
Understanding what it really is can give us the key to the cure. Is it spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, or a combination? You can understand and defeat anxiety. Completely.
Now, let's take a look at the definition of anxiety from Oxford Languages:
A nervous disorder is characterized by excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks.
And again from MayoClinic.org:
Intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Fast heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, and tiredness may occur.
Anxiety can be expected in stressful situations such as public speaking or taking a test. These situations involve a level of fear which is normal. Experts say it is only an indication of underlying disease when feelings become excessive, all-consuming, long-lasting, and they interfere with daily living. Then it becomes painful and tormenting. Scripture says, "fear involves torment" (NKJV).
I wrestled with anxiety about 10 years ago while going through a divorce in mid-life. For me, it took on the form of intense fear and dread that caused a feeling of what I can only describe as a big chunk of ice in my stomach. It actually felt cold.
I also had some agoraphobia, a strange fear I developed of going out alone. Nothing could have been further from my actual personality.
This anxiety became an enemy to me. It really felt like an invader; it was not part of me or who I am. More than anything I just wanted to feel like myself again. I wanted a normal life back. That would be heaven.
I sought relief in the oblivion of sleep. As mentioned above, the anxiety often left me feeling tired. These naps I took after I got home from work were a merciful escape from the fear and icy pain. I would curl up in bed under piles of blankets, even in the summer, and watch old shows on DVD to distract my thoughts enough to allow me to fall asleep.
I understand the dread you can feel when you sense an oncoming anxiety attack, approaching like a storm. Suddenly you become aware that it is creeping up behind, reaching for you, and then it has you in its' grip. You feel helpless, a victim. If, later on, it does lift, it feels so wonderful. I was always so grateful at those times. I would never take feeling simply normal for granted, ever again.
The Battle
"Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 KJV
"In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me." Psalm 120:1 KJV
I don't remember the first time an anxiety attack happened. I had fled the marital home and found an apartment in the next town. It was the first time I'd lived by myself.
The divorce, after a 34-year marriage and four grown children, was a nightmare. It lasted for two excruciating years. My ex-spouse was an extreme narcissist and borderline psychopath. And he was getting worse all the time.
I began to have periods of great insecurity and fear. It was always accompanied by that ice in my stomach, and that coldness extended over my whole body. These periods of time began to last longer, in fact, they lasted most of the day.
Working hard at my job kept those feelings in the background, but the minute I was alone, it came after me without mercy.
As a devout Christian believer, I did the only thing I knew to do. I'd get home, and throw myself down on my knees next to the bed and cry my heart out to the Lord God. I remember leaning my stomach on the side of the mattress because it made me feel better somehow. Pouring out all the fear and pain and isolation, I felt like a child talking and crying to her Father. I knew that He was listening and caring. The Bible says He is near to all those who have a broken heart and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
I'd pull my Bible over and read those verses, especially in Psalms, that promised me God cared and would save me from these attacks. The reading out loud of these precious Psalms soothed me.
I sensed these attacks were from the enemy of our souls. He was trying to devour and destroy me. 1 Peter 5:8
After crying and sobbing it all out before my loving Lord, I would feel calmer. That's when I would crawl into the bed and hopefully fall asleep for a while. This happened almost daily.
Little did I know that these sessions with God were doing something powerful in the spiritual realm. At the time I just knew that they gave me a bit of peace and security.
Jesus was there to lean on when I was going under. He walked with me through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He comforted me every time. My Good Shepherd.
I didn't realize that the Lord was strengthening and teaching me, and rearranging the circumstances of my life to meet all my needs! It was not long before I met a wonderful Christian man who became my husband. This marriage is everything my old one was not.
The Bible says, "Perfect love casts out all fear." It is His love for us that is the perfect love. The Lord Jesus did this for me because I trusted Him to save me from my enemies, spiritual and human.
