I have a confession to make….I have been plagued with anxiety lately! My mind has raced with anxious thoughts and swirling questions of “what if”.  My fears have been uninvited, yet when they have come knocking, I have allowed them to enter my mind. I have entertained this anxious rhetoric, and it has left me overwhelmed and exhausted.

I can’t really pinpoint the shift in my pattern of thought, but for some reason it has been a real struggle in these present times. I have had to battle the anxieties of worry with the truth of God’s Word and His promises to help me get back in order. When negative thoughts or mental conflicts arise, I know that what I have in my faith arsenal is stronger than the attacks of anxiousness from the enemy. As I have reminded myself of God’s faithfulness, I also have repeatedly remembered that He is trustworthy and that He loves me even when I am overcome by fear. In His Word, He tells me that I can cast all my cares on Him, for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). This is what I must cling to.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “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.”

These scriptures are a guide on how to overcome our anxieties. First, we should not be anxious about anything. I know that sounds impossible, yet it is the acknowledgment that we must let go of our worries and turn them over to our Heavenly Father. He loves us and wants to help us. We must loosen our grip on our need for control and surrender into His trustworthy hands. When we let go of our worries and come to Him with prayer and supplications, then He can provide something the world can not give. Our supplication is really just the act of humbling ourselves and pleading to Him. Then, we are to give Him thanks for how He is working now and how He will continue working in our lives.

Though we may find it difficult to see through the storms of this life, we can always find a reason to be thankful! Choose to thank Him for your life and the breath in your lungs, and watch how acknowledgment of His goodness can change your perspective. Next, we see that when we turn to Him and seek what only He can provide, which is peace, it will fall on us and guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus alone!

I know that this world can be troubling, and more times than I would like to admit, I have found myself falling into the trap of negativity that surrounds us in every way lately. But I know that in order to overcome this, I must cling to God through all of these trials, and He will rescue me from my anxious heart and mind.

My prayer is that if you are struggling with the same emotions, you will realize that you can find peace in Jesus, for He is the remedy for our worried minds!

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4

Amanda Patterson
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#amandapattersonblogs