How to Stop Anxiety from Stealing Your Joy

A tree had been filled with anxiety and decides to see a psychologist.
"I just don't know what to do," the tree said. "Every year I feel very anxious during fall and winter."
"Hmm, interesting," the psychologist said, "And how do you feel when spring comes?"
The tree smiles, "Releaved!""

We laugh at that, but I have discovered in my life that anxiety has a way of stealing laughter. I want to have joy in my life, but anxiety wants to steal it.

We all feel anxious sometimes don’t we?

 I know that, because the most common command in the bible is “Do not fear.”

 Anxiety is the fear of the unknown. We worry about stuff a lot.

 We worry about our health. About test results. About our kids. About our grandkids. About our finances. About our economy. About our future. On and on it goes.

 Anxiety can keep your blood pressure high, your stress levels high, your heart rate high, and keep your joy low.

 God does not want us to live our lives filled with anxiety. He wants us to be filled with joy.

There is a wonderful passage in Philippians that will give 4 ways to stop anxiety from stealing your joy.

 Philippians 4:4-8

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

 4 Ways to stop anxiety from stealing your joy:

 1.     Anchor your joy “in the Lord”

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 

This text doesn’t just say to rejoice, or be joyful.

It tells us something to be joyful about.

What do I have to be joyful about?

Anchor your joy to Jesus

Anxiety has a way of hijacking your heart. When you feel anxious, you are tempted to only feel joy under the right situation or circumstances.

Anxiety can indicate that our object of joy has become something other than Jesus.

What happens if I can only experience joy when I’m healthy? We become anxious about it. And if joy depends on health, then losing our health can cause us to lose our joy.

Health is not a good anchor for joy

Money is not a good anchor for joy

Safety is not a good anchor for joy

 CS Lewis said, “Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose.”

 If you are a Christian. You never have to worry about losing Jesus.

 Habakkuk 3:17-19:

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.

2.     Remember that Jesus is near you

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 

How do I keep anxiety from stealing my joy? I remember this promise. Jesus is present.

He is not far away. He is near.

Whatever you are facing right now. The Lord is at hand. With you.

Hebrews 13:5-6

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

 Psalm 23 is a well known passage to us. So many of the Psalms talk about God as a king, rock, refuge, fortress, deliverer. But in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd”.

A shepherd lives among his sheep and stays nearby. He is able to protect his flock. He is able to lead them in good times and bad times. He is with them in the shadow of the valley of death. They don’t have to fear evil because he is with them.

 The Lord is not surprised by the scary things you are facing. You will never face them alone.

 When I was a kid and felt scared, I knew as long as my parents were near that I would be ok.

 Your Father in Heaven is always near. Never away. The nearness of Jesus can help us fight against anxiety.

 3.     Pray about your concerns

Philippians 4:6-7

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

I think anxiety is our attempt to feel in control of situations out of our control.

Prayer is simply our way of trusting God with these situations.

God may change the situation, or he may change us through the situation. But God always does what is for his glory and for our good.

Every time you begin to feel anxiety creeping in, that is your reminder to pray about the situation.

The night before Jesus was crucified he was overwhelmed with the reality that he was going to bear the sins of the world in his body and experience the wrath of the father.

What did Jesus do that night to battle the anxiety of what was to come? He prayed all night about the situation until his will was submitted to his father’s will.

When we pray, we bring our requests with thanksgiving to God, and we place our trust in Him. We pray until our will is submissive to his will, and then this passage tells us that we can experience a peace that surpasses understanding.

A peace that will guard our mind and our heart. Anxiety and fear are not welcomed guests. Joy can flourish.

Peace isn’t the absence of problems. Peace is the presence of God in the midst of problems. If Jesus is in the boat and you are in a storm, the storm may not cease, but the storm in your heart can. The one in control is with you.

 4.     Think positive

Philippians 4:8

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We tend to obsess about the things we worry about. It seems like it’s the only thing we can think about. The more you think about, the more anxious you become.

One way to keep anxiety from stealing your joy is to make an intentional decision to think about something else. Let something else occupy your thoughts.

This text tells us to think things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, things worthy of praise.

Anxiety does not allow you to think about things like that. It takes over your mind and steals your joy.

But, you and I can make a choice to switch the channel in our brain.

Think about the many ways God has blessed you and been good to you.

Thank about Jesus, and what he has done for you.

Open up your Bible, and think about scripture. Think about his promises.

Think about things that make you happy.

Listen to music that turns your thoughts to positive things.

Talk to people about the blessings in your life, not just the scary things.

I think in some ways our emotions display the contents of our thoughts. What we choose to dwell on will affect the way we feel.

Setting your mind on things above is a powerful way to recapture joy in your life.

 4 Ways to Stop Anxiety from Stealing your Joy:

1.     Anchor your joy in Jesus

2.     Remember that Jesus is near

3.     Pray about your concerns

4.     Think positive