How to overcome anxiety, pt. 2

See good.

If you have a negative neural pathway, even the good that you hear or receive you interpret as negative. We can blame the doctors, blame the virus, blame God. But, how much time do you spend with God. Pray like David, “Search me Lord, try me. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”

We all need more of God’s presence in our life. God can come in and give you right alignment. We are called to be disciplined Disciples. Ask yourself, how big is my God? You’ve got to know your God. Remember what He has done in the past. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If he was great yesterday, He is great today and will still be great tomorrow. And don’t just listen to Christian music. Most of the worship songs today are more soiling than sanctifying. Disciple, discipline yourself to get into the word. Let’s take our focus off the wrong things.

Jezebel just spoke words to Elijah “I’m gonna kill you tomorrow.” Then I Kings 19:3 says, “And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life…” The Bible says Elijah saw what Jezebel said.He didn’t just hear it he saw it. Her words became visual to him. He pictured the negative thing and he got up and ran. He lost focus of what God had done just days ago.

How big is your God?

But, pastor, you don’t know what they’ve been saying. Are we disconnected from the truth? If you see it you can have it. Once we begin to picture evil and wickedness we can’t receive from God. Anxiety has reached maximum capacity. 

Elijah was in a bad place, but not because of where he was physically situated. It’s because of where his mind was. A cave can be a grave where you die, or it can be a womb for rebirth. God called Elijah out of the cave just shows off to remind Elijah of all he could do.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. (I Kings 19: 11, 12)

God wasn’t in the wind, the fire or the earthquake. He was in the still, small voice. That’s the same place where we’ll find Him when we search for Him, when we get into the Word of God. Don’t do something permanently foolish because you’re temporarily anxious or upset. Instead, search the scriptures and get into the wisdom of God’s Word.

Keys to overcoming temporary anxiety

1. Fill yourself with God’s Word. As I’ve already covered, fill yourself with God’s Word. Spend time with Him.
2. Look inside. Take inventory of what’s in your heart as King David asked God to do for him. It’s the things we’re most devoted to that cause fear and anxiety. Anxiety is a sin. It’s an open door for Satan to come into your life.
3. Let go. Live with an open hand. We often take God’s gifts and make them idols. Release them. Don’t keep your eyes on the wrong things. Let them go and don’t let them keep coming back
4. Be diligent to understand the message behind everything you hear. Don’t just listen or read superficially. Go deep. Jesus says in Mark 4:24, The Passion Translation:
   “…Be diligent to understand the meaning behind everything you hear, for as you do, more understanding will be given to you. And according to the depth of your longing to understand, much more will be added to you.” (Mark 4:24, TPT)
5. Let joy unspeakable and full of glory overtake you. Be devoted to God and nothing else. Have the confidence that everything’s going to be okay. Give the things you’re worried about to God and refuse to take them back.

God is asking, “Where are you, Joe…Mary…Susan,…Gaspar? What are you doing here?” Go back to the place God called you to in the beginning. Return to your first love. Be diligent to keep your shalom. Go back and make sure your mindset is right and positive. That’s how you overcome anxiety.