Finding Joy When You Struggle with Anxiety

Anxiety is normal

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, or he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. PHILIPPIANS 2:25-28 ESV

Anxiety is an invitation from God

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 PETER 5:7 NLT

Talk with God through prayer

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 NLT
When you pray:
• Believe that Jesus can do it
• Hope that Jesus will do it
• Trust his will

Change my lifestyle

Do I need to stop/start doing something?

Scattered lives increase anxiety and spiritual habits release anxiety.
Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. PHILIPPIANS 4:9 NLT

Do I need to stop/start believing something?

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? LUKE 12:25-26 NLT

Seek help from others

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. PROVERBS 12:25 NLT

How to get help:

• Talk to a friend
• Seek out a minister at church
• See a counselor
• Take medication if needed – “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” 1 TIMOTHY 5:23 ESV
• Work at feeling better

Community Group Discussion Guide

  1. How has anxiety stolen joy from your life?
  2. How can seeing anxiety as an invitation to engage with God change the way you see and experience worry and fear?
  3. What would it look like, if instead of giving in to worry, you began trusting God with the things that cause you concern, worry, and anxiety?
  4. What are you worrying about right now and how can the group pray with and for you?
  5. Take some time to read Philippians 4:6-7, over and over again. How can the three steps of prayer (believe Jesus can, hope he will, trust God’s will) help you as you pray?
  6. How can you use this past weekend’s message to bring comfort people who are struggling with anxiety?

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a place where you can be alone with God. Take a deep breath and release it slowly. Do that repeatedly and feel anxiety leave your body. Pick a word or phrase that reminds you that God loves you and is in absolute control. Use this word or phrase to draw you back to God’s love for you. Ask God to bring to mind your current anxieties and imagine releasing them to him. Express to God your worries and ask him if there is anything he would have for you. Choose to trust him with these anxieties and ask him to begin to change your mind and heart so that choice can become a reality.

My Notes