The Root of Anxiety

We can all agree that we have had anxiety in our life at some point in time. Whether that is through pieces here and there or a struggle every day. Anxiety is so prevalent in society that some own it as an identity saying "I'm just an anxious person".

Statistics

248 million people suffer with anxiety worldwide

#1 most common mental health problem in the U.S

40 million Americans have been diagnosed with anxiety in 2022

1 in 6 Americans take a psychiatric medication

Friends, I'm here to tell you good news! Anxiety is not your identity. I don't know who originally started that saying, but it has captured so many people into believing it. . .

It's false. Plain wrong. A lie.

We live in a world where it's easier to say I'm an anxious person than to dig into the roots of anxiety by understanding why we're anxious. I wanna break it down like this; I would say the most common themes why we are anxious is because

1 - stressing over things that are simply out of our control

2 - trying to figure out the future on our own

3 - when things don't go as imagined and now feel stuck or lost

I'm not saying that every anxiety episode is necessarily bad ~ The Lord does give us moments where we become anxious out of a discernment of the Holy Spirit telling us that we may be going down the wrong path.

I'm not saying medications are wrong, as they can truly help. But, is the medications above your devotion time with the Lord? Is your medication your crutch? These are the self-evaluations when we need to dig into figuring out where is our peace rooted in.

But I am talking about the every day anxiety where you feel consumed and crippled by anxiety in every situation that comes your way in life - the small ones, the big ones, the in-between ones.

I'm wanting to share this because friends I don't wanna see our world crippled with anxiety. I don't want to see us living captivated by a lie. I don't want to see us bound by these strong holds.

So what are some things that we can do to break the chains

1. Investigate the root of why you're anxious

2. Spend time in prayer telling Him all about your anxieties. Pour it out. Let him hear them all.

3. Pray and ask God to transform your anxiety

4. Take Action - speak back to your anxiety declaring it's not who you are. It's not your identity. It's not how you were born or how you have to live. Speak truth inside through prayer and outside with your words. Take small actions like reciting Philippians 4:6-7 and 1 Peter 5:7 before taking medicine, or writing on the top of the bottles God Over All. Small actions are Big in His eyes, it means we are doing our part in listening to His word and His truth. We are taking steps in focusing on Him rather than the anxieties.

Because I want us to be completely infatuated by Peace, I want us to be completely overwhelmed by it. I want us to come to a place where we can embrace the unknown, and even rejoice in it.

And if I want that for us, you imagine how much more He wants that for our lives?

I don't know everything (that's a fact), but I am certain he doesn't want us to be crippled by anxiety. He wants everything Good in our life. He wants to dunk us in blessings. . .

He even loved us so much that His only son died for us. He died to break these strongholds.

He tells us in His word.

1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all of your anxiety in Him, because he cares for you.

Not some of your anxiety. But, all of it. All because He loves us so much and He cares for us that incredibly much.

He says in Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I pray this week that you will dig into your anxiety. I pray you surrender it on the Cross. I pray you stop watering those anxiety roots. I pray this week you dig into understanding why you're anxious, spending time in prayer confessing these strongholds and replacing them with the truth. I pray through this, you will fight back. I pray you will break that chain. I pray you will bury that anxiety in the ground, stop watering it, or cut it completely out, where it should be.