The Power of the One Thing
Working with those who are in recovery, I regularly deal with people who have a high level of anxiety. Frequently, what I suggest for the person to do seems to have nothing to do with anxiety. But in the end, their anxiety goes away. Why?
As human beings, we have an instinctive sense of how things should be. We also have a sense of who we were created to be, and when we fall short. That inner sense of falling short causes anxiety. At times this anxiety is at a low level, hardly noticeable. Over time, it can rises to an intense level that is overwhelming.
There is no single cause for anxiety because people care about different things and you can only be hurt by what you care about. Our passion is the core of who we are; it is what we care about the most. To deal with anxiety, the key is to find our place of passion and get it back on the right track.
Passion can be perverted by something that seems insignificant. Maybe it’s a treasured idea. Maybe it;s an area of woundedness. It could be a bad habit or some kind of spiritual oppression that exists at a subconscious level.
Some of the greatest fights are often the traditions of our family or culture that we refuse to submit to God. There is a part of us that feels those things are right, because it’s all we’ve ever known. We refuse to submit them to what God says is right. Any area that is not submitted to God will create an underlying sense of tension—no matter how “right” it feels to us or how completely we are able to justify it.
When a person who is struggling with anxiety comes into a place of worship, there is often a level of connection with God that seemingly has set him on the path to overcoming his fears. While sensing God’s presence, he may see the need to forgive a particular person and he may even set his will in that direction. But as soon as he walks out of the sanctuary, there is a phone call … or a Facebook post or something from the old life. The old way of thinking or the flood of emotions gets triggered. The tension mounts. With that tension, the peace received during the worship is gone.
We have a three part being: body, soul, and spirit. A disruption of peace in any of the three levels impacts the whole person. So when a person becomes disconnected from God, he needs to identify what is pulling him away from the presence of God. If he doesn’t defeat that habit or thought, and change that one thing, his entire being will tend to settle back into the old pattern. Anxiety returns.
When a person is in a place of defeat, it might be because of his thoughts, emotions, or even bad habits. Often something as simple as starting your day with prayer and the Word of God is a key to defeating anxiety. Connecting with God is a much better start to the day than turning on the television or scanning through the news.
Do you want to feel better about life? Do you want victory over anxiety? Line up every part of your life with what God says is right. Sometimes the greatest victories come out of changing just one thing, one seemingly small change
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