A couple of weeks ago, I received a random text message from an unsaved number. Followed by an unfamiliar website link, the text read: “Hey! Oh man! Is that you in this video? Click the link!”
Long story short, someone virtually crept into my personal space through text, posing as someone I could trust, only to entice me to click on the link, hack my phone, and attempt to steal my identity.
It’s becoming common in today’s culture to receive weekly undetected fraudulent texts, calls, and even emails, tricking society into becoming cyber theft victims. But, what’s becoming even more common is the daily attempt for anxiety to creep into a father’s mind, disguised as logical problem solving to steal our motivation, courage, and peace.
Here are 7 Bible verses for anxiety that I rely on when overcoming angst in Christ:
Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Man, Proverbs 3:5-6 is definitely one of the best Bible verses for anxiety, reminding me that our ways compared to God’s ways are unmatched. God literally created the universe, the air we breathe, and the lungs in which we breathe it. So, when dealing with anxiety, we’ve got to release any controlling tendencies we have, have faith in the Creator of life itself, as He has the best remedies to anxiety, and choose to respond in alignment with what He says to do when feeling anxious.
John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27 reinforces Proverbs 3:5-6, by revealing nothing and nobody on this earth can give us everlasting peace from anxiety like God can. It centers every man’s focus on the bullseye of having a close relationship with Jesus when trying to target anxiety’s defeat.
Phillippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
When the low oil light turns on, do we respond by filling our gas tank? Though filling our gas tank is good, getting our oil taken care of is a direct remedy to resolve the low oil light. Likewise, when we start getting anxious, working out, watching football, and committing to multiple efforts of self-care is great, but Philippians 4:6 is a Bible verse for anxiety that gives us exactly how to respond for our mind’s best resolution.
Don’t conform to the pattern of this world.
Romans 12:2 – “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.”
With all the stormy challenges we face daily as a dad, husband, or man in general, our vision on life can sometimes get blurry. Romans 12:2, shows us that connecting with God daily, renews our mind like windshield wipers for a rainy drive. We need it.
Psalm 34:4 – “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
There’s treasure waiting for the men that persistently look for what God has to say about their daily concerns and angst. Psalms 34:4 is an encouraging testimony of this.
1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Have you ever needed to vent and take the weight of your problems off your mind and into someone’s hands? 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that our Heavenly Father is literally waiting to absorb our heavy thoughts because He literally and genuinely cares about us.
Ephesians 6:10-18 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
One of the ways society can protect itself against hacking is through software protection systems and identity theft prevention programs. Ephesians 6:10-18 hands us the exact tools to protect ourselves and our families against and overcome peace-stealing anxiety. Get armored up every day.
Here’s the thing:
I never clicked that link in the fraudulent text message that tried to lure me, but that’s because I relied on the wisdom I once received from an IT specialist on hacking prevention. When I decided to research more on hacking, I found teachings and lessons that made me even stronger on how to stay alert from becoming a hacking victim.
In the same way, when anxiety aims to sly its way into our minds as fathers, we have to rely on encouraging scriptures with the wisdom given to us by the life specialist, God. He’s created every bit of the bible in a unified way through multiple authors for our benefit. The more time we spend with Him, His word, and the teaching His given to ministers everywhere, we’ll be amazed by the stack of artillery we’re given when battling anxiety. I encourage every dad to dig deep into every one of these scriptures and the chapters that they sit in. Watch sermons, complete devotionals, consider counseling and/or therapy, but ultimately truly find ways to get closer to God. If you want to follow a study a bit closer, then tailored Bible reading plans for dads may serve you well.
Let’s release any control of handling anxiousness our way and completely depend on God. It’s the best game plan we have to overcome when anxiety aims to hack our minds and life.
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