He loves you just the same, and He will do the same for you. He will give you the desires of your heart. God is the only One Who can make a way where there is no way. Remember when He parted the Red Sea for the children of Israel? He delights to save those who truly rely on Him.
Can anxiety be cured without medication?
My answer is yes! The medical establishment tends to disagree with me however. PsychCentral.com offers information on coping techniques, medication, and therapy. While these are helpful they never claim to cure anyone. Coping with the disorder is all they offer.
Using the tried and true methods to support yourself throughout this tough time is wise. I did all of the following things below. These are safe and can become part of your normal, healthy life:
Exercise - especially aerobic exercise to drain nervous energy and promote natural endorphins, such as running, brisk walking, aerobic dance, the elliptical bike, or treadmill.
Nutrition and basic vitamins and minerals - eat healthfully, limiting alcohol, sugar, and simple carbohydrates. New research is showing that the Carnivore Diet has a tremendous healing effect on depression and anxiety. I will be opening a new site called, MentalHealingWithCarnivore.com which you can explore soon!
These supplements are known to combat stress in the body and lift your mood naturally. Take these close to a meal: B Complex, C Complex, Vitamin D3 with K2.
Basic minerals include calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These are physiological relaxers. Taken at bedtime, they help the quality of your sleep. Plant and animal-derived vitamins and minerals are wonderful. Avoid calcium carbonate, a cheap form of calcium. Take your calcium with D3 and K2 - very important to tell the body where the calcium should be deposited properly.
Herbs - Chamomile and lemon balm or St. John's wort in a tea or capsule can be soothing and comforting. I felt a measure of relief with St. John's wort. The herb Kava Kava will calm you. Only use Kava Kava when really needed as it does put a burden on the liver.
I recommend to anyone suffering with anxiety that they do seek professional help if needed. Support is very healing. Ask your pastor or another trusted person to recommend a counselor or doctor.
As a side note, let your professional know that you prefer not to use medication. Psych meds are very addicting and very hard to stop once you feel better. You don't want to trade one problem for another. They can also have terrible side effects like serious weight gain, high blood pressure, liver problems, and eventual diabetes. They can also worsen the very symptoms you are trying to alleviate!
Psych meds should be a last resort. Sometimes physical relaxers are a better choice when something is needed in an emergency. They don't present the side effects of the other medications.
Sometimes your anxiety can have roots in your past that have been triggered in the present. This needs to be addressed by an experienced professional or Christian counselor if you were abused or traumatized in any way. The Christian approach I relied on is not exclusive to support offered by medical therapy. You can do both. However, one offers a way to cope; the other offers healing.
By way of comparison, consider this article I found on GoodRx.com: "Is There a Cure for Anxiety?" In it they say, "The short answer is no...The reason that anxiety can't be cured is that a person's tendency towards anxiety is part of their genetic makeup - something no treatment can change. That's why we say anxiety can't be completely cured."
From a Christian perspective I know that there is nothing God is unable to cure. Sometimes, there abuse and trauma, hidden behind amnesia in our past. Another source of problems can be generational. Scripture teaches that the sins of the fathers can pass down to the children even to the third and fourth generation. Deuteronomy 5:9
This is a real situation and refers to the fact that an ancestor, if they have dabbled in the occult (which is a form of worshipping other gods) or practised other serious sin, can bring a curse to their family line. A common example of this today is Freemasonry. Take a look at the oathes a member takes, and you will see how they are pronouncing a curse on themselves and their family line:
These oathes give the enemy legal rights to affict the oath taker, their family and their descendants. The dark side is very legalistic, and if they are given any sort of legal opening they will take it as far as possible.
This can be removed by prayer and the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus. I will link a prayer of renunciation below that you, or you and the head of your family (who has the most spiritual authority such as a believing husband or father) can pray together.
Other similar groups along with their oathes need to be renounced as well. These include Eastern Star, DeMolay, Odd Fellows, Shriners, and more.
