Anxious Much?

This is the last episode of this podcast. We look at how making decisions can trigger anxiety and how Prov. 3:5-6; James 1:5; Proverbs 16:9 can help us lean on God rather than ourselves which will lead us to greater peace and far less anxiety. Anxiety making decisions has been a way of life for much of my life and so I speak not in theory, but from experience of how stressful making decisions can...

What difference does it make in our battle with anxiety that we are a Christian? As a Christian, you have an incredible resource that can really be a game-changer in your battle with anxiety. In this episode, we unpack Gal. 5:16-25 and discover the two opposing power sources we all have, similar to a hybrid car. Understanding these two power sources is incredibly significant.  For sermons by Rev....

Have you ever been in a situation you have never experienced before and felt anxious? You are not alone. Maybe it was a financial strain (I don't know how I'm going to pay for this) a relational strain (I don't know how to fix this relationship), a medical/health situation (I don't know if I'll ever be healthy again),  an academic strain (I don't know how I'm going to g...

If you have ever seen a child without a care in the world, we all secretly envy the child's blissful joy and peace. In this episode, I share about a great  Anxiety Worksheet  created by Tim Bryant from the Lowcountry Biblical Counseling Center (used with permission). This worksheet can be so helpful in not only recording things were are concerned/anxious about, but also deciding what is God&#3...

In this episode, we look at a wonderfully comforting Psalm when you are anxious. Psalm 139 is my personal favorite Psalm and it has calmed my anxious heart countless times. I pray it will be a blessing to you and bring you greater peace as well.  For sermons by Rev. Nathan Francis, listen here to Sermons Podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠   |   ⁠Apple Podcast⁠ or watch here:  ⁠Sermon Videos⁠ For more informatio...

Though the question might sound strange, have you ever considered how are we able to be anxious in the first place? In this episode, we unpack this question and look at both the negative ways our flesh uses this capability against us and how we can use it to battle our anxiety. We will also look at a powerful tool God has provided us to combat the anxiety that resides in all of our hearts. For ser...

In addition to all the Scriptural encouragement we looked at last time, we look at several additional passages that can help us address what is going on in our heart. Admittedly, this is not a silver bullet, but rather addressing heart issues that might be driving your anxiety underneath the surface. Phil. 4:11-13 explores the issue of contentment. Learning to become content is no easy task, but h...

There are so many situations that can cause us to fear that we might lose our job or at least lose some income. Has this caused you anxiety in the past or maybe even right now? In this episode, we look at some great passages that can begin to shift our perspective to realize that it is not we who are ultimately providing income, but God who is generously and faithfully providing for our needs. We'...

The holiday season has quite a way of triggering anxiety for many people. In this episode, we address one trigger for anxiety in general (perfectionism) and how it can present itself at Christmas. A major issue in perfectionism is having unrealistic expectations for ourselves, our homes, and everything. We expect what will only happen in Heaven and then we are anxious trying to attain what is impo...

Doctor's have a variety of strategies to treat someone with a broken ankle--from a cast & crutches, to a boot and finally a brace. The question is do you have a variety of strategies for addressing your anxiety that match the severity of the anxiety? In this episode, we discuss the importance of understanding trigger situations, people, and even times of day and preemptively using strategi...

There are many reasons it is hard for us to verbalize our anxiety, even to others we trust. Today, we identify many of those obstacles and discuss the importance of not leaving the battle just in our head and telling someone we trust, allowing them to help us to sift through our anxious thoughts and emotions. This naturally highlights the importance of being involved in a church with authentic Chr...

What if we all had an Anxiety First Aid Kit ready at hand full of great passages of Scripture to pull out at a moments notice when we feel the first pangs of anxiety in our hearts? Today, we unpack a powerful passage: 1 Peter 5:5-8. Verse 7 is one of my personal go-to verses for anxiety:  "casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."  But the verses surrounding it are al...

As so many are searching for Black Friday deals, I bring to you a 2700 year old passage of Holy Scripture which is still as powerful as the day the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to write it down. Isaiah 43:1-5 is potent medicine and should be used often to combat your anxiety. In this episode, we walk through the passage verse-by-verse, unpacking the wonderful promises contained within.  For sermons...

A trigger for anxiety can be worry about what we will say in conflict. Jesus' words in Luke 12:11-12 that the Holy Spirit will give us what to say can help calm our nerves as we think about the next time we will interact with the person we are in conflict with. Another aspect is that for many of us, we idolize relationships which only adds to the anxiety when that idolized relationship is in c...

We continue looking at how conflict so often triggers anxiety and perspectives that can help us address that anxiety. One of those perspectives is remembering, if we have surrendered our life to Christ in faith and repentance, we are no longer estranged from God; we have been reconciled with God. Remembering this can help us have peace about conflicts with other people which are inedible because e...

Conflict is a huge trigger for anxiety for so many people. In this episode we begin to address our own hearts and minds that contribute to our anxiety. We look at the importance of being okay with yourself even when someone else is angry or upset with you. Otherwise, we will end up being controlled to some extent by our felt "need" for people to be happy with us. But even Jesus, who was...

What if you had a friend that spoke to you the way you speak to yourself? In this episode, we look at how powerful Scripture can be used to transform how we think. Rather than allowing our mind to control our thoughts and passively listen to ourselves, we must speak truth to ourselves. There is a great example of this in Psalm 42:5–6, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turm...

In continuation of our last episode, we begin by looking at ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ which is another great verse that addresses our motivations for what we do in general, but we can specifically apply this to public speaking as well. Another important aspect of motives when public speaking is out of love for those you will speak to. It is so easy for us to be so consumed in focusing on ourselv...

A continuation from last week of looking at the common struggle of the fear of public speaking. This week, we look at the wonderfully helpful verse: ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ which says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” It is critical that we seek God's approval rather than...

Many estimate that 75% of people fear public speaking. Are you one of them? Do you get stressed before meetings, or interviews or presentations? In this episode, we look beyond conventional advice on how to face your fear of public speaking because the reality is that you can use all those strategies and still be eaten up with anxiety. 

Do you ever struggle with condemning thoughts about yourself?   Since our hearts are so tempted to condemn us and the Evil One constantly accuses believers, on today's episode we will look at a number of great passages that can provide wonderful encouragement in your battle to not find your identity in your anxiety, but rather in Christ.

If someone were to ask you the question, who are you? How would you answer? Is anxiety part of your identity? For many, it is probably more a part of our identity than we would like to admit. 2 Cor. 5:17 provides us with far better identity than identifying with our sins. May you find greater freedom and joy even as you continue to struggle with anxiety in beginning to reject that as your identity...

We pick up the question again is anxiety a sin after having laid a theological foundational understanding of what sin is and how we are to understand sin more broadly. In this episode, we address the question by looking at a number of passages that specifically command us not to be anxious. Then we look at the encouragement of 1 Corinthians 10:13 that promises that every temptation we face, God wi...

Before we can answer the question, is anxiety a sin, we must first look at how we determine if anything is a sin. But many people actually are looking at this backwards and are hoping that their struggle is somehow not a sin. But as we see as we look closer at this issue, there is great comfort for the Christian when we categorize something as a sin. Because as a Christian, we have something to do...

 Scripture gives us clear instructions to pray for and honor our government leaders. We can do this because we know that they are under God's sovereign control and that can bring us peace rather than the anxiety that the news can so easily trigger in us. We must be careful we do not first view the world as an American or whatever your nationality is, but rather as a Christian. You are a citize...