| 2:00 MIN READ |

“What if …?” These two words kickstart a common problem called anxiety. For some, the struggle is quite intense. The mind continually scans life’s horizons for threatening, foreboding possibilities looming in our future. Once the threat is perceived, rumination begins. Our mind fixates on the negative and convinces us that our concerns are real. It’s not long before we’re reacting emotionally and physically to a catastrophic imagination. Anxiety then morphs into fear, which locks us down and tortures us ruthlessly.

Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you are there. If so, what do you do? There are no quick solutions to anxiety issues. Overcoming them involves a variety of steps and stages. One of these is the decision to consistently confront our thinking with truth—specifically the truth of God’s Word. It’s a fight, but a fight worth fighting. When you rise up against anxious thoughts with the promises of God that counter them, they don’t like it. They resist. They protest. They scream. They demand to be believed. Don’t give up. Authoritatively declare and affirm God’s love, care, promises, provision, mercy, and grace no matter how loud anxiety yells.

The psalmist David had his moments of anxiety. Look at what he said about dealing with it in Psalm 119:49, 50 (TPT) “Lord, never forget the promises you’ve made to me, for they are my hope and confidence. In all of my afflictions I find great comfort in your promises, for they have kept me alive!” And in Psalm 94:18, 19 (NIV) “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

Are you anxious? Here’s a prayer for you, “Father, in the name of your Son, Jesus, I pray peace over every troubled mind. I ask you to calm the storm raging inside. I declare today that you are loving, good, merciful, kind, gracious and powerful. You have us in the palm of your hand. We trust in you. Let peace rule, I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Pastor Dale