It is better to say a prayer of renunciation because sometimes we just don't know what our ancestors were into! That is another reason why I recommend a Christian counselor that understands the spiritual side of the problem. It is best to find one that believes in spiritual warfare.
For more on this subject of generational problems coming down the family line, I highly recommend that you read the fascinating book, Blessing or Curse You Can Choose by Derek Prince. The tagline reads, "Freedom from pressures you thought you had to live with." You can also find his videos on YouTube on this subject.
Here I'd like to include a checklist that I find very helpful in pinpointing any legal grounds that a person or their family members may have open to the enemy of our souls. You may be surprised at some of the items on this list! Please take a look here on Christian Healing Institute.
Consider printing out a copy of this pdf to prayerfully read through. Remember that sometimes s family member's weakness or sins can affect other family members, especially if they are under them in authority, such as father, mother, aunt, uncle, grandparents, and up the family line.
If you find the above legal grounds in your life or your family's, I suggest the book, Power Prayers Warfare that Works by Sheila Zilinsky and Carla Butaud. This book will start you on the road to exercising your authority in Jesus Christ as a believer. Find the prayers that pertain to you and read them aloud. Very powerful. You can also listen to my podcast episode: Self-Deliverance
Start with simply asking God to forgive you and your family for all the sins that have given the enemy legal grounds in your lives. Ask God to cover them with the blood of Jesus and to remove all the claims the devil has over you and all your ancestors and descendents. Then go on to ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit.
Please click the link above on Self-Deliverance. All of these directions are only for born-again believers in Jesus Christ. Only they have the authority in Jesus' name over all the power of the enemy. Luke 10:19
If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, this is your first step:
I recognize anxiety as a spiritual attack by the enemy of our souls, and not a disease or genetic condition of our DNA. As such, Ephesians chapter six gives us a starting point to defend ourselves spiritually from these onslaughts.
The enemy known as satan in the Bible, and his kingdom of darkness, wants to tear us down. "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, " said Jesus in John 10:10. And Jesus goes on to say, "but I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
I just want to shout it out! Someone who has suffered with anxiety longs to have life more abundant. An abundant life! Yes, and Amen!
Taking the Offensive Stance
I continued to pray more and more to defend myself against these attacks of the enemy. And I prayed against them before they happened.
I even addressed the enemy directly and bound him up in Jesus' name.
I told him to leave and Get Out!! The more I prayed and asked God to protect me, and the more I took an offensive stance against the plan of the enemy, the stronger I became.
I learned we really need to trust a Person, a Divine Person, who is bigger and stronger than we are. And this Person loves us! Take a look at Proverbs 3:5. This verse tells us not only to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, but also to stop leaning on our own understanding! I learned that my own understanding was usually wrong and just made things worse. Quote this verse to yourself often. It's so comforting.
Notice how trusting is compared to leaning on someone. That is a beautiful image for you to keep in your heart. See yourself leaning on your Almighty Savior Jesus. Put your head on His shoulder. Close your eyes and surrender everything to Him. He will take your burden.
Gradually, I felt a little better, and then a little better still. As the months went by, God provided for me in so many ways, and the icy attacks subsided. I was strong in the Lord and the power of His might. And my strength grew. The enemy backed off.
This line of offense and defense in the spiritual realm requires a relationship with God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This has to be the real deal. Why? Because satan can see right through us, and he knows if we are sincere in our relationship with God. That requires true repentance from sin and turning to Christ as the only way to God, the Father.
We must believe that He died in our place for the penalty of our sins, and that He rose from the dead in victory. If He is the One you trust for your eternal home in heaven, your Savior and your Lord, then the Scripture says you are safe and secure, and have a Heavenly Father!
Be Proactive. On guard. Fight anxiety!
Ephesians chapter six teaches us how to put on the whole armor of God. This chapter is excellent to build up your inner strength. It shows us how to be warrior soldiers ready at all times to handle "the strategies and deceits of the devil." Ephesians 6:11 AMP Let's break it down!
