Prescription for Anxiety: Take as Directed Step 4

In the last post, we looked at Matthew 6:33, which told us to "Seek ye first..." We touched on getting our focus on God, but let's look at that in detail because if we are to have victory over anxiety, we must adjust our focus!
When we are focused on Him, He gets bigger and bigger in our eyes and our problems get smaller and smaller. Just like the hymn says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. That's not just a song you know...it's the truth!
Those of us who are experiencing anxiety, are most likely focusing on one or both of the following things: circumstances and/or self. Let's focus on our focus for one moment.

Circumstances:
There was a man named Peter. Matthew tells us about an experience Peter had and I think we can all identify with it. Most folks have heard of the familiar story found in chapter 14 of Matthew's gospel, where the disciples got into the boat and crossed to the other side of the sea. The clouds probably looked dark and suspicious when they started out, and before the evening ended, a terrible storm had brewed and was causing fear for even the experienced fisherman, Peter. The men looked out onto the water and saw something that frightened them as much as the storm...could it be a ghost? Of course, soon they would realize it was Jesus. Peter wanted to make sure it was Him, and not some spirit, so he asked Jesus if He would allow him to walk on the water too. "Come" Jesus replied and without a second thought, Peter hopped out of the boat and began to walk on the water! Well, you're probably thinking about now, "No, Danielle, I can't relate to this story. I have never walked on water." But hang on because we're getting to the good stuff....verse 30 tells us this: Peter was walking on the water..."But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me!"
So much packed into that one sentence!!!
First of all, I want you to notice the sequence of events: 1.) Peter focused on the storm (circumstances) instead of the Lord. 2.) He became afraid. 3.) He began to sink.
This is exactly what happens to us. We focus on the storms of bills, health problems, consequences of past mistakes, the decision that looms over us...on and on. Then we get afraid and what does fear and anxiety always lead to...depression. We sink into discouragement and depression. BUT!! What did Peter do when he started to sink? He cried to the Lord, save me! And verse 31 tells us: "and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Wouldn't it be great if we could learn not to doubt? To keep our eyes focused on Him and walk over the stormy waves in our life?
I know this is what we all want, but when we do sink, He is always there...we can cry out to Him and He will save us. What a wonderful, gracious Savior!
Now, while we all struggle with doubt, we can learn to sink less and less, by purposely looking over the crashing waves and keeping Him in our focus!

Self:
We've already covered the importance of taking our thoughts into captivity. Let's go a little further with that and consider the tape recorder we all have playing over and over in our minds. What message is recorded on yours? Does it say, "Oh, you're so stupid...why did you say that?". Or maybe, "Everybody is talking about you and they all think you are ________". Maybe you hear something someone actually said to you that was hurtful or maybe you remember a past mistake and cringe. Whatever it is...it is focus on self and it is a form of pride. Eventually, if left unchecked, it will lead you to anxiety and depression.
Author Tim Hansel reports his findings after a study on self talk:
When we speak normally, we speak at a rate of 120 words per minute. But, our self talk (inner dialogue or tape recorder) is spoken at a rate of 1300 words per minute which adds up to 78,000 words per hour and 1,248,000 words per day...and this does not include the 8 hours we sleep. His findings show that 70 percent of all self talk is negative!!!! This should not be.
The truth is, the human brain can not think of two things at the same time...if we are spending this much time focused on self and negative thoughts, we most certainly are not meditating in His Word day and night.

The answer to the problem goes back to taking our thoughts into captivity and recording a different message on that tape recorder. We must be proactive in putting the right things in our mind and then choosing to over ride the negative with the positive. Quit listening to the father of lies...quit making his job so easy! Sometimes we are own worst enemy.

