One of the most treacherous things we create in our own lives is anxiety. Anxiety is the lack of a capacity to cope. Often a lack of hope and control are present when anxiety finds its way in our hearts. Webster defines anxiety this way: "distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune."
For some anxiety can be a too often occurrence and annoyance, for others it can be debilitating and destructive to their lives.
I feel that I'm very blessed in this area because of the many stressful situations I endured that were mostly caused by me. Whether it was family or financial issues I believe that God took my bad and made it good. The greatest thing that came out of many of my dark times and trials was an increased faith and an increase in knowledge concerning difficult life situations that many of us have experienced or will go through at some point.
Knowledge is the knowing, but wisdom is the doing. Many times it takes more than just having knowledge concerning a particular topic or issue. Yes, I agree that we often do better when we know better, but more often than not is takes self discipline, self control and self awareness to put into motion appropriate behavior and the correct way of thinking. It's not enough just to know; action is often required on our part.
Getting to this point in our life takes time, it takes introspection and reflection, and it takes personal growth.
In a word it takes maturity.
So how do we combat anxiety? Below are three things that have aided me during difficult times and have increased my understanding concerning anxiety. Knowledge truly equals power.
3 reasons for ANXIETY:
FEAR: Fear leads to paralysis; plain and simple. Isaiah 8:12-13 states "Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. Do not fear anything except the lord almighty." Another word for fear is worry. Philippians 4:6 say's "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything." I find both of those verses comforting... everything in His strength, not mine. Finally, 'economy of motion' is a term that is often used in the world of boxing. It is important for a fighter not to waste a lot of energy with wasteful movement. The key is to focus on your opponent and to strike as many blows as possible with the fewest amount of punches thrown. The boxer that is able to do this fights of fatigue better, thus giving him a better chance to win fight without completely becoming tired during the bout. The same is true when we are in a battle and fear takes over. Fear and worry sap us of our energy. They are wasteful emotions that have no value, and at times the fear actually creates emotional anguish that is far greater than the situation we fear. Winston Churchill said it best: "All we have to fear is fear it's self."
UNBELIEF: The main reason anxiety creeps into our lives is because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. We have no idea if things will get better, stay the same or get worse. Many times we don't believe things will get better. The one thing that I hold on to is that every situation has a beginning, middle and an end. And more importantly God is fully aware of what stage you are in. He knows all the beginnings and all the ends in our lives. Leave the when's, the how's and the why's to Him. Proverbs 3:5 states: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not o your own understanding."
PLAYING GOD: Don't play God, pray to God. You're not God so don't act like you are. Anytime you say "I can handle this" your playing God. Psalms 55:22 shares with us to "give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." I really can't add anything to that advice, and more importantly, that promise.
In the end, GOD tells us in 1st Peter 5:7 to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Another translation puts this way; "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you."
Decide today who you are going to trust and who you will put your faith in, by doing so, if the correct decision is made, you will be on your way to reducing or eliminating anxiety in your life.
sbb 11.12.10
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