5 Reasons Anxiety Has to Take a Backseat to God

  • Kayla Koslosky Former ChristianHeadlines.com Editor
  • Updated Jul 30, 2024
5 Reasons Anxiety Has to Take a Backseat to God

If we let it, anxiety can rule our lives. It can determine how we make decisions and what paths we choose to take. It can mold our personality into someone we don’t even recognize. So, why would we let it? Well, it’s not that simple. Often, feelings of anxiety are rooted in fear and/or stem from trauma.

This is poignantly illustrated in Disney Pixar’s most recent animated film, Inside Out 2. In it, Riley, the main protagonist, hits puberty and is suddenly affronted by a swarm of new emotions: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and, you guessed it, Anxiety. Throughout the film, we watch the original crew of emotions (Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness) struggle to maintain control over Riley’s mental state and protect her sense of self. We also see Anxiety take the helm from Joy, all in the name of protecting Riley. “We all have a job to do,” says Anxiety. “You make Riley happy, Sadness makes her sad, Fear protects her from the scary stuff she can see, and my job is to protect her from the scary stuff she can’t see,” she says. “I plan for the future.”

As someone with an anxiety disorder, I can say for certain sometimes it feels easier to let the fear run wild. Because in a weird way, it almost feels, as Anxiety said, like it’s for my own protection.

Now, to be clear, as with all emotions, there is some nuance here. Sometimes, anxiety is good. Sometimes, we are protecting ourselves. As my dear friend Natalie, who happens to be a resident in counseling, said about the film: “I think it’s a great representation of the complex emotions we have and how we can all feel those emotions at once. I like how the movie showed just how necessary all of them are.”

“Necessary but managed” is my motto. Because while anxiety can be helpful at times, it can easily become overwhelming, as we see when Riley experiences her first panic attack during hockey camp.

Putting the nuance aside, when anxiety is rooted in fear and trauma, it’s important to remember it is not from God. As the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

God loves you and wants you to feel protected and held by Him. He wouldn’t want you maneuvering through life in the constant state of fear and unrest that severe anxiety can cause.

With all of this in mind, let’s explore five reasons anxiety has to take a backseat to God.

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  • man biting nails scared worried fear of death

    1. Fear is a liar.

    As I already mentioned, fear is not from God. And as Zach Williams so succinctly puts it in his popular song “Fear is a Liar,” well, “Fear, he is a liar/He will take your breath/Stop you in your steps/Fear, he is a liar/He will rob your rest/Steal your happiness.”

    What Williams is describing here is what happens when you become overwhelmed with anxiety, when thoughts of self-doubt and self-consciousness start overtaking your mind.

    I often call myself a “chronic overthinker.” As in, I’m the kind of person who will randomly remember something awkward I did in college and feel embarrassed all over again even though I graduated years ago. I’m also the kind of person who hyper-fixates on every little turn of phrase I say, paranoid that I might not communicate effectively and look foolish to those around me. In reality, no one is thinking about that silly thing you did six years ago and few are latching on to your every word like they hold the weight of the world. Fear of not fitting in, of embarrassing yourself, of being too much or not enough–these are lies anxiety tells you. God knows we will wrestle with these feelings, which is why he made sure to tell us that we are not alone and that he will bear that burden with us, carrying us through the darkest of times.

    Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “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.”

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  • young woman drinking coffee looking outside in cafe restaurant, ways to make your every day more meaningful

    2. We need to stay present-focused.

    Last week, Natalie and I got to talking about anxiety, and she said something I hadn’t considered before. “Anxiety is a feeling we get when we are worried about something that may or may not happen,” she said. “It’s normally very future-oriented.” Anxiety is future-oriented. It is so easy to get lost in thoughts of what’s to come. “What if taking this job throws my whole life off kilter? “What if I still don’t know what I want to do at 30?” “When will I meet my future husband or wife?” There are so many “what ifs” that lie ahead. And if we try to digest them all, we can easily lose sight of all of the good God’s put right in front of us.

    Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” We need to stay focused on the present. Patience and timing have never been my strong suits, but God’s timing is always perfect and we need to depend on that.

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  • man's hand reading bible

    3. God has a plan.

    Speaking of God’s perfect timing, oh does he have plans for you. Plans better than those you could have made, dreams bigger than what you could have imagined. At this point, we’ve probably all memorized Jeremiah 29:11, but I truly believe it cannot be overstated. The verse says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

    This verse serves as a reminder that God is always with you and intends to hold you up as you lean on him through life. He has a plan for you, and whether you already know what it is or are still waiting for it to be revealed, it’s important to hold on to hope.

    It’s hard to feel hopeful when you’re drowning in an overwhelming sense of dread. But this is precisely why anxiety must take a backseat to God. Because when we push God aside and let our fears win, we lose sight of all the good God has already done in our lives and all the good he has planned.

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  • 4. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect.

    4. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect.

    Perfectionism is one of the leading causes of anxiety, but I’ve got good news for you, God does not expect us to be perfect. Would it be wonderful if we could all do everything exactly how we’re supposed to? Yes, sure. And is it important for us to try our best to live a life that is honoring God? Of course. But God uses imperfect people all the time. And let us not forget that we are so imperfect that the creator of this universe sent his one and only son to die so that we could be forgiven.

    We will stumble. We will make mistakes. We will hurt someone’s feelings. We will be bad at some things. It’s okay not to be perfect. Show yourself some grace.

    Growing up my dad always used to tell me that to truly apologize to someone is to say you’re sorry and then live that apology. Learn from what you’ve done wrong and try not to do it again. God demands the same thing from us. He knows we won’t be perfect; he’s just asking us to try our best.

    “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” – James 3:2

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  • holding hands forgive forgiveness prayer

    5. Forgiveness is a cornerstone of the Christian foundation.

    Guilt is another reason many people feel anxiety. Guilt over something they’ve done to someone else or themselves. Anger, too, can quickly turn to anxiousness. One thing these two emotions have in common is forgiveness.

    When you are in the thick of anger after someone’s hurt or disappointed you, forgiveness feels nearly impossible. Or when you are riddled with guilt after you’ve done something you regret, it feels like you’ll never move on from it. But you can and you will, because God has provided us with an outline. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8. While we were still transgressing against God, He offers up the ultimate sacrifice—the life of Christ.

    We can never forgive as boldly or swiftly as God because, unlike him, we are not perfect. So, forgiveness might not happen overnight, but eventually, you need to let yourself heal. Bring your sadness and frustration to the Lord. Ask God to forgive you and teach you how to forgive yourself.

    “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses,” says Mark 11:25.

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    Kayla Koslosky is the former Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com.