ANXIETY IS NOT GOD'S WILL FOR US... PART 1

Since last week, I have been putting off posting here and on Instagram, and the only reason I could think of for this delay or procrastination was ANXIETY. These feelings brought about doubts, fear, and uncertainty. It brought up questions like "what am I even talking about ?", "what if I sound so cringe?", "What if people don't read this post?" 

Hello Friends, my name is Ngozi, and welcome to my corner of relatable thoughts, linked to God's words, which produce results, and today I am here to tell you that ANXIETY IS NOT GOD'S  WILL FOR US.

What is ANXIETY? According to the Oxford dictionary, "it is a state of uneasiness, accompanied by dysphoria and somatic signs and symptoms of tension, focused on apprehension of possible failure, misfortune, or danger." If I could summarise this, I would say anxiety is a bowl of what-ifs, just like the examples I gave at the beginning: Anxiety = showers of what-ifs.

It often comes up in the form of doubts, which in turn build fear, which sometimes happens in several ways, for example: when starting something new, going for a job interview, or in a competition, and so on. This results in difficulty starting and low self-esteem.

But what if we replaced the "what-ifs" with "I can and I will." For example, "I know I sound cringe, but I will write and post because people can and will actually read and relate with me. Now compare this sentence with the questions I previously asked in the beginning. Can you feel how unsure and scared I sounded? With just a simple transformation, it became a bold statement. Just like in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things, through Christ that strengthens me."

This goes further to say that the first way to overcome anxiety is by transforming our fears into boldness, and to do this, we need to believe that anxiety is not God's will for us. In the scripture from the bible in 2 Timothy 1:7," For God has not given me the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." I urge you to declare and pray his scripture over your life whenever you feel anxious, and even when you are not, until you believe in it.

In Philippians 4:4, "rejoice in the Lord always." This is he second way to overcome anxiety. This can be done simply by letting God be God in our lives, by surrendering all to him. You don't understand the situation, but you trust him to take control. Remember, he told us to be still and know that he is God. So the next time to fear, just rejoice in the Lord always, and begin to thank him for what he has accomplished in your life, for what he is doing, and for the things he is about to do. Even in situations you don't understand, rejoice in him. I did this all through November, and I improved. Dare to believe that Good things will happen, have faith because belief comes with faith.

To end this first part, I will leave with a question that you need to ask and answer yourself, which is," If God is for you, who can be against you?

I hope this helps you overcome anxiety just as it is helping me. Stay tuned for part two.

God bless you and see you soon!!

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