The Bible talks about this. Our own heart attacks us...you know the same heart that is deceitful above all things...the one that is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). I John 3:20-21 says "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. But if our heart condemns us not, then we have confidence toward God". The heart, in this sense, is referring to our "meditator"...the part of us that reasons things out and forms beliefs. You see, what we meditate on or think about over and over, determines what we believe. What we believe determines how we respond to the circumstances in life...and our responses are the vehicle that takes us where we will go. God wants us to have confidence in Him...not so we have a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but so that we can accomplish His purpose for our lives...so we can go far for His glory. Ephesians 3 talks about that purpose and it says He wants to do in us and for us, exceedingly and abundantly above what we could ask or think!
The truth is...most of us give up, or don't even try to fight against the discouraging and anxious thoughts...we don't want to do the work to have a disciplined thought life because we don't believe it is worth it. But it is worth it...it is! You don't have to take my word for it...take His Word for it! Focus on Him and you can and will experience peace.

The prescription for anxiety is peace. Remember: God has promised a different kind of peace...a peace that passes understanding! The world's "peace" offers immediate but temporary relief and is always followed by costly consequences and shame. God's way costs something up front, but is always followed by great reward.
He tell us in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Prescription for Anxiety: Take as Directed Step 3

In the first blog, we discovered that peace is freedom from disquieting and oppressive thoughts. Peace is the prescription, the cure in fact, for anxiety. Each blog in this series has been a step for obtaining peace. Let's look at a verse that will help us with Step 3...Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: because he trusts You."
There it is again...a mind fixed on God and godly thoughts will have peace. If you feel anxious, you automatically know your mind is not stayed on God. But there is a second part introduced here. Trust.
We must learn to trust Him.
When I was first coming out of the pit, I was so overwhelmed. I really didn't know where to start first. I thought, if God would just remove these difficult circumstances, I would be happy and trust Him. But God did not wave a magic wand and fix everything. As I was crying out to Him and asking Him what to do first, He led me to Matthew 6:33. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Think about that and read it again!!!
He was actually saying to me, "Danielle, here's what you do first. You get your mind focused on me. You seek me and my righteousness, and I will take care of all these things you are worried about." I was SO excited. So, I went back and read the verses before to find out what things would be added unto me...in verse 31 it said what I would eat, drink and wear...in fact all things I was in need of...were the things God would take care of. It said He knows what things I am in need of...He's just waiting for me to focus on Him. After all, as verse 26 and 28 says, He does that for the birds and the flowers and we are more important to God than those things. Haven't you ever noticed that the birds always have a song...it's because they aren't worried about their next meal. They are not worried about anything. They know their Creator is going to provide. Getting our mind off of our problems and needs, and getting them focused on God, will bring peace. But it takes us trusting Him.
But there is more...Matthew 6:34 says this, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
This verse is a warning...a warning against looking too far down the road and trying to handle tomorrow's problems with only today's grace. Listen...Looking too far down the road overwhelms us and causes anxiety and depression.
I remember waking up in the mornings in those early days of coming out of the pit, and feeling this dread that would beat me back down into the bed. I would think about the day ahead or the weeks ahead, and I just felt overwhelmed and hopeless. I was defeated before I got started in the day. Well guess what!! I didn't know it at that time, but I didn't have to try to handle tomorrow's problems today, because I get new grace, mercy and compassion from the Lord tomorrow to handle tomorrow's problems. In fact, we all do...we all get new mercies every single morning! And when we recall that, we have hope. Just like Lamentations 3:21-22 says, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."
So, to summarize Step 3...First things first! First, seek Him and His righteousness. Then, don't look too far down the road trying to handle tomorrow's problems with only today's grace. Instead, trust Him to take care of your needs which includes new grace for the day's difficulties.
When we TRULY believe that He is working every single thing together for our good, we can rejoice in the face of hard times...this is where trust begins. Believing that God is able and even desires to do a great work in us. And it really helps in the dark times to remember that God's Word promises that all things are only for a season. It may seem like there is no end to the suffering, but God says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)
And I didn't plan to say this...but let me tell you what was the most freeing moment in my life. It was when my pastor said, God made the game and He made the rules the game is played by. He is God and you are not. In that moment, instead of being angry at God for the past and present pain or resisting God's authority in my life, I surrendered. Peace flooded...literally flooded till I felt it physically fill my whole body. Sweet surrender! I began to trust Him in that moment and it was a step out of the pit!
Step 3 to peace is Learn to Trust God! Watch for Step 4 in the next blog.