Seeking God, in times of stress and anxiety

Tery

Tery

It seems to be the simplest things, that are the hardest. I struggle a lot with anxiety, just in general, but with going through a particularly stressful time right now, it becomes even harder to simply place my trust in God. It is a lifeline that's right there, all I have to do is grab it, yet the anxiety can become just so all-consuming and overwhelming.

6. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
 
Hello Tery;

I don't know what is causing continuous stress and anxiety with you, brother, but I hope some perspective may help you.

Stress and anxiety could be due to negative, mindful thoughts that produce no answers, is an enemy to the believer. We tend to separate God from our battling mind and thoughts. If our battling mind and thoughts are not from God then it doesn't bless us.

Stress and anxiety could be finances, responsibility of home ownership, vehicle and utility maintenance, etc...These are secondary things all provided by God. If God entrusts us with secondary things, then without a doubt He will provide solutions to everything.

Stress and anxiety could be our co-existence with people - wife, children, family, the community. Christians are going to be challenged in this area because we are in the people business. Incessant, fervent, faith prayer to God guides us to be the servant He wants us to be in all people circumstances.

The study of Philippians 4:6-7 is a wonderful passage and can be applied to the points I'm sharing with you.

God bless you, Tery, and thank you for sharing Seeking God, in times of stress and anxiety for everyone who can relate.

 
Tery said:
It seems to be the simplest things, that are the hardest. I struggle a lot with anxiety, just in general, but with going through a particularly stressful time right now, it becomes even harder to simply place my trust in God. It is a lifeline that's right there, all I have to do is grab it, yet the anxiety can become just so all-consuming and overwhelming.

6. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Click to expand...
I understand and sympathize. Focusing on your circumstances and situations can do that. I have to faithfully focus on Christ and His Word moment by moment. God will give you His peace, wisdom and grace.
 
Stress and anxiety could be due to negative, mindful thoughts that produce no answers
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That’s what happened to me and like Tery said, before we realise what we are doing it has gotten the better of us. It’s a loop and once i notice that I am “ just worrying” it really breaks the loop up a little. It doesn’t seem so bad once I’ve given it a name and the judgement cools off and caught the “devil” in the headlight so to speak.
Once I have done that a few times I’m usually apt to tackle the real issue.

Praying for you Tery
 
Tery said:
It seems to be the simplest things, that are the hardest. I struggle a lot with anxiety, just in general, but with going through a particularly stressful time right now, it becomes even harder to simply place my trust in God. It is a lifeline that's right there, all I have to do is grab it, yet the anxiety can become just so all-consuming and overwhelming.

6. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Click to expand...
I get it. I used to have no anxiety and I was a stress junkie. As I have gotten older; however, I deal with anxiety all the time. The odd thing is that we usually have anxiety over "stuff" that has not actually happened. For me, it usually hits late Sunday night, when I now Monday is coming. It also frustrates me when I first get up and, instead of appreciating the blessing of a new day and its countless possibilities, I automatically start thinking about the million things I need to get done.

We are all a work in progress.

Rtm
 
bobinfaith said:
Stress and anxiety could be finances, responsibility of home ownership, vehicle and utility maintenance, etc...These are secondary things all provided by God. If God entrusts us with secondary things, then without a doubt He will provide solutions to everything.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your insights, it helps to be reminded and shown the trees for the forest. What you said reminded me of

Matthew 6:25~31

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [l]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
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bobinfaith said:
Stress and anxiety could be due to negative, mindful thoughts that produce no answers, is an enemy to the believer. We tend to separate God from our battling mind and thoughts. If our battling mind and thoughts are not from God then it doesn't bless us.
Click to expand...

This is what I struggle with in general. I have an overactive mind that just keeps tearing at things without end. It's hard to subdue it and although I have measures that help, in times of great stress those measures get overwhelmed.

At times, I remind myself of the Holy Trinity and it calms me, but it's not always successful.
 
bobinfaith said:
Stress and anxiety could be our co-existence with people - wife, children, family, the community. Christians are going to be challenged in this area because we are in the people business. Incessant, fervent, faith prayer to God guides us to be the servant He wants us to be in all people circumstances.
Click to expand...

I make it a point to constantly remind myself of what the Bible teach us about love and I have grown a lot over the years in my relationship with others. Still, the cultural differences can test one's resolve as a lot of the differences goes against good order, or at least what we were taught it to be.

1 Corinthians 13

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
 
Via dolarossa said:
That’s what happened to me and like Tery said, before we realise what we are doing it has gotten the better of us. It’s a loop and once i notice that I am “ just worrying” it really breaks the loop up a little. It doesn’t seem so bad once I’ve given it a name and the judgement cools off and caught the “devil” in the headlight so to speak. Once I have done that a few times I’m usually apt to tackle the real issue.
Praying for you Tery
Click to expand...

Tery said:
This is what I struggle with in general. I have an overactive mind that just keeps tearing at things without end. It's hard to subdue it and although I have measures that help, in times of great stress those measures get overwhelmed. At times, I remind myself of the Holy Trinity and it calms me, but it's not always successful.
Click to expand...

