How can I keep focused on Jesus when I feel anxious?

August 28 - September 1, 2023 | Always Peachy Devotionals | Managing Anxiety Week 5

Does anxiety actually make your hair turn gray?

I don’t know if that’s true or if it’s just an old wives’ tale, but I can vouch that my hair started turning gray when I accepted a whole lot of responsibilities.

Life is full of anxiety. I wish that weren’t the case, but it’s the truth. And until we truly understand how to navigate and manage our anxiety, we will be subject to its control over our emotions and our relationships and our futures.

Make no mistake: Something will control your life. It will either be your faith, or it will be your fears. Anybody want to take a guess at which one will give you more gray hairs?

This month has been a powerful study on anxiety and trusting God and learning how to manage our fears rather than ignoring them. And I hope and pray that it has been as meaningful to each of you as it has been for me.

I think my biggest takeaway, personally, is that God doesn’t fear my anxiety. That He loves me in spite of it. And that He constantly provides a way for me to stand up against it, to fight it, and to be led by His Spirit and not my fears.

That’s awfully comforting, I think.

In this last week of our anxiety series, we’re going to be talking about how to keep our focus on God when we get scared. Or not even getting scared, just feeling anxious. It’s ironic that anxiety isn’t always connected to fear on the surface.

This week, we’re going to talk about five strategies to use when you want to stay focused on following Jesus in the middle of your anxieties:

• Aug 28 - Live by the Spirit

• Aug 29 - Trust God when you’re scared

• Aug 30 - Make time to praise God

• Aug 31 - Find the path of life

• Sept 1 - Be still

None of these are possible to accomplish in your own strength. You have to ask God for help to make any of them work. So we’re fortunate that He is just waiting for us to ask. God has already given us everything we need to follow Him effectively, to live an abundantly blessed life.

And that’s also our Bible verse for the week, helping us remember what God has given us and to call out what He hasn’t given us. This week’s verse is 2 Timothy 1:7.

Isn’t that great? God doesn’t operate through fear. If you are allowing your fears to direct your actions and your choices in your life, you aren’t trusting God. If you believe lies about yourself, that’s not God speaking them.

We have an enemy who hates us, who accuses us, who lies to us. And when we believe lies about who God made us to be and who God is, we are listening to the enemy’s lies. If you belong to Jesus, you don’t have to listen to him.

So don’t believe that you can’t fight back. Don’t believe that you are helpless and useless and unloved and unseen. Those are all lies. God has give you power. God has given you His faithful love. And He has given you the spirit of self-discipline.

You aren’t a slave anymore. Not to anyone.

So let’s turn our eyes to Jesus. Let’s follow His footsteps and listen for His voice. Let’s choose to praise Him and thank Him when we’re afraid. Let’s choose to believe He is who He says He is, which means we are who He says we are.

I love you all, and I’m praying for you.

Blessings,

Amy

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