Believing The Right Thing: Turning An Anxious Mind Into A Peaceful Heart

Where Does Anxiety Come From?

The world will tell you that anxiety is caused by an event or activity that makes you feel fearful or worried. 

Psychologists and counselors agree that most anxiety or anxious thoughts are caused by past difficult experiences, as adults or from childhood.  I don't disagree with any of this.  I do believe that childhood traumas and events can trigger anxious thoughts in our current situations. 

But, if you look at God's Word, there are many, many examples of how Satan wages war against us.  The number one way he attacks Christians is in their mind and their thoughts.  In fact, he plants thoughts in our mind and makes us believe that we are the ones thinking dirty things! 

Have you ever been walking or driving and suddenly had a horrible thought come to your mind that seemingly came out of nowhere?  There was nothing that prompted this thought, it just sort of sprang forth of its own accord? 

Maybe you're driving down the road and as you're crossing over a bridge, the awful thought comes to mind, "I could just drive this vehicle into the guardrail and headfirst into that river...."  And then you realize what you were thinking and shake your head in disbelief and wonder, "Where did that thought come from?"  Hell, that's where that thought literally came from.

"But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)

Let me tell you, you didn't prompt that idea.  Yes, that thought ran through your mind, but it was planted there by someone else.  It was an evil thought planted by Satan himself. 

Not only does he whisper lies into our brains so that we are deceived and led astray, but he also puts them into the first person to make us believe we thought them in the first place.  And then, like the backstabbing demon he is, he comes around the behind us and points a finger at us, condemning us for thinking such evil and ugly thoughts. 

When we are condemned or when we feel condemned, anxiety springs forth in our heart.  When we have negative thoughts or continue in a negative pattern of thinking, anxiety springs forth in our heart.  When we have thoughts based in fear, in lies, in darkness, anxiety springs forth in our heart. 

Our thoughts, whether they are from a negative experience in our childhood, from a current situation we are going through, or from a lie planted by Satan himself, gives birth to anxiety.  Anxiety comes from our thoughts.  It comes from the way that we think, either about ourselves or our circumstances.

How Do We Change The Narrative?

We must take captive every thought we have and change the story in our mind.  Do not let yourself believe the lies.  Do not let yourself succumb to the negative pictures that have taken control of your mind and heart.  Do not let the devil deceive you.  Do not be someone who is considered easily devoured!

 "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."

1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV)

Let's take a look at this verse together.  The first part says to be sober-minded and watchful.  We all know what it means to be sober.  Usually we think of soberness as not being drunk or on drugs.  But listen to this: an example of sober is a person who always seems to have self-control of their feelings regardless of the situation. (https://www.yourdictionary.com/sober)

Is that not an interesting take on sobriety?  Peter is saying here, be watchful of all situations.  Be aware of your feelings, for your feelings betray what you are thinking. 

If you suddenly find yourself depressed or anxious, take a look at your thoughts.  What were you just thinking?  Were you allowing your mind to run like that of a drunken man?  Are you letting your thoughts get completely out of control and spinning themselves around like that of someone who is intoxicated? 

Have you noticed that if you let one thought run wild, you suddenly find that you're in a downward spiral very quickly, unable to get yourself out of the dark hole you spun yourself into?  If we do not take captive our thoughts the minute we notice them heading into a negative pattern, we are letting ourselves spiral out of control until we no longer feel like we can't control anything we think or do. 

I don't know about you, but I hate feeling out of control of my emotions, feelings or actions.  As soon as I become aware of the negative pattern of thought, I halt it right there.  I take that thought, I hold it captive in my mind as if by chains, and I change the narrative by reminding myself of who I am in Christ. 

Be sober.  Be watchful of your thoughts.  Your thoughts have power over your feelings, which affect your emotions, which affect your actions.  It's important that we change our narrative. 

"Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour..."  The devil is stated as our adversary.  He is not our friend.  He is not apathetic toward us.  The devil hates us.  Adversary means one's opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute.  He is against us 100%.  He accuses us, lies to us, deceives us, attacks us.