I admire the Christian who is never moved but learned we all hit that spiritual bottom and the Scriptures seem to fall short. But God empowers each of us with a spirit of resilience to overcome. Praise Him!
 
bobinfaith said:
I admire the Christian who is never moved but learned we all hit that spiritual bottom and the Scriptures seem to fall short. But God empowers each of us with a spirit of resilience to overcome. Praise Him!
Click to expand...
Our former lead pastor (Pastor Rick Blackwood) is battling cancer for the second time. He was to deliver the message on Father's Day but was still in the hospital and could not. Every couple of weeks, he does a recorded message to let people know how he is doing. He shows great grace and confidence that the Lord knows what He is doing. It is inspirational to see him do this.

Pastor Rick was the leader of our church for over 22 years. He stepped down just before the COVID thing. He is still one of our teaching pastors and does the message every couple of months. https://flbaptist.org/rick-blackwood-announces-retirement-omar-giritli-to-succeed-him/
 
Tery said:
It seems to be the simplest things, that are the hardest. I struggle a lot with anxiety, just in general, but with going through a particularly stressful time right now, it becomes even harder to simply place my trust in God. It is a lifeline that's right there, all I have to do is grab it, yet the anxiety can become just so all-consuming and overwhelming.

6. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Click to expand...
I agree.

I have some family that can not even travel on the Interstate because of anxiety!

There is lots of medication available however that is very effective.
 
Tery said:
This is what I struggle with in general. I have an overactive mind that just keeps tearing at things without end. It's hard to subdue it and although I have measures that help, in times of great stress those measures get overwhelmed.

At times, I remind myself of the Holy Trinity and it calms me, but it's not always successful.
Click to expand...
MY biggest problem now that I have grown older, is trying to learn how to turn my brain off at night! I lay in bed at night just thinking!
Mostly about nothing!
 
Major said:
MY biggest problem now that I have grown older, is trying to learn how to turn my brain off at night! I lay in bed at night just thinking!
Mostly about nothing!
Click to expand...

I have similar problems. I tend to toss and turn then, which results in pain so I take a sedative to help me sleep.

Major said:
I agree.

I have some family that can not even travel on the Interstate because of anxiety!

There is lots of medication available however that is very effective.
Click to expand...

It's only recently that I have found medication that does take the edge off.
 
Tery said:
I have similar problems. I tend to toss and turn then, which results in pain so I take a sedative to help me sleep.



It's only recently that I have found medication that does take the edge off.
Click to expand...
Excellent! My secretary could not travel the 20 miles from her home to Orlando and she also got the right meds and now she and her husband go to Tenn, twice a year!
 
rtm3039 said:
Our former lead pastor (Pastor Rick Blackwood) is battling cancer for the second time. He was to deliver the message on Father's Day but was still in the hospital and could not. Every couple of weeks, he does a recorded message to let people know how he is doing. He shows great grace and confidence that the Lord knows what He is doing. It is inspirational to see him do this.

Pastor Rick was the leader of our church for over 22 years. He stepped down just before the COVID thing. He is still one of our teaching pastors and does the message every couple of months. https://flbaptist.org/rick-blackwood-announces-retirement-omar-giritli-to-succeed-him/
Click to expand...
Juts curious.........is he any relations to the Blackwood Brothers singing group?
 
Give us this day our daily bread

At the moment It's like I am in lockdown and can't do anything or touch anything will make it worse.
We need to be still in the storm and take a nap sometimes like Jesus did and trust our Father will look after everything. Remember He has billions of souls to look after but he also has a team of angels.
 
stress trails test of our faith/warfare can be a very intense subject to battle... everyone has it mine is my job and of course pastor of a Church.. paul wrote in everything with all prayer and supplication let you request be known unto God. Jeremiah 33:3 call unto me and i will answer and show you great at mighty things you know not. paul also wrote casting our cares on him cause he cares for us.

when were going through this the devil is whispering in our ear. Joyce Myers years ago wrote a book called the battle field of the mind. its easy to say your going to make it its easy to say just have faith. sometimes the answer is like paul thorn in the flesh the messenger of satan sent to buffet him.

God reply my grace is sufficient:eek: lets face it our flesh does not want to hear this.. so certainly we have to learn to lean on Jesus and trust Him. do we %100-----be honest
 
sure thing, especially when all our strength seems like its gone

We need to be still and know He is God.
Thing is the war in the heavenlies God Almighty has 2/3rds and Satan and demons only 1/3 (correct me if I am wrong) so we on the winning team.
 
There are levels of hell i am sure...

Thinking back to during my worst times ( always the romantic relationships which luckily i have avoided for a long time now) i always sweated the small stuff...there was nothing i could do, no matter how hard i tried. Its obviously important to you Tery, whatever your fretting about.

General anxiety to me is those mildly annoying thoughts that float by, that dont have the strenght of the emotion of dread or terror in them. i can cope with those. Those we can do something about. but in the worst kind of hell we all cope differently. I used to go through multiple scenarios extremeley tense and agitated. Looking abck i wish i would have taken some medication...i wonder how i came across to others...hmmm
 
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