Dealing with Anxiety

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Dealing with Anxiety

Emily Tenter

April 29, 2020 • Bethany Acker • Philippians 4:6–7, Psalm 73:26

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It seemed like every time Lauren got over one worry, another one quickly came to rest on her shoulders. She felt weighed down with fear. Some nights, she could hardly sleep because of it. And, some mornings, she didn’t want to get up to face them.

It was a constant struggle, but Lauren knew what it was: anxiety. She was a Christian and she knew she could trust God, but as much a she told herself that, it wasn’t always an instant fix.

“You just need to give your worries to God,” her friends would tell her.

“You shouldn’t be so down. You’re a Christian.”

“God tells us not to be anxious about anything.”

Lauren knew all of this, but it was a daily struggle. So, she and her parents made an appointment for her with a Christian counselor.

On the day of her first appointment, a friend tried to brush Lauren’s anxiety off as not relying on God.

Lauren talked about it with her counselor. “I trust God. I love God. But every day I still feel anxiety. Every day I look to God for strength to get through it. Every day I have to learn to trust Him all over again. Does that mean I’m not a Christian?”

“It doesn’t mean you’re not a Christian,” her counselor said. “You trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and He has you. Anxiety doesn’t change that.”

Her counselor continued. “We live in a broken world, and one way that shows up is through clinical anxiety, which is different from willfully worrying. Some people deal with clinical anxiety their whole lives. It’s a mental health issue. In the meantime, remember Jesus is always with you. When you’re feeling anxious, you can always come to Him, and you can always reach out for help from the people He has placed in your life.”

Lauren nodded. She really appreciated the support she received from her counselor, as well as her parents and her pastor.

“One last thing,” her counselor said. “Your anxiety isn’t the end of the story. As Christians, we look forward to the day when Jesus makes all things new. Clinical anxiety won’t be a part of that picture. Until then, know Jesus is with you every second of the day. Rest in who He is and what He has done and is doing in you. He loves you and empowers you by His Holy Spirit.”

Lauren nodded. She would continue to rely on God—and the people He had placed in her life—for strength and peace, knowing she was never alone. • Bethany Acker

• Do you struggle with anxiety? What helps you rest in God’s strength?

• Anxiety is a complicated and often lifelong issue that sometimes requires counseling, medication, or other treatment. If you’re struggling with anxiety, who are people in your life you can reach out to?

• Read Matthew 28:20, Romans 15:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, and Revelation 21:1-5. As Christians, what promises from these verses can we rest in?

• If you need someone to talk to, you can set up an appointment for a one-time complimentary phone consultation with a Christian counselor through the Focus on the Family Counseling Service. In the United States, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) to set up an appointment. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 (CSB)

Day 11 - As Far as the East is from the West

April 14, 2020 • Naomi Zylstra • Micah 7:19, 1 John 1:9—2:1

Do you still feel guilty about it? That thing you did. Maybe it happened yesterday, maybe it happened eight years ago. . No matter what it was, you may be holding on to unnecessary guilt. . Guilt does have a purpose. It leads us to repentance and encourages us not to do evil again... but that purpose can be twisted by Satan. . God wants us to feel sorry for our sins, repent, and ask forgiveness. But, once these sins are forgiven, they’re gone. Poof! In Christ, God has removed them from us. If we put our trust in Him, we carry these old sins no more. The Bible even says that God separates us from our sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). . God does not want His people to sit in their guilt and pour over sins already forgiven. Jesus took on our punishment for us. He died and was forsaken for our sins, taking on God’s wrath for us so that we don’t have to feel shame for our wrongdoings. . Besides guilt, another problem Christians face is shame. Shame is similar to guilt, but instead of seeing wrong in your sins, you see wrong in yourself. Shame changes “I did something bad” into “I’m a bad person.” . As Christians, we were once defined by our sins. But, when we put our trust in Jesus, He gives us a new identity. We are now children of God, wrapped in Christ’s righteousness (or sinlessness). God wants us to rejoice in Him and not feel shameful. . If you feel guilt or shame, repent of the sins you’re thinking of and ask forgiveness. If you still feel guilt and shame after that, take some time today to thank Jesus for the grace and forgiveness He has already given you. You are no longer captive to the power of guilt and shame. You are held in the love of Christ. • Naomi Zylstra . • Have you put your trust in Jesus to save you from sin? If not, what questions do you have? To learn more about what it means to know Jesus, check out our "Know Jesus" page. . • If you’re a Christian, are you still holding on to guilt for certain sins? Have you confessed them to God? What can you do today to celebrate God’s grace and forgiveness? . As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12 (NIV)

