Yet so many times we do not take the time to deal with things that are weighing against us. We tend to overlook the symptoms and look for treatment methods for anxiety outside the Word of God. When we do not quickly see results in these treatments we can easily fall into depression.
Why do we tend to allow ourselves to put these things off and deal with them later? As I said in my last post when we do this, we also tend to fall into a habit of not dealing with the issue at all.
Not immediately dealing with the thought
that produces anxiety is like letting
a criminal into your house and not objecting.
Now this may seem like it is not a big deal. The reality is just because you are not thinking about it does not mean the issue does not exist or has gone away.
anxiety symptoms
I covered this a little in my last post, many times when we are dealing with anxiety, we can have noticeable symptoms.
This can range from:
Sudden overwhelming fear
Palpitations
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Sense of choking
Chest pain
Nausea
Dizziness
A feeling of being detached from the world (de-realization)
Fear of dying
Numbness or tingling in the limbs or entire body
Chills or hot flushes
You can read more about these symptoms and more at:webmd
anxiety treatment
One of the largest issues that Christians have today is not seeking God for help with dealing these issues of anxiety. Instead we tend to look for a cure from therapist with treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or medication. It has become so easy to run to a doctor instead of having to have faith that God will meet us at our point of need.
While these treatments are not evil by any means.
We as believers should learn to rest in the presence of God. Allowing Him to pour into us and fill us up with His presence.
He is after all the Prince of Peace. Why are we not actively seeking and asking for Him to reveal this aspect of Himself to us?
depression
When we do not actively deal with this, it can lead to full on depression. This can be a serious issue. As depression undealt with can start manifesting in ways that affect how we interact with others and also start effecting our physiological self. The repercussions can have long lasting effects.
Now if anyone in history had a reason to be depressed or have high anxiety it was King David. He was serving a King that was trying to kill him even while he himself was faithfully protecting the boarders of Israel.
Just listen to the first part of this prayer that David prayed to God when his son Absalom was trying to kill him.
Psalm 3:1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.”
We see the anguish and the deep distress that he had as he called out to God. He was just like you and me. He may have been the greatest military commander of his time but he felt stress and helplessness just like the rest of us.
This next verse helps us see why David is called a man after Gods own heart as he moves his eyes form his circumstances and calls out to God.
Psalm 3:3-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
5 I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.
Being able to understand when we are battling with depression or anxiety is huge!
We must not allow the giant in the room to intimidate us. Instead we need to be like David and turn our eyes and hearts to God. Allowing our hope to be in Him. We must recognize the tools God has given us and begin to take them up.
God tells us he has provided a shield to protect us:
Ephesians 6:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Come on pick it up! Begin to declare and speak into your situation that your shield of faith is effective against the attacks of the enemy.
Now recognize that you are not fighting against other people. You may say what do you mean, did you hear how that person spoke to me?
Well we know that:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 English Standard Version (ESV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
With this being the case you must begin to recognize and deny the enemies plans. We must stop falling into His many traps and battle the devil and his troops rather than picking a fight with anyone and everyone around us.
