Is it wrong to think that you can be a person of faith, trusting in a powerful and loving God, yet still feel your knees buckle under the weight of anxiety?
To experience a tightness in your chest and a mind that won’t stop racing, even when you know you’re supposed to “not be anxious”?
I have always believed myself to be a person of sound mind. Though I spent much of my life living a lie, despite challenges to my self-image, I never felt overwhelmed enough to consider ending my life. I had friends who lost themselves to substance abuse and homelessness, and I am grateful that, even when I was unaware, God kept me grounded in reality despite how I lived.
For most of my life, I saw myself as a naturally optimistic, glass-half-full person. But gradually, almost imperceptibly, things began to shift. Negativity from toxic relationships, relentless bad news, isolation during the pandemic, and the curated competition of social media slowly eroded my outlook. My default optimism transformed into self-protection: “If I never expect anything from anyone, I won’t be disappointed.” It was a hopeful spin on inevitable disappointment. A carefully crafted facade of hope masking an inner self bracing for the worst.
After I met Jesus, I began to wonder if something was wrong with me. I wondered sometimes if my faith was weak, if I was failing some spiritual test. Maybe you’ve felt the same. The silent, nagging question: Is my inner struggle a sin?
That’s a pretty honest, raw, and courageous question to ask. And the answer I believe, is a profound and emphatic no. Your struggle is not your sin. Your feelings are not your fault. Feelings can be defined as “an emotional state or reaction”. Feelings are subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations, thoughts, or images evoking them.
This is the core truth I want to share with you. A truth that transformed my journey from shame to genuine healing. There is a world of difference between feeling something and the way you choose to respond or react to that feeling.
The How-To of Hope: A Practical Framework
So if you’re not meant to simply “not feel anxious,” what are you meant to do? This is where ancient biblical wisdom and modern science beautifully intersect. The call to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” is more than spiritual advice. It’s a powerful truth about neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself for peace and resilience.
Consider this: Have you ever felt a sudden surge of fear, a primal anxiety seemingly from nowhere? That’s your brain’s amygdala. Something like your built-in alarm system, alerting you. It’s a feeling. But what you choose to do next, that’s the response. Do you let yourself spiral, or do you engage your will and apply the tools you have?
This is where faith shifts from passive belief to active, intentional practice. Here’s what that looks like:
Prayer as a Tool: When you pray, you are not just talking to the sky; you are engaging your frontal lobes, the part of your brain responsible for focus and emotional regulation. It’s a deliberate act that, over time, trains your mind to shift from a state of panic to a state of peace. It’s not about magically making the feeling disappear; it’s about giving your mind something else to focus on, something anchored in truth. When you pray, “be still, and know that I am God,” you are actively rewiring your brain.
Reading God’s word to yourself is one thing; speaking the words of truth out loud is another. Why? Because speaking engages more parts of your brain. You’re not just passively consuming information; you are actively declaring it.
We have the ability to read or watch something and at the same time allow our thoughts to run wild. I really believe thats some of the reason why it says in Proverbs 15:29, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous”, and 1 Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer”.
When you speak out loud, you are forcing your mind to hear what you are praying to God. When you read or speak to God out loud you force yourself to stop your wandering mind and force it to be focused on what you are saying or asking God for. You’re telling yourself and the world what you believe to be true, not just what you feel in the moment. The Bible commands us to “take every thought captive.” It doesn’t say, “feel every thought captive.” Speaking truth out loud is the way we capture those anxious thoughts and replace them with something real.
The Power of Gratitude: Gratitude isn’t just about being thankful for the good things; it’s a powerful antidote to anxiety. When we make a conscious choice to be grateful, we activate the reward centers in our brains. This intentional act floods our system with reinforcing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which directly combat the stress hormone cortisol. It’s a proactive response to the negative feelings that weigh us down.
From Head Knowledge to Heart Knowledge: The Integrated Path to Healing
This journey is not just spiritual; it encompasses the whole person. We are holistic beings. Our body, mind, and spirit are deeply interconnected. A physical ailment impacts your mind, and mental struggles affect your body. So why seek only spiritual answers for mental health challenges?
God has blessed us with many gifts to aid in our healing. One of the most powerful gifts of the Spirit is self-control. Many secular mental health approaches place an almost godlike authority on our feelings, often neglecting practical education on addressing the root causes of those emotions.
Unfortunately, little emphasis is placed on properly evaluating and understanding the origins of our fears and anxieties. Instead, numbing techniques are often promoted to avoid confronting unresolved trauma. While psychology is a valuable complement to modern medicine, believers should be cautious about mental health professionals whose values do not acknowledge God’s existence or who believe the self can overcome obstacles independently.
Seeking professional help is not a sign of weak faith; it is a mark of wisdom. It recognizes that God has endowed humanity with knowledge and tools to aid us in our brokenness. The Bible does convey to us that “those who are sick need a doctor.”
True healing happens when we unify every aspect of ourselves in alignment with God’s word: our spiritual beliefs, physical health, and mental well-being. It is by embracing this approach of surrender that we find authentic and enduring peace.
You are courageous for asking these questions. It’s okay to question what you’ve been taught. It’s okay to feel deeply, to struggle, and to wrestle with a restless mind. Your story reflects your humanity, and your struggles do not signify spiritual failure. They show that you are alive, breathing, and striving to find your path in a broken world.
When responding to mental health challenges, you now have a choice: to be a conscious, active agent in your own life and to respond to your feelings with truth, love, and grace.
How will you choose to respond?
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