On the other side of fear is FREEDOM. I have been telling myself this saying a lot lately. If you’ve followed along with me for awhile, you may have noticed I talk often about anxiety and fear. The reason I do is to bring it to light so that someone else that may be struggling with these things knows that they are not alone. I know that when I am knee deep in fear, it is easy to feel like you are drowning and there is no lifeguard on duty. BUT that is exactly where the enemy wants you to be. So don’t let that happen. Take control of your thoughts and surrender them all to Christ. He is our lifeguard when the waves come crashing in on us.        

I’m going to be really honest and tell you that even though I have been healed from my anxiety there are still moments of crippling fear.  My stomach gets all tangled in knots. I start to get a headache and begin to feel physically ill. I start to play the “what if” game over and over in my head until I drive myself crazy.  Sometimes I even talk myself out of whatever was making me anxious in the first place. It usually is something as simple as going out of my comfort zone. Could be going for a drive somewhere out of town. The anticipation of that thirty minute drive can make me completely freak out. I will begin to think about what would happen if I got a bad migraine.  Then I wonder how I would get home if I had to drive home with said migraine. I would think about, what if I get a bad stomach ache and need to use the bathroom. {post gallbladder surgery worries.} Anything and everything that could go wrong will play through my mind and then I usually say to myself, “Oh I’ll just go tomorrow.” Often times, “tomorrow” turns into never….

Ok so you may be saying, is there any hope in this struggle or are you just confirming that anxiety takes control of your life and we are hopeless. NO! Absolutely not what I am saying. We are never hopeless. It is just the opposite. We do have hope because Christ is ALWAYS our hope.

“We have this hope, as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” Hebrews 6:19

If you are struggling right now with anxiety and fear please know that we have hope. The greatest hope ever and it is ONLY found in Christ! He is our anchor. Think about what an anchor is. It is an extremely heavy piece of metal that holds a boat in place so it doesn’t drift away. Christ is our anchor because He holds us in His hands so that we don’t drift away. Whether that be physically, or mentally. So no matter where our mind wander off to in fear. No matter where our anxiety and fear tries to lead us, we know that He is our anchor. He is holding us and we are safe in His arms.

So it’s pretty simple. The solution that works for me every single time is this. Pray! Turn on worship music and let your soul hear the words as they are sung to you. Tell the enemy to leave you alone. Don’t let him steal your joy. Like the saying says, “not today satan.” Seriously though, you are a child of God! Live in that FREEDOM!

Write a Bible verse on your hand. Could be as simple as Philippians 4:13. I can do ALL things through Christ who give me strength. Then, (in my case) get in your car and drive. Sing along to the worship music. Take in the glory around you that God has created and know that on the other side of fear….there is FREEDOM!

xo,

Elizabeth