Dealing with Anxiety in this Crazy Life

INTRODUCTION

300 Illustrations for Preachers (Burning His House down to Kill a Spider)

A man afraid of spiders spotted one in the laundry room of his West Seattle home. In order to get rid of it, he grabbed a lighter and a can of spray paint. There is no report about the fate of the spider, but the house caught fire, causing about $60,000 worth of damage. That is a lot to get rid of one spider.

Fear can make us act irrationally.

We live in the safest/most secure society in the history of mankind. Diseases and health issues that used to be a death sentence for generations past are now treated in days by specialists. We drive vehicles that autocorrect themselves if you drift out of your lane. These vehicles have more airbags in them than you probably even know about. If you are a new parent w/ a baby, you’ve got more safety precautions…

And yet…we live in the most anxiety-plagued society in the history of mankind.

Each generation deals with anxiety but Gen Z is experiencing an alarming amount of anxiety.

Larry Hyche, one of our church members and a state missionary with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions has researched and written extensively on this subject.

National Institute of Health — Anxiety may be defined as apprehension, tension, or uneasiness that stems from the anticipation of danger, which may be internal or external (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 1980).

American Psychology Association — Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.

Social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, says that anxiety is “experienced as dread and worry, and, after a while, exhaustion. At the core of anxiety, there is a fear of what might happen in the future. As the fear is allowed to linger, it diminishes a person’s capacity for clear thinking and produces cognitive distortions.

Psychology professor Jean Twenge has studied generational characteristics and nuances all the way back to the 1930s. As she studied mental health patterns for Gen Z in 2012, she found that the steadily inclining lines became “steep mountains,” revealing an abrupt change she had never seen before.

Since 2010—14 years—there has been over 134% increase in anxiety and over 106% increase in depression among college students.

An American College Health Association survey in 2017 reported that 63.4% of students reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety.”

At the root of anxiety is FEAR.

Maybe you identify with this. Maybe your life, your relationships, your mental health is plagued with anxiety. This is a crazy life that throws so much at us. As followers of Jesus, how can we deal with anxiety?

Philippians 4:4–9 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Main Idea

Anxiety is a weapon of Satan to destroy us.

God’s peace is His gift to bless us and give us freedom in this crazy life.

Paul gives us a command—“Be anxious for nothing.” Sounds great. Sounds idealistic, right? Easy for you to say, Paul. But, my gosh, do you know what all Paul went through? If anyone had any justifiable reason to struggle with anxiety and worry it was Paul. He had survived a shipwreck. He had been beaten and run out of many towns. He constantly had people threatening to kill him. He was constantly being watched. He faced ongoing financial insecurity.

But, here he gives us this command—as a fellow sufferer through life—to be anxious for nothing. Why? Because Paul knew that…

Anxiety is a weapon of Satan meant to destroy us.

The words “anxious” and “worry” in the Greek come from the same root term that means “to care, to worry, to be troubled, or to be pulled in different directions.”

A dog gnawing on a bone—all the way down to a nub. Anxiety gnaws away at you until you feel like there’s nothing left.

(Vance Pitman, The Stressless Life, 33-34)

Anxiety is the interest paid on trouble before it’s due.

William Ralph Inge (Dean of St Paul’s)

How can I deal with the anxiety of this crazy life?

Now, I want to make clear that I’m a doctor—Dr. Atkins—but not “that” kind of doctor. I believe that God has equipped specialists, etc…

But, here’s what I know. I know that our God is Creator. He’s your Creator. He’s my Creator. I know we are fearfully and wonderfully made but that our bodies—including our brains—are under the curse of sin and we daily deal with the effects of the Fall in Genesis 3. I know for a fact that our God, as Psalm 139 says, knows our inmost being. I know that, yes, there are doctors and specialists that I believe, again, that God has gifted to help with issues of mental health but that God’s word is powerful. I believe that God is the healer. I believe that God is the God of peace and that His word directs us in the way of life, and freedom, and healing.

ABIDE in Christ (vs. 4-6)

Our daily, ongoing, growing relationship with the Lord is our source of life and peace in this Crazy Life. In John 14 & 15, Jesus tells us what a relationship with him looks like. He says to his disciples…

John 14:27 (ESV)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Then, in chapter 15 he tells us how we can experience this peace—I am the vine you are the branches—Abide in me. And Jesus says that if we abide in him then his love will abide in us and our joy will be complete.

