Anxiety

Signs and Symptoms

• Panic
• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Trouble Breathing
• Racing Heart
• Loss of Breath

Biblical Examples

Psalm 88:3
For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength.

2 Corinthians 11:28
And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Discussion Questions

• What is the spiritual cause of anxiety?

  • Prov 29:25: The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

• What are some things we can become anxious about?

  • Prov 23:4: Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.

  • Luke 12:22-31: And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

• How does anxiety affect our relationship with God and others?

  • Jer 17:5-8

  • Prov 12:25: Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

• How does the Bible instruct us to deal with anxieties?

  • 2 Cor 1:8-10: For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

  • Phil 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Moving Forward

• Pray!

  • When you feel overwhelmed, set aside time for prayer (Prov 3:5-6).

• Channel Your Anxiety into Positive Endeavors

  • Jesus tells us that our anxiety accomplishes nothing (Luke 12:22-31). Instead, we should turn our endeavors toward service of God and neighbor. God knows our needs and will provide for them.

• Keep Things in Perspective

  • In our stressing over temporal things, we often lose sight of the eternal perspective. When we view things in light of the “big picture,” much of what we worry about is simply trivial.