Life in the Palmetto State: Anxiety, the thief of our faith

I am sure I don't have to tell you what anxiety can do to you. While we try to put on a brave face and cover up our weaknesses, our insides are in turmoil. Heartburn, headaches and a long list of other physiological symptoms are all leading to one issue: WORRY!

Well, you might not think it, but the Bible has something to say about it.

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds to Christ Jesus." Couldn't get any plainer than that. The apostle Paul just says don't do it. I hate to admit this but easier said than done.

How many of you know what a wisteria vine is? What is it known for other than its pretty purple flowers that bloom in the spring? It's known for strangulation. Once it gets its woody vines around a host tree or plant, it squeezes the life out of it.

That's exactly what anxiety does to us. Once it gets us in its grip, it squeezes the God-given peace right out of us. Free peace I might add.

As a personal confession, as of late, God has been putting me through one trial after another. The anxiety has just about consumed me. It seems He has been doubling down on the issue of me being nothing without Him. These last two years have brought me to my knees and to real tears.

Oh, of course, I went through the "why me stage" and the "when will it stop" phase. But through it all, I have learned that gold can only be purified when it goes through extreme heat. I am satisfied that in retrospect, that is what God has been doing to me. Purifying me through the extreme heat. Unfortunately, it's only after you have endured the heat that you realize what the purification process was all about. While the gold's form may be altered, it will never be consumed.

Just like the trials the good Lord allows us to go through, it may alter us, but it will never consume us.

Through my purification process, I was introduced to Hebrews 13:5: "I (God) will never leave you or forsake you."

God tells us through Scripture that he won't necessarily remove the trial and its pain but that He will walk through it with us, right there by our side.

This is where anxiety can take root. It can wreck your nerves and rob us of all the free peace God gives us.

However, to regain this peace, we must trust him and accept His offered peace through whatever you are going through at the time. You can't pick or choose, nor straddle the fence. You must take God at His word and "decide" to live in His sweet peace.

You see, God wants us to stop worrying and do not let fear and stress control our thoughts. He wants us to pray instead. Talk to God about your every problem and need.

I realize this may seem like a backward approach, but He wants us to give thanks for the trial and thank Him for His help and past goodness while we pray.

James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my Brothers and Sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance and therefore let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

He also wants you to receive peace. God provides an inner calm that doesn't make sense. It is beyond our comprehension.

He asks that you stay guarded. This peace acts as a shield for your emotions and thoughts.

Now, how do we stamp out anxiety? Remove our worries and take back our faith from this evil thief?

In my opinion, we have to first submit and surrender all of our worries and stresses to our Heavenly Father. He never intended for us to shoulder all of this angst and tribulation we carry with us each day.

This is not something that can be done overnight. This personal realignment and transition takes time.

My advice would be to give God something small and let him wow you and then continue to give him more of you and your thoughts and watch what he does.

The last leg of this journey is trust. None of this will work without trust.

Trust is the cornerstone on which all of our active faith rests.

Think about the unfiltered trust of a child. In most cases, children feel safe because they know they can trust their parents, in the natural of course. But God can do so much more, even in the supernatural.

We may say we trust Him, but how often do we pray for something and continue to bring it to Him?

I believe you should only pray one time to request and from then on, thank him in advance for His blessing. You really don't have to keep going to Him with the same issue. He heard you the first time.

I know this article may make you think that I am pointing my finger at you. Oh no, if I were, there would be three fingers pointing back at me.

I have been so overwhelmed by anxiety and fear that I didn't want to get out of bed, but the more I gave it to God, the more confident I became.

It was only when I realized that faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the only pathway to deliver me from the pain that these trials left me. While faith was the journey, trust was the destination.

To close, I want to leave you with some powerful phrases.

Faith over fear, praise over panic, and worship over worry.

If you can incorporate these phrases into your life, I assure you will lead a more worry-free life.

May God bless you!

Lee Reaves Jr. is president of Clarendon County Historical Society.