[This is a the second half of my post on the 5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety. If you have not read the first post, please take a moment to do that before reading this one. It will make much more sense!]
Praying For Patience?
Have you ever prayed for patience? If you have or you know someone that has, you know that is just asking for trouble, right? With training for patience come trials. I have news for you…the same is true for writing about anxiety! Before my last post, I felt I had very little to “worry” about. In the last couple of days the reasons for anxiety have flooded in!
So far, I have attempted to practice my own advice! I am excited to say that it is working at the moment. I may have to come back to you later with some modifications or further instructions, but for now I will stick with my 5 Steps.
Eliminating Anxiety!
In my last post, I talked about the root of anxiety being a simple uncertainty of the future. I described how this uncertainty is not a problem until consequences are added. It is usually the size of the consequences that creates the anxiety that is so difficult for us to handle.
In that post, I gave the first two of these 5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety. Following is a summary of the first two steps and then the details of the final three steps. I suggest you take these and pray through them. I truly believe you will find that, with practice, they are effective.
Step #1 – Bible Is Truth
We must recognize and believe that the Bible is absolutely and totally the Word of God AND that it is without error or fluff. This step is non-negotiable and is the foundation for Step #2.
Step #2 – Read About Your Future
The next step is to read about our ultimate future as described, and promised, in the Bible. We are told there that Jesus died for us. If we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are promised an eternity with Him. Therefore, what happens to us between now and then is in His hands and unworthy of worry or anxiety.
Step #3 – Pray For Faith
Because it is easier to read and understand the truth in Step #2 than it is to fully accept it and internalize it, our next step is to pray for the faith we need. We need to be just like the father (whose son was dying) who said to Jesus, “I do believe! Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:14-27)
Many professing Christians believe the Bible is true and that it gives us a picture of our ultimate future, but when life comes at them, their faith fails them. Anxiety takes over and faith seems like a distant memory. We simply cannot allow this to continue!
Cry out to God for the faith needed to believe what He tells you in His Word. Do not relent until He grants you this faith. Just remember that much of our faith comes from going through these trials and coming out on the other side. Looking back builds our faith for the next one!
Step #4 – Repeat Steps #2 & #3 As Needed
Unlike learning not to put your hand on a hot stove, this lesson about anxiety is not a once-and-done kind of lesson. This is something many people will struggle to defeat over a period of time. While this may be true, do NOT accept that it cannot be defeated. Anxiety is not something you just have to learn how to live with – unless you cannot get past Step #1!
Because it may take time, you need to keep doubling back to Step #2 and then Step #3. Repeat these steps over and over. Write them on labels and put them on your monitor at work and the dash of your car. Put them on your refrigerator at home. Memorize the Scriptures that speak to you the most.
As you do this, keep praying for God to help your unbelief. You may believe that He saved you, but you have trouble believing that He will provide a job for you. Maybe you can trust Him with your soul, but cannot seem to place your teenager in His hands. As you pray through this, you will begin to see the fallacy of your logic and your faith will grow to meet the challenges you are facing.
Step #5 – Enjoy The Peace
Oh yeah, Step #5 is the goal! If you will follow the first four steps listed above, then you will be treated to what is probably the greatest gift God has given us after our salvation – peace. If you have had it, you know what I mean!
If you look at the beginning of all of Paul’s letters in the New Testament, he starts with a mention of peace. Jesus talks many times about the peace he brings us, despite the trouble of this world. This is clearly our goal as it is the total absence of anxiety. Not only is it promised to us, but it is within our reach every day!
Practice Makes Perfect
You will not be fully successful with these five steps on your first try. You absolutely must commit to practicing them if you expect to be good at them. If you want this to work, you must work through these steps over time. Each time you will get stronger and stronger. Eventually, you will see that the truth of Steps #1 & #2 are enough to vanquish the anxiety at your door. Until then, keep practicing!
Now that you have the 5 steps, what do you think?
Are you willing to try following these steps?
What part of this process is new to you?
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