How to manage your anxious feelings

AS LONG as Peter could remember he had worried about what others thought of him. Silence, even in a crowd, had always felt awkward. So, he would speak quickly and brashly, even if he later regretted what he had said. Most people thought it was his mouth that got Peter in trouble, but really it was his fear. Peter knew this, even though he attempted to hide it from everyone else.
But Peter knew that there was somebody else who knew too, Jesus. Jesus had discovered his struggle with fear on their first fishing excursion when every fish from the Sea of Galilee was trying to get into Peter’s boat.  Every evil deed he’d ever done came rushing back to his memory. He buried his face in the boat full of fish and pleaded with Jesus to leave. When Jesus spoke, it was not what Peter expected. Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men (Luke 5:10).
Odd, Peter thought, that he would be chosen, for though he was courageous outwardly, he was afraid on the inside. This wouldn’t be Peter’s final struggle with anxiety. Sometime later on that same lake, with a storm brewing, Jesus would speak to him again. Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid (Matt. 14:27). It was from his own battle with anxiety that Peter wrote:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:6-8).

Trust Him: It may not feel like God cares, but he does.

Anxiety comes when I believe I have to carry the burden alone. My thoughts whisper to me: Even those closest to you do not understand this like you do. This is easy to believe because others don’t appear to be as burdened by your very real circumstances. This presumption is evident in the disciples when they face a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. Mark recounts the story:  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Notice how quickly the disciples went from fear to a perceived flaw in the character of Jesus. They wrongly assumed that if he cared he would do something to change their circumstances. When you’re bailing water for all you’re worth, it’s easy to assume that God doesn’t care about you. The Bible doesn’t question the reality of the storms that come into your life. It doesn’t call you weak because you’re afraid. Instead, it tells us to do something with our worrisome thoughts and fears: cast them on the Lord.
 The word “cast” is used elsewhere in the Bible to indicate the act of taking off an outer garment and throwing it to the ground. This is both descriptive and helpful. Just as there is a disconnect between the garment and wearer when he casts it to the ground, there is a similar relationship that occurs between the anxious thoughts and the worrier.  Take your anxious thoughts and throw them at the feet of the God who cares.
Obviously, such an action will require a great deal of trust in the Lord. What if he doesn’t do anything with them? What if he’s too busy to concern himself with my problems? What if he doesn’t care after all? Perhaps this is why the compassionate side of God is emphasized in verse 7. We are to remember the concerned, caring side of God (you will find a list of the various names of God in Safe in the Storm). When feelings of anxiety begin to rise in your chest, that is the time to rehearse the caring attributes of God. Remind yourself that he knows and cares. Trust him.

 Humble Yourself:  It may not feel like pride, but it is.

To properly interpret 1 Peter 5:7, allow your eye to wander to the verse before and after it. Peter sets up the context of verse 7, with the thought that comes before it. In verse 6 he writes, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you”, then he adds verse 7, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” While it may come as a surprise, humility is an important part of overcoming anxiety. We worry about all kinds of stuff, like job security, our kid’s success, the dreaded doctor’s call, or conflict among friends.
There is a common feature in most of the things we are anxious about: we can’t control the outcome.  When we are not walking in humility, we are susceptible to the false belief that if we think about it long enough, we can control the outcome. When the situation is outside of your control, such a thought reveals a prideful spirit. You think you can do what only God can do. God is ultimately in control of all things (Dan. 4:35). You are not. That’s why Peter warns us, “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.” While ongoing anxious thoughts may not feel prideful, they are. The point of the context is this: if you are unwilling to humble yourself before God, you will be unable to cast your anxieties upon him.

 Guard your thoughts: Wrong thinking may not feel harmful, but it is.

In verse 8, Peter gives another warning: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” [emphasis added]. The Greek word for sober-minded (some translate it self-controlled) occurs only four times in the New Testament. Each time it is in the context of suffering (1 Thes. 5:6-8; 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Pet. 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). We should expect that when we face a trial it’s going to be difficult to think clearly. The Greek word nepho (translated here as sober-minded) means to be free from the influence of intoxicants.  It comes from the word that means “to avoid drunkenness.” In this context, it is a crucial reminder to see your battle with anxiety as a spiritual one. Be alert. Be vigilant. The devil is active and aggressive, like a hungry lion.
But there is another warning as well. Just like being under the influence of alcohol can impair your thinking, so can being under the influence of worry. Worry makes it hard to think in terms of biblical priorities.  Your anxious thoughts consume your thinking. Like an addiction, such thinking becomes difficult to break. That is why we’re charged to be sober-minded. In order for an alcoholic to be victorious in his struggle, he must learn to say “no” to the next drink. The same is true of the anxious person. They must learn to say “no” to their worrisome thoughts. They must be watchful, aware of when a plan for the future morphs into worrying about it.
Our struggle with anxiety is ultimately a struggle of belief. Will we believe what our feelings are telling us or what God’s Word is proclaiming? Being settled on this matter is the first step in the process of overcoming anxiety.
Phil Moser is a pastor and author of the Biblical Strategies series.  and 4M Training for Men. This post is taken from his book Safe in the Storm: biblical strategies for overcoming anxiety. His books are available on Amazon and at biblicalstrategies.com

 
This post is taken from his book Safe in the Storm: biblical strategies for overcoming anxiety. Phil’s books are available on Amazon and at biblicalstrategies.com