Battling Anxiety, Finding JesusSample

I was soaked and embarrassed when I fell into the water during my first paddle. On many occasions like that one, I've allowed concerns over what people might think of me to paralyze me.

After falling into the water in Glacier National Park, I remembered the story of another man who had also fallen into the water. In the Bible, Peter got wet in a lake one day when he did something that induced fear. However, his time on the water was far more remarkable than mine.

In Matthew 14, in the middle of the night, Jesus walked on the water of the Sea of Galilee. When the disciples saw him walking on the waves, Jesus invited Peter to step out of the boat and walk towards him. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water in an incredible act of gravity-defying faith. As you may know, he began to sink when he saw the size of the waves. Jesus pulled Peter out of the water and helped him back into the boat.

Peter's story reminded me of a powerful lesson. Anxiety in our minds is often a result of obedience to Jesus, not a sign of disobedience. Peter ended up in a dangerous, anxiety-inducing spot because he had accepted Jesus' invitation.

When I first began dealing with panic attacks eight years ago, I had just taken a massive step of obedience in response to my wife and I sensing God leading us towards a new opportunity. I thought of messages I'd heard in past church settings when it came to worry and anxiety. "Trust God more." "Pray about it." "Could there be some sin in your life? "

I'd heard older Christians communicate the idea that suffering and adversity were the product of disobedience and punishment from God.

This mindset is present today and in the Bible in places like John 9, when certain people wondered whose sin caused a man to be born blind. Have you ever found this idea in your thinking regarding suffering? Have you ever wondered if it was the result of someone's sin? Some people teach that if you obey God, He will bless you with health and wealth.

The problem with this line of thinking is the Bible disagrees! A man named Job was obedient and righteous, yet he experienced tremendous loss. The writer of Ecclesiastes had all kinds of health and wealth yet felt incredibly unsatisfied and depressed.

These experiences remind us of the importance of ensuring that what we believe aligns with Scripture and leads us to the life Jesus promised. In her best-selling book on mental health, Get Out of Your Head, author Jennie Allen declares that "the greatest spiritual battle of our generation is being fought between our ears."

So, let me make an important point today. Your anxiety and fear are not necessarily a sign that you've been disobedient. If your anxiety has kept you from taking actions as significant as changing careers or as simple as getting out of bed in the morning, God has not condemned you. If you've had a panic attack that paralyzed you and made you question whether God loved you, then I'm here to tell you that God loves you beyond comprehension.

However, you and I have an enemy. His name is Satan, and according to Revelation 12, he is the accuser of brothers and sisters in Christ. He is going to attack us mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. He will seek to leverage our fears and anxieties to lead us to sin and distrust God.

But here's the good news. Our enemy may be more powerful than us, but he is not more powerful than Jesus. Jesus defeated this enemy by dying on the cross and exiting the tomb three days later. Jesus is present in your battle, and I want to help you find Him and the victory He offers as we continue in this plan.

Tomorrow, we will examine where our thoughts are going and the agency we have in shaping where our thoughts go.