Peter tells us that he prowls around like a roaring lion.  The Lord is compared to a Lion in the scriptures, and Satan tries to imitate Him by being like one.

Hosea 11:10 (NIV)

"They will follow the Lord;

he will roar like a lion.

When he roars,

his children will come trembling from the west."

In Hosea our Lord roars like a lion, and when he roars, His children come trembling.  We come to Him when he roars.  But Satan, in his deception, prowls (move around restlessly and stealthily, especially in search of or as if in search of prey) around acting like he is God, seeking for someone whom he may devour. 

The devil looks for people to devour.  Peter doesn't specify the someone, which means he looks for Christians as well as non Christians.  He's looking for anyone who will succumb to his lies and to his deception.  Be watchful, and do not let yourself be devoured. 

"Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."  How do we resist the devil?  We remain in Christ.  We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  We stay in the Word, rising every day and making that our focus. 

We resist the devil by choosing to remain in faith.  We resist the devil and keep ourselves from being numbered among the devoured by reading the Bible and devotionals, by listening to sermons, and by turning on worship music.  Then, without even trying to make our faith grow, it grows because we keep our minds fixed on Him.  Our job is not to grow our faith, but to spend time with Jesus and He grows it for us. 

The last part of that verse says: " knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."  One of the ways that Satan deceives us is by making us think that we are the only ones suffering.  This is not true!  We are all in this world, waging war against the powers of darkness. (Ephesians 6:12)

My parents used to watch this show called The Red Green Show.  Maybe you've heard of it?  At the end of every episode the main character would say, "Remember, I'm pulling for ya, we're all in this together!"  Keep this in mind when you feel like you're alone.  We are all in this together my friend.  The anxiety you feel is not unique to you.  We are, all of us, fighting against the same anxious thoughts, but fixing our eyes ahead.  Stay vigilant!  Change the narrative of your mind!  Fix your eyes on Jesus! 

From Anxious Thinking to Peaceful Being

How do we go from being one with anxious thinking to someone who is completely at peace, mind, soul, and body?  Well, it happens one day at a time, one thought at a time.  As you start to take your thoughts captive you will slowly go from anxiety to peace.

When I started to grab ahold of these truths in God's Word, the devil began to attack me harder than he had before.  I replaced the lies with truth, and Satan realized he was losing someone who was easily devoured.  He hated it.  He hated me and he let me see it. 

He began to attack me while I was driving.  One day, while I was driving down the freeway in Minnesota a truck tire blew out in front of me, and the tire bits exploded all around me.  Despite being behind this truck, my car wasn't struck by anything and I was unscathed.  I believe I kept my angels busy that day! 

A few weeks later, also while driving, a car in front of me kicked up a big rock and it struck the middle of my windshield, completely cracking it.  I was able to replace the windshield, but that day fear began to take hold in my heart. 

I began to see myself as someone the devil wanted to destroy.  I wasn't wrong, but instead of immediately rejecting those thoughts I let them take hold in my brain and in my heart. 

That fear was magnified when about a month following these incidences, someone rear-ended me.  Because of these attacks I started experiencing severe anxiety when I was driving.  It got to the point that I didn't want to get behind the wheel because I would have panic attacks when I did. 

What happened was that because of the circumstances that happened to me, I forgot about who I was in Christ.  I forgot that I am a child of God, and that He sends His angels to protect me, to keep charge over me.  (Psalm 91:11) 

I had even experienced protection when the tuck tire blew, but instead of clinging to that verse and the hope that God is always protecting me, I let Satan write my narrative.  I believed he could get access to me, that he could attack me, that he could kill me. 

We are promised that we will  have trouble in this life.  But because we are children of the Father and Jesus has overcome this world, we are overcomers with Him!  I forfeited my protection when I let the devil trick me into believing his lies.  That's how we become someone who can be devoured.  Do not let him deceive you into believing you are less than you are.

