Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, …

It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over something unlikely to happen, such as a feeling of imminent death.

Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is felt about something realistically intimidating or dangerous and is an appropriate response to a perceived threat;

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing… Anxiety is not considered to be a normal reaction to a perceived stressor although many feel it occasionally.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety

I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for years.  Sometimes there was a good reason, and sometimes it came for seemingly no reason at all.  Overwhelmed by people at the mall, at work, or even by my own friends!  Many days I felt numb, and I dreaded going outside to face the world.

Why?

I don’t know, exactly, except to say that there is an enemy of our soul that will do anything that it takes to stop us in our tracks. Anxiety is an effective tool for him because it goes hand in hand with shame and condemnation.  You become afraid to speak, and you believe that you are alone in your struggle- that no one else would understand.  Because of this, you remain trapped in its grasp.

In my battle against anxiety and panic attacks, I tried to fight it by myself at first, but later saw the futility in that, and I finally began crying out to God.  After I opened up my heart to His healing, He began walking me through the construction zone of my heart.  Stepping over the orange cones and avoiding the dangerous scaffolding, He led me to Freedom.

He did this in a variety of ways:

-He spoke to me daily through His word.  Every phrase jumped out at me with new meaning.  Instead of seeing the fear and pain of David in the Psalms and the sorrow of Jeremiah, I saw a faithful Comforter, and His unrelenting Love for a rebellious people.

-He spoke to me in my tears.  He told me that tears were all right, and He pointed me to the verse in Psalms that says that He saves every tear in a bottle.

-He spoke to me in my loneliness and fear of abandonment, and reminded me of His loneliness on the earth.  How his closest friends deserted Him when He needed them the most.

-He walked me through the process of identifying every lie of satan that I believed, and combating them with the Truths of His word.

-He walked me through every stage of my healing, and sent me loving mentors to speak Love and Truth into my heart.

 

Towards the end of this journey, He gave me the analogy of a construction zone.  He told me that my heart had been under construction for some time, but that now it was open for business!  Open for love.  Open for wholeness.  Open for Life!

 

There is no magic word that can snap you out of anxiety and rid you of every fear, but Jesus can and He will.  It may be a long journey for you, like it was for me, but it will be worth it!  Today I can truly say that I’m thankful for that sorrow, thankful for my broken heart, because it brought me so much closer to Him.

Are you clinging to the wrong savior?  It’s not too late!  Let go of whatever you’re clinging to, and run to the Master of the stormy seas!  Let Him calm the storm of your heart.  Let his voice rule your heart, and none other!!

Here is a glimpse of His power in Your life:

“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon many (great) waters.  The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.”

Psalm 29:3-5, Amplified Bible

 

“God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from death [setting us free].”

Psalm 68:20, Amplified Bible

 

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!  For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.  You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.”

Psalm 91:1-6, Amplified Bible

 

[And indeed] the Lord will certainly deliver and draw me to Himself from every assault of evil. He will preserve and bring me safe unto His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (so be it).”

II Timothy 4:18, Amplified Bible

 

[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.  [Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:13-15, Amplified Bible

 

Today, let God take control of your heart and walk you out of the wasteland of anxiety and fear, and into the vast, blooming garden of Life!  Take hold of His powerful hand, and He will never let you go.  Never.

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