Day 10 - Dead

April 6, 2020 • Emily Tenter • Ephesians 2:1–10

My skin is cold. Though I can’t know for sure how cold—since corpses can’t feel anything. They can’t do anything at all, really. . If I had the ability to touch, I’d feel the icy, rough dirt that holds my stiff body in place. I’d feel the maggots wriggling their muculent bodies around the tips of my fingers, inside my ears, around my mouth, at the corners of my eyes. . If my sense of smell were working, I’d smell the aroma of rotting things decomposing beneath the earth’s surface. . If my tear ducts worked, I might wail as I thought on the fact that I am among them, my body food for the creatures that never see sunlight. . But I can do none of those things. . Because I am dead. . And when a person is dead, that is all they can do. Nothing. . This is my fate. To do nothing. To be nothing. To know nothing. To love nothing. . Until the moment that it isn’t my fate anymore. . Suddenly, the dirt is being pushed away from my body. Gentle hands are brushing the soil from my face, and I feel the warmth of them as they grasp my hands. . I feel them. As I have never been able to feel anything before! . These warm hands that send a blaze of warmth and life flowing up my arms and throughout my body now pull me upward until I’m above the ground. . I squint in the sunlight with eyes that can see! . When my eyes finally adjust to the bright light, I look into the face of the One who pulled me out. The One who has breathed life into my dead body and saved me from a fate of death and nothing. . The Man who smiles back at me wears white robes, free of blemish or spot. On His head is a crown made of the finest metals and precious stones. . This Man is the King. He cares for me. And He has made me alive. • Emily Tenter . • Reread today’s Bible verses. Why is dead the word used to describe us before we know Jesus? . • Our sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). Read Romans 8:10-11 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17. How does Jesus’s death and resurrection guarantee that He will bring eternal life to those who have put their trust in Him? . • Have you experienced being made alive by God? Find out more about what this means on our "Know Jesus" page. . But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Ephesians 2:4-5 (CSB)

Day 9 - The Guard

April 12, 2020 • Kevin Zeller • Matthew 28:1–10

"This is ridiculous,” I said, adjusting my helmet while keeping my spear crooked in my arm. “Why do we need all of these soldiers here. The man is dead, isn’t he?” . The guard next to me shrugged. “They say he made lots of noise about rising from the dead. So they are worried about his disciples coming back and stealing the body.” . “Well,” I said, glancing back at the crowd of soldiers gathered outside the small garden tomb, “Good luck to them. It’s all sealed up, and they would have to get through all that.” . I shifted on my feet, wishing for my cot. “Nice morning anyway.” . He grunted, signaling the end of the conversation. . Resentful, I stepped a few paces away. I looked up into the night sky, seeing a few stars remaining, even as the sky was brightening. Strange, one of the stars was moving... . A roar filled the garden, and the earth shook with an impact. I was thrown to the ground, my spear clattering on some stones. It took me a moment to regain my breath, and, when I did, I shrank back against a tree. . A bright figure, completely clad in what looked like glowing robes, was stalking toward the tomb. His footprints left the ground smoking. . The other guards were shrieking, stumbling over each other to get away even as he raised his bright hand, placed it on the stone, and pushed. . The last thing I remember before fainting was the sound of stone ripping. • Kevin Zeller . • How would you have reacted if you had been one of the guards at the tomb? . • Read Romans 8:11-24, 2 Corinthians 5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Revelation 21:1-5. How did Jesus’s resurrection begin the new creation breaking into our world? . He [Jesus] said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” Mark 9:31 (NLT)