Antidote For Worry and Anxiety
Today a lot of people are dying as a result of anxiety. What does it mean to have anxiety? To have anxiety means to be anxious and to be anxious, means to be worried over something that has not yet happened. You are only being threatened by the threat of the possibility of something bad happening. The devil uses this trick to frustrate people. The devil works through fear, as God works through faith. He tries as much as possible to cause you to be afraid of the possibility of something bad happening.
What he does is to preach the sermon of “what if…” to you. He starts by saying things like, “What if you lose your job?” “What if you die in this sickness?” “What if you never get married because time is running out on you?” “What if you lose your wife or husband?” “What if you don’t get the contract?” “What if something goes wrong?” “What if this?” “What if that?” “What if…?” “What if…?” “What if…”
The devil is a liar! He wants to threaten you. He wants you to be afraid, so that he can defeat you in your mind. The mind like I’ve always said is the battle ground. The devil is a master strategist on psychological warfare. He knows that once he is able to make you anxious, it will be very easy for him defeat you anywhere. So he threatens and paralyses you with fear until you become frustrated. But how many times has the devil threatens you with the possibility of something bad happening that never really happened? But you eventually discover that you’ve wasted your time thinking and getting worried over something that never happened. At times, you get so worried that you even forget to pray and even lose faith in God. This is because fear destroys faith.
The last re-organization exercise carried out by the Shell Petroleum Development Company in Nigeria; saw the exit of about 50% of its staff. I learnt that the exercise caused so much anxiety, that the Shell clinic was full with staff who were suffering from one illness to the other. I was told that anti-depressant drugs became scarce due to the number of people suffering from depression and other related matters, even before the list of those who are to dropped came out.
But the amazing thing was that, some of the people who were anxious sand paralyzed with fear and even hospitalized were not affected by the exercise at all. But because of the fear of loosing their jobs, they almost lost their lives.
ANTIDOTE FOR WORRY AND ANXIETY
What does it mean to trust in God? It mean to trust in God, it means, to lean on HIM. It means, to depend on HIM. It means, to rely totally on God. It also means, to hand over the situation or problem to God, believing that He is able and willing to take care of it. It can also mean, following God like a blind man who is confident and also believes that the person leading him knows the way. The bible says, “THEY THAT TRUST IN THE LORD SHALL BE LIKE MOUNT ZION, WHICH CAN NOT BE REMOVED, BUT ABIDETH FOR EVER. AS THE MOUNTAINS ARE AROUND JERUSALEM, SO THE LORD IS ROUND ABOUT HIS PEOPLE FROM HENCEFORTH EVEN FOREVER”. PSALM 125:1, 2
In Proverbs 3:5 and 6 it says, “TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL THINE WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS”.
Recently my mother became so sick that she almost died but God intervened and healed her. But when she was so sick and the doctor said that He was going to stop treating her if more money was not paid and that her life was in danger. I was so shattered and worried that I became confused, but I said to myself, “I know God will make a way”. “I know God will bring me out of this situation”. “I don’t know how He is going to do it, but I know He will do it”. And I tell you, God made a way. He did bring me out of that situation. My mother is now well. Praise God!
You know, God created this world through words and we are created in His image, as such we have the ability to also create our world through what we say. The Bible says that life and death is in the power of the tongue. This is very true. Whatever you say with your mouth you impregnate the future. At the right time, the future will give birth to what was deposited in it.
The Bible said in 1 Samuel 30:6, “And David encouraged Himself in the Lord”. Often times, we run into trouble and discover that there is no one to talk to. We are just by ourselves. There is nobody to talk to and nobody to give you words of encouragement. There’s no one to run to. Instead of worrying and getting frustrated, I think the recommended therapy is encouraging yourself in the Lord. Speak to yourself positive words. Preach to yourself. I do that a lot in the bathroom. Speak to yourself with Psalms and Hymns. Speak to yourself from the scriptures. And I tell you, faith will begin to build up in you. And you know what? Faith and worry don’t live in the same house. Worry leaves when faith shows up.