One day I cried out to God with an anxious heart and asked Him why I was so fearful when I was driving.  He showed me the lies I had believed because of these things that had happened to me. 

He showed me that I believed I was no longer safe, that I was no longer protected.  I asked Him, what do I do?  And God brought to my mind that in order to feel safe, I need to change the story in my head. 

I memorized verses and replayed them over and over in my mind while I was driving.  It wasn't enough.  I asked God why it wasn't enough.  He brought me to the verses 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and I realized that these lies had moved beyond simple lies and had turned into strongholds in my mind.  Because I didn't capture those thoughts when they happened, over time the negative thoughts became a pattern which turned into a stronghold.

I found sermons that I could listen to in the car while I was driving, that would keep my mind on Christ and remind me of His protection and love for me.  As I listened to these sermons, over and over on repeat, slowly those strongholds came tumbling down. 

When something has become a stronghold it takes a stronger weapon of God that we need to wield against the attacks.  Listening to sermons is a strong weapon.  "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17 NKJV) 

Faith comes when we hear and keep on hearing.  The word hearing is used twice.  That means we need to hear a sermon, and then hear it again.  And what does the word say about hearing?   "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"  (Romans 10:14 NKJV)  We believe when we hear about Him, and we hear about Him through the voice of a preacher! 

Pick a pastor that you love, whose teachings ignite your heart and light up your soul with the truth of God's Word.  Get their sermons on podcast, plug your phone in while you're in the car, and listen to the Word of God.  Faith will spring forth in your heart and cut through the lies in your mind.  Peace will take root and grow.  As peace grows, anchored in God's Truth, it will blossom, and fruit will spring forth!

 It Will Take Some Time

I want to encourage you to continue this practice until the strongholds crumble like Jericho's wall.  It takes time for truth to gain a foothold, just like strongholds also grow over time. 

I find that if God hasn't answered my prayers after a few weeks or months, or even years! I want to quit.  Satan lies to me that God doesn't hear me or care about me.  The devil tells me that I am unworthy having my prayers answered. 

I have asked the Lord why the delay?  And He tells me that the best does not always mean the quickest.  He reminds me that the strongest trees, are those with the deepest roots. 

So don't believe a lie that though God tarries, He doesn't care for you.  Remember that the best wine is made wonderful over time. 

Wine is used as an example over and over in the Bible.  We often forget that in order to enjoy good wine, the grapes must be crushed, until the skin breaks and the juice spills forth.  Do you feel crushed?  Is your skin breaking and juice spilling out? 

Or are you in a season of waiting, sitting in an aged barrel wondering when you will receive your breakthrough?  I urge you to continue.  When you are pressed beyond measure and your insides spill out, share it with Jesus. 

When you are stuck in the barrel, wondering when you will be filled with peace instead of anxiety, share it with Jesus.  Ask Him how to best use this time, so it is not wasted. 

Press On!

The more we use our time wisely, spending it with Jesus, the more we will taste and see He is good.  Time that was once lost to us will be redeemed.  Anxiety will be replaced with peace.  We will say: "Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13 NLT)

When I first started this process, it took me several years to completely replace my anxiety with peace.  Several years. 

After several years of hard work I suddenly found myself filled with peace.  I experienced breakthroughs and miracles, because I pressed on.  It happened slowly and gradually over time, and then one day, I noticed I no longer experienced panic and anxiety when I got in the car.  I no longer spun out of control with my thoughts and reacted poorly because of my feelings.  I was changed. 

Continue in the faith, dear one!  Press in and press on!  Take captive your thoughts of anxiety and replace them with truth!  One day you will find you are no longer filled with anxiety, but filled with a peace and joy only our Lord Jesus Christ can bring.

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister."

Colossians 1:21-23 (NKJV)

Don't let your mind become your enemy.  Use your mind for the glory of Christ.  Your future you thanks you.  Oh, and that future you?  That person radiates peace, joy, faith, perseverance, Godliness, goodness, hope, and grace.  The choices you make today will change the person you are tomorrow.

With Joy, Jessica