saving you! He will not make every situation perfectly harmless, but he will work every harmful and fearful situation towards your good if you trust in him. And one day we will all be perfected.
Viktor Frankl, a Jewish physician, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor once wrote:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
You probably did not consciously chosen fear. No one wakes up and happily says, “Today, I choose to be debilitated by fear!” Nevertheless, you have the choice to trust God with it. You can use fear to grow. Fear can increase your boast in Christ. God is teaching the believer something through fear. He is always working to sanctify his children.
Mitchell D. Cochran is a family life educator, a financial coach, and a board certified biblical counselor. He is the cofounder of Hope Initiative Consulting, LLC. and is currently attending Calvary University for his M.A. in biblical counseling. Mitchell is active in local politics in Lubbock, TX, where he lives with his wife, Katherine.