The remainder of this letter, beginning here in 4:4 is a slew of commands. As Paul launches into this brief section about anxiety, worry, care, he begins with the command to “rejoice in the Lord always” and, just for extra emphasis, “again…I say rejoice.” This command to rejoice in the Lord is the most repeated point in the letter…really, the theme.

“The Lord is at hand…”

Two ways, I think, of reading this. If you are saved/if you’re a child of God, He is ever present with you. He’s as close as your hand.

Another way…His return is close. What you’re worried about is in your future. God’s already there. He’s omnipresent.

So…If I am living in relationship with Jesus—abiding in Him—and He is as close as my hand—two things—be glad & be grateful

Joy and FEAR cannot coexist.

Be glad

Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

It is anxiety that robs us of our joy. And what is anxiety but fear? Fear is the enemy of joy. It is hard to be joyful when we are afraid.

R. C. Sproul

PRAYER—Paul says “don’t be anxious about ANYTHING but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication…”

Now, I know a lot of times, the remedy for anxiety/worry that a lot of people get is “just pray about it!” And, let’s be honest, unfortunately, a lot of times if we get that advice we just brush it off. Maybe we’ve gotten frustrated with prayer. Maybe we’ve BEEN praying about our concerns and our fears and our worries and our anxiety and it just hasn’t gone away. We’re defeated. We’re “gnawed” to death by our anxiety and prayer just seems to hit the ceiling.

But, here’s what Paul says…our prayer and our supplication are to be made with thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving and FEAR cannot coexist.

Be grateful

All in the context of constant/ongoing conversation with God (Pray without ceasing//1 Thessalonians 5:16).

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Put your cares out of your own reach…put it on the top shelf—on the throne.

Studies have shown that gratitude reduces anxiety (depression, too) in part by optimizing the functioning of the autonomic nervous system as well as those same neurotransmitters involved in anxiety.

The brain can't respond to anxiety and gratitude at the same time, which means it's one or the other.

(https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/anxiety-schmanxiety/2019/11/gratitude-and-anxiety-to-be-less-anxious-be-more-grateful#:~:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20that%20gratitude,same%20neurotransmitters%20involved%20in%20anxiety.&text=The%20brain%20can't%20respond,it's%20one%20or%20the%20other.)

And the promise is verse 7— “AND (the result) the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Dwell on TRUTH (vs. 8)

The battleground for anxiety is the mind. This is why Paul says that the peace of God will guard your “minds” in Christ Jesus. The lies of Satan fill our minds to doubt God’s word, to doubt God’s provision, and to doubt God’s goodness. To doubt our future.

What occupies your thoughts?

Whatever is…

TRUE

HONORABLE

JUST

PURE

LOVELY

COMMENDABLE

EXCELLENT

PRAISEWORTHY

Train your mind—fill it with the word of God. “Well, I’ve tried to think about things other than what I’m worried about/fearful of.”

Question—how much of God’s Word have/are you memorizing and meditating on?

Psalm 1—the blessed man is the one who delights in the word of the Lord and meditates on it day and night…like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.

Satan—father of lies

Trust and Obey by FAITH (vs. 9)

I know there’s a temptation that some of us may have this morning…and I genuinely, with all of my heart, believe that it is a lie from Satan—the Father of Lies—himself.

If you don’t believe that God can heal you—your God is not the God of the Bible.

I’m not talking about the “power of positive thinking.” I’m talking about trusting in the word and the promises of the all powerful Creator. Are you going to take God at his word?

Isaiah 53:4–5 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Anxiety is a weapon of Satan to destroy us.

God’s peace is His gift to bless us and give us freedom in this crazy life.

You cannot control the future—there is so much that you cannot control. You need to surrender.

Will you choose to ABIDE IN CHRIST, DWELL ON TRUTH, TRUST AND OBEY BY FAITH?

CONCLUSION

1) Lord Jesus, I surrender control of my life to you. You love me more than I could ever fathom. I recommit myself to abide in you. Lord, I want to fill my heart and mind with your truth and dwell on your truth. And, Lord, I take you at your word—your promises and your provisions—by faith.

2) MAYBE YOU’RE HERE AND YOU’VE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT/FIX YOUR LIFE ON YOUR OWN. YOU HAVE A SIN PROBLEM.