The Lies Anxiety Tells (Day 1)
WHAT IS ANXIETY REALLY TELLING YOU?
Anxiety isn't just watching you. It's talking to you. And here's what I need you to know: it's lying.
Matthew 6:25 (ESV)
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"
Devotional Thought
Yesterday I said over 458 million people have connected with the words "my anxiety, can't shake it off of me." That's not just a song lyric. That's a reality for so many of us right now. But here's the thing we need to understand about anxiety: it's not just watching you. It's speaking to you. And most of the time, what it's saying isn't true.
When Jesus addressed anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount, He used a specific word that helps us understand what we're really dealing with. The Greek word He chose is the same one Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 12:25 to describe careful attention and care. It's not about having concerns or thinking through problems. That's actually wise and healthy.
No, anxiety is when our thoughts become so fixated on something that it consumes our attention to the point that our faith is secondary to our works. It's when we're so consumed with figuring things out that our faith takes a back seat to our efforts. Just like caring for an injury demands all your attention and you're willing to sacrifice everything else to fix it, anxiety wants to sacrifice every other part of your life, including your relationship with God, until the problem is solved.
Can I just say this? That's not problem solving. That's anxiety lying to you about what deserves your attention. Because when your worry becomes more important than your worship, something has gone terribly wrong.
So what is your anxiety telling you right now? Is it telling you that you have to figure this out on your own? That God can't handle it? That if you don't fix it, no one will? Those are lies. And over the next few days, we're going to learn how to recognize those lies and tell anxiety the truth. Because the truth is so much better than what anxiety wants you to believe.
When Jesus addressed anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount, He used a specific word that helps us understand what we're really dealing with. The Greek word He chose is the same one Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 12:25 to describe careful attention and care. It's not about having concerns or thinking through problems. That's actually wise and healthy.
No, anxiety is when our thoughts become so fixated on something that it consumes our attention to the point that our faith is secondary to our works. It's when we're so consumed with figuring things out that our faith takes a back seat to our efforts. Just like caring for an injury demands all your attention and you're willing to sacrifice everything else to fix it, anxiety wants to sacrifice every other part of your life, including your relationship with God, until the problem is solved.
Can I just say this? That's not problem solving. That's anxiety lying to you about what deserves your attention. Because when your worry becomes more important than your worship, something has gone terribly wrong.
So what is your anxiety telling you right now? Is it telling you that you have to figure this out on your own? That God can't handle it? That if you don't fix it, no one will? Those are lies. And over the next few days, we're going to learn how to recognize those lies and tell anxiety the truth. Because the truth is so much better than what anxiety wants you to believe.
Application Questions
- What thought or worry has been consuming most of your attention lately? How has it affected your relationship with God?
- When you think about the difference between healthy problem solving and anxious fixation, which category does your current worry fall into?
Today's Challenge
Write down one lie your anxiety has been telling you. Just one. Don't try to fix it or solve it today. Just name it. Recognizing the lie is the first step to replacing it with truth.
Today's Prayer
God, I confess that anxiety has been talking to me, and I've been listening. I've let my worries consume my attention and push You to the side. Help me recognize when anxiety is lying to me. Give me the wisdom to know the difference between healthy concern and unhealthy fixation. I want to trust You more than I trust my ability to figure everything out. Teach me Your truth so I can stop believing the lies. In Jesus' name, amen.
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