Battling Anxiety, Finding JesusSample

"This is the most beautiful place on earth."

Those words moved through my mind as I pushed off the shore at Glacier National Park in northwest Montana. Earlier that year, family friends relocated near the park, and our family traveled to visit them after a challenging season of life.

I wanted to learn how to paddleboard, but fear and anxiety kept me off the board for years. After dinner one night, my wife was engrossed in a novel, and I asked if she wanted to try paddling with me. "No, but you can go alone," she replied. Without any excuses to fall back on, I prepped the board and headed out for an evening paddle.

It was everything I had hoped for and more. The water was smooth as glass. The sun was coming down for a beautiful sunset. The air was much cooler than our home in the desert, and surprisingly, I was doing great!

As I passed the launch area near our campsite, I continued paddling rather than calling it quits. Moments later, I lost my balance and fell into the cold water. Shocked by the water's temperature, I scrambled back on my board only to discover my fall had an audience of ten or so people on the shore nearby.

Blushing with embarrassment and shivering from the cold, I sat on the board and paddled out to the last remaining area of sunlit water to warm up. My inner voice that evening was not kind. "See?! That's why you didn't want to do this. Instead of calling it quits while you were ahead, you fell in the water while everyone watched. I'm not sure why you thought this was a good idea."

As I warmed up and my inner voice calmed down, I sensed a different voice speaking within me. It was not a voice of criticism or condemnation. Instead, this voice was calming, compassionate, and truthful. It was the voice of the Holy Spirit, and what I heard radically changed my life.

Though not audible, that night, I sensed God saying to me, "Scott, you've been terrified of falling and failing. You are trying to be perfect as a pastor, a husband, and a father - and that's impossible! So you've been settling and holding back. You've been avoiding risks because you're afraid. I've had so many moments like tonight that I wanted to share with you, but your anxiety and insecurity have kept you from receiving those invitations."

While fear and anxiety had led me to miss out on a great hobby for many years, they were costing me much more. I was losing a battle in my mind and heart. I was missing out on life, faith, and purpose!

As you've read my story today, I wonder if you've missed out, too. Is there a fear or a sense of anxiety that has kept you from experiencing all that Jesus wants to offer you? In John 10, Jesus said He came to give an abundant life. Indeed, He didn't mean a life without struggle or difficulty. But is it possible you and I have been missing out on the beauty, wonder, joy, glory, and abundance Jesus has for us because of our fear and anxiety?

In Ephesians 6:12, the apostle Paul describes a battle going on in our hearts and minds. He says the battle is not against people. The battle is within us, and our enemy is spiritual. Just as Jesus describes our enemy in John 10 as coming to steal, kill, and destroy, Paul describes our enemy in Ephesians 6 as spiritual powers of darkness. These powers oppose Jesus and His purpose in your life and mind.

Because of Jesus, you have a future beyond anything you could imagine. All that abundance lies on the other side of finding Jesus in this battle and trusting Him to do what you cannot do for yourself.

Over this five-day plan, I want to help you become aware of this battle and equip you to fight it. I can't wait to share the next day in this plan with you as we explore the first of four things you need to know about this battle. We'll correct a lie that may have cost you much freedom and confidence.