Recognize your enemy. Is anxiety something wrong inside of us, like a disease? No! It's the devil and his strategies and deceits. Begin to think of your anxiety as a strategy your enemy is using against you to deceive you. Just another false scheme of the enemy! If that's what it is, and God's word says so, then should you believe you have an incurable condition or illness?
Believing that would be to believe a lie. A fake, made-up story about you. Whatever we believe, that becomes powerful in our lives because that is what becomes the basis of our thoughts and actions. For example: 'Oh, I'm a person with a disorder. I'm someone who is handicapped with an incurable condition.' Etcetera.
Note that the enemy will put these symptoms on you if you let him. Don't accept them! Reject them. They aren't the truth, but a lied from your enemy. Say it out loud with authority, "In Jesus name, I reject, rebuke, and renounce these symptoms! Devil, Get away from me now. This is a lie and not the truth."
Fight the lies of the devil with the Truth of God's Word. That's your Sword of the Spirit. Remember when satan tempted Jesus three times in the wilderness? (Matthew chapter four) Jesus rebuked each temptation with a verse from Scripture. He was showing us how to fight lies and temptations with the Truth. Then Jesus told him to "Begone!" And the devil left Him.
Start to speak out the truth when you feel an attack coming on! And don't even wait until you feel the attack approaching, but start your day speaking out the truths from the Bible, declaring to the enemy, and to God, and the whole world that you are no victim, you're not helpless. In fact, you are mighty through God, to the pulling down of the devil's strongholds! 2 Corinthians 10:4
Copy some Scripture that really helps you and speaks to your situation onto index cards. Put them in your wallet (that's what I did). Pull them out and read them when you need to feel strong. Strength is the opposite of anxiety! And strength opens the door to joy! "The joy of the Lord is my strength!" Nehemiah 8:10 This link will give you some wonderful verses to choose from.
Once, in church, I heard the pastor say, "God says, be strong! Get to work! My spirit is with you strongly! Be not afraid!" That went on to an index card and into my wallet. I read it so many times that the writing wore off. But God used it to strengthen me.
Put on your armor from Ephesians chapter six:
The Helmet of Salvation. Are you trusting in Christ as your Savior from sin?
The Breastplate of Righteousness. His righteousness covers you.
The Belt of Truth. Surround yourself with Scripture.
Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Stand sure-footed in it.
The Sword of the Spirit. It's the Word of God. Use it like Jesus did in the wilderness.
The Shield of Faith. Hold up your faith against all the fiery darts of the wicked one!
Living in Victory over Anxiety, Fear, and Worry
If you haven't yet made the connection, anxiety is just another word for fear. Look at the symptoms. They are the same for anxiety as they are for fear.
Crush fear with faith and strength. Tell yourself and the enemy every day: "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
Think of yourself, picture yourself, as a mighty warrior wearing the full armor of God. You are intimidating to the spirit of fear, which is a real spirit. How dare the enemy come against a child of the Living God! Get your holy and righteous attitude on! You are powerful, full of love, and you have a healthy, strong and sound mind!
Can Anxiety Be Cured? Yes! Peace, Calmness, and Serenity Can Be Yours.
It's all about what you really believe, deep down. I know that fear and anxiety in all its ugly forms can be cured and cast out. I know because I'm cured. Once you own your Power (specifically given to you as a believer in Christ over all the power of the enemy) then you understand that you had authority over it all the time. Luke 10:19
The enemy will try to come back even after you feel completely free and normal again. But Scripture warns us about that in Matthew 12: 43,44. Keep growing in Christ, staying full of the Holy Spirit. Live by faith and not by feelings or emotions (which are deceitful). Then give that old devil another thrashing and send him running! These instances become less and less until they stop completely.
Walk out your beautiful life in your authority, your strength, and the joy of the Lord! God bless you!
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