On Anxiety
By Paris Renae

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT

Maybe you, like me, have experienced those moments. The ones where deep breaths seem illusive. That feeling like something's wrong - but what? Or anything?

In the world we're living in, maybe it's not as rare as I think. But it's not good for us. It's a stress signal - and stress is not our friend. No solutions here - just a bit of compassion and a few ideas. How about some peace to replace the nerves?

It's not going to come from ourselves. Otherwise, we wouldn't be anxious in the first place, right? This is a journey of not only being a disciple of Jesus, but a ‘truster’ of Him. Do we trust God to be God in our lives? "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 NIV)

I'm coming off a morning of frustration with health. A morning of deep breaths and deep doubt. Not in God, but in my ability to let go of control. To know that I'm a healthy person and though the last few months have had ups and downs, it's not forever.

That's when reaching out comes into play. We must overcome being embarrassed to admit we need a listening ear, a heartfelt prayer, basically some Jesus with skin on. We can be that for each other. The Holy Spirit is in us, we are light in this dark world. Let's allow the light of a fellow believer to make the darkness recede. "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (James 5:16 NLT)

Still, a prayer warrior is not all we need. We need to immerse ourselves in heavenly help. Making the time to stop and search out the Father. 'God, help' - may be all we get out, but we're headed in the right direction.

Making time to not only have regular time in the Word (start if you don't already do this) - but amid the anxiety attack to have resources at our fingertips that point us to the Bible. Topical or inspirational. Music of praise and worship. Memorized Scripture (ahh, that one is super important).

There's no quick fix. But I'm all in for relief even in baby steps. How about you? Can we decide to be obedient to the wise words of Jesus and the apostles? Those that say: 'do not worry - about anything', 'seek His kingdom first', 'be still and KNOW that I Am God' - and so many more jewels we need to unearth daily.

"And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT)

O Father, our world is broken, and often we find the brokenness too close to home. We need Your peace and it’s already ours, show us each morning how to lay hold of the peace our souls long for. Throughout our day help us pause and breathe in Your peace so that our racing hearts can slow and our doubts be laid to rest. And each night, let us rest in the arms of the Savior who never leaves us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

For more encouragement, visit Paris at http://parisrenae.com.

© 2022 by Paris Renae. All rights reserved.

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