Navigating Negative EmotionsSample

### Casting Anxiety Our society is immersed in a great struggle against anxiety. Though anxiety is a natural feeling that activates in times of danger to help us stay alert, now it has become a problem for many people. They don’t know what to do with that feeling or how to process it. The Bible tells us how to deal with anxiety. We are told to “cast” our anxiety on God. Satan and the powers of darkness prowl like lions, looking for an opportunity to steal, kill, and destroy the life within us. One of their favorite tactics is to point out circumstances we can’t control or understand, making us feel they are too great to bear and sowing thoughts of fear. There are many reasons to be anxious, and they are real. We do not deny this reality. Anxiety tells us to be alert and sober, and helps us to see reality as it is. Life is full of dangers. We are often belittled, ignored, passed over, and abused. Others take advantage of us and take us for granted. We don’t receive the recognition we think we deserve. All of this can be a source of anxiety. Our response should be the same, no matter the source: to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, to cast our anxieties on Him, and to trust that He cares for us and will lift us in due time. We need to recognize that He is mighty to defend us, and His mercy and love for us are unending. Sometimes we try to avoid anxiety by hiding from reality. Or maybe we try to control it by seeking control over uncontrollable circumstances. Both are futile. Anxiety is not pain. Pain has the tendency to remain. But there is no need to remain anxious. God is in control. He desires the best for us. He will ensure that all things work out. We can rest in Him because He desires that all of us who are burdened leave our burdens to Him so we can rest. It is hard to wait for His time; we prefer things to be done in our own time. But God will decide what the “due time” is. If we believe this, our reasons to worry are greatly diminished. Lord, thank You because You are in control of my life and every situation. I, today, decide to leave my worries in Your hands. I decide to rest in You, knowing that Your mercy and love are real in my life.