Proverbs 12:25 tells us about the intimate connection between anxiety and depression:
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad."
If anxiety is not handled in an effective way, then it can devolve into depression.
However, this scripture also tells us one way to stop anxiety in its tracks.
I recorded the following video a couple of years ago when I faced a situation about which I felt anxious.
The Lord gave me a good word about the situation, giving me a new way to look at anxious feelings:
In the past, I just went along with anxiety whenever potentially anxiety-producing situations occurred. I thought I had no choice.
But when I started to go there this time, God said to me:
Just because you received an invitation to be anxious doesn't mean that you have to accept it. "
That gave me a new way of looking at negative emotions.
Then I started thinking about how many other invitations I have been accepting over the years:
- Invitations to be frustrated
- Invitations to be depressed
- Invitations to be discouraged.
Then I repeated to myself:
Just because I received an invitation doesn't mean that I have to accept it when it comes to negative emotions.
Rather than being anxious when I started thinking about that negative, anxiety-producing situation, I started saying scriptures to myself.
I started saying:
- I'm the head and not the tail. I am above only and not beneath (see Deuteronomy 28:13)
- I am an Overcomer through Jesus Christ (John 16:33)
Philippians 4:8 tells us which type of words quality as "good words" to speak to ourselves and others:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
The scriptures I spoke started building up my spirit. I started feeling better. and the anxiety fled.
That is one thing that I wanted you to consider:
Think about the negative emotions that you seem to experience habitually, and then remind yourself:
"Just because I received the invitation doesn't mean that I have to accept'" because it is a choice about the negative emotions that we do experience.
Yes, we have thoughts enter our minds and we can't control that. However, we can control the thoughts that we choose to live with.
So when you accept the invitation, that means that you're choosing to dwell on thoughts that make you feel that way.
As for me, I decided that I don't want to feel anxious because I did not want the anxiety experience.
This is another thing that I want you to think about: When you experience anxiety or any other type of emotions, those represent physical symptoms in your body.
It's your mind that chooses how to interpret those physical symptoms.
In the case of the anxiety, I started feeling tightness in my chest, my heart started beating faster, and my breathing became shallow.
But once I started speaking scriptures to myself, everything just calmed back down.
And all it was were those physical symptoms. I chose to label those symptoms "anxiety".
Once again, just because you received the invitation to an experience like anxiety, depression, discouragement, does not mean that you have to accept.
And that's what I wanted to encourage you with today.
Just to consider those anxious feelings an invitation, consider your choices an invitation to an experience that you can choose to accept or reject.
God bless you and have a wonderful day!