More often than not, the church shies away from the tough topic of mental health disorders.

Perhaps, many church leaders find themselves ill-equipped to deal with such issues as anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, and OCD. Either way, these issues are very real and the church cannot remain indifferent to them.

I would like to say to those of you who struggle with an anxiety disorder that while you may feel alone at times, you are not! You are not alone as you fight this battle.

Often times we feel stuck in a place that should be our “home,” our church. Attending worship on Sunday becomes just another event to plaster a fake smile on our face all the while we’re struggling with anxiety. Yuck!

Don’t allow the neglect and lack of response from your church to misrepresent Jesus. This is not the Jesus who hauled us out of our own darkness, the Jesus who accepted us and had compassion on us during our anxiety episodes, the Jesus who gave us strength to stop internalizing everything, and through his strength taught us how to take deep breaths, cast our cares on him, and overcome our panic attacks. Jesus gives us purpose for our life!

The question then becomes, “How do we experience freedom in our daily walk as Christians from the disabling effects of anxiety?”

“Often times we feel stuck in a place that should be our “home,” our church.”

God is Sovereign

First, we need to understand a very important truth – God is sovereign! He is in complete control and nothing happens except through him and by his will. In his sovereignty, God may heal you miraculously and completely from all mental/emotional maladies or you might experience healing through the hands of medical professionals.

Still, you might not experience the healing you so desire, but God gives you the strength and peace you need to persevere through your struggles.

Either way, God is sovereign! He is always with you. He knows what you’re going through. He is your healer and sustainer through it all.

I remember hearing a sermon by Matt Chandler where he talked about a time in his life when he was fighting cancer and the major anxiety he experienced through his treatment. The book of Daniel was instrumental to him during this time, particularly Daniel 3:17-18.

He would repeat these verses to himself over and over again. Eventually, he came to resolve in his mind that God is ABLE to completely heal him, but even if God does NOT heal him, he will still follow after him. WOW!!

The same goes for us as we find ourselves on a journey to heal from anxiety. God is able to set us free, but if he doesn’t, we must continue to serve him. He will provide us with the strength and peace we need to persevere.

Daniel 3:17-18 “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up”

I need to get this off my chest right quick as a fellow anxiety-overcomer myself!

To all the pastors out there who have a multi-generational congregation filled with all sorts of personalities… Some of us have anxiety – social anxiety. We don’t want to talk to our neighbor or give them a high-five or whisper to them. We just want to worship Jesus.

Yes, maybe we should be pushed out of our comfort zones, but that’s why we are attending a small group (if you are not involved in a small group you need to connect with your local church to get plugged into one).

Okay, I feel better now. 😉

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Panic Attacks

Let’s talk about panic attacks. Girl, I see you and I hear you! I know what it feels like to be scared to tell others in your local church family about your struggle with anxiety and panic attacks.

It’s hard to tell others about your personal struggles, especially when you’ve been a believer for much of your life. You want to appear to others that you’re the girl that has it all together, and that mature Christians don’t have struggles. But this simply isn’t true. It’s a stigma that needs to be erased. Regardless of how long you’ve been a believer, we all have struggles.

Without even realizing it, Christians can cause so much pain, but we need to remember it is unintentional. Today, be free from the need to hide your struggles and let’s get some healing.

The first step to find deliverance is admit your need! You need help, and guess what? Asking for help outside the church or even in the church doesn’t mean your relationship with Christ is in jeopardy. Asking for help just means you’re human, it shows humility. You are a human who lives in a fallen world that struggles with sin – welcome to the club.

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Root (verb) – established, deeply and firmly.

Our unhealthy patterns of thinking can be so deep that our thoughts become rooted into our being. We allow these thoughts to become the source from which our worldview is shaped and affect how we think, feel and act.

For example, a woman struggling with self-loathing might think she’s ugly, unworthy, and disgusting. These unhealthy thoughts lead to how we end up being treated by others. In Romans 12:2 Paul wrote, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This verse has brought much freedom to my life. Our thoughts, whether intentional or unintentional, have in some form been patterned after the world. Our thoughts are the root of our problem! We can overcome our unhealthy and sinful thoughts by renewing our minds!

We need to turn our attention away from our problem and onto God. How does God see us? What does he want for us? God desires us to experience thoughts of peace, joy, love, and freedom. It’s impossible for us to think and behave differently until we experiencing the renewing power of God’s Word, the Scriptures.

We want to think thoughts that are healthy and do not cause sickness to our lives. Any thought or way of thinking which attempts to exalt itself (in opposition/or takes the place of) above the Word of God is wrong. We are to cast down and bring into captivity in Jesus Christ.

What does that mean? Every thought you think you need to grab and say, “Does this align with Scripture?” If not, it needs to be replaced! Will it take time and effort on your part? Yes! But it’s worth it!

Peace cannot be found in any place or thing and cannot be placed on a person. Peace is only found in the prince of peace: Jesus Christ. We can overcome our anxiety attacks and find peace when we focus on Christ, serving others and renewing our minds daily. This will require patience on your part as you allow the Holy Spirit to un-do years of wrong thinking that have caused misery in your life.