Week 1

ASSESS YOUR TOOL KIT

Whether we know it or not, we all have coping strategies. We have a tool kit to open in times of anxiety. Some tools are healthy, others counterproductive. An important step in assembling good tools is identifying the bad ones. Examine the list below, and place a check next to the tools you use.

When I am anxious, I do the following:

___ try to relax

___ seek advice and assurance from a trusted friend

___ take prescription medication

___ suppress my feelings

___ busy myself with activities unrelated to my problem (e.g., wash clothes, mow the grass)

___ get angry

___ have a smoke

___ pray, meditate, read Scripture

___ try to understand the source of my worry

___ other______________________________

Evaluate your list. Are your coping methods, by and large, good ones? Or does your response to anxiety create even more problems? Reduce your list to the tools that actually help you resolve the problem. Share your revised list with someone you trust, and ask that person to pray with you about a new strategy.

Verse for Reflection

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

Pray It Through

Lord,

Grant me the wisdom to remember that you are not the source of anxiety. Rather, help me remember that resting in you provides relief from all worry. Give me the courage to choose what is good and pure, even when it is hard or inconvenient.

In your holy name, amen.

Week 2

EVALUATE YOUR WORRY PATTERNS

This week make a note every time you feel anxious. Observe some details about your troubling thoughts.

• What were you worried about? Here are some examples to get you thinking. "This traffic will make me late for the meeting! I'm going to miss the best part!"

"I'm worried that it's going to rain on next Saturday's picnic."

"I catch myself thinking about the kids and their college tuition. Are we saving enough money?"

• What situation or event triggered the anxiety?

• How did this anxiety make you feel?

• How did you react?

Take a few minutes to review what you have observed about your worries.

• Try to identify the core fear or insecurity behind the anxiety. Do you see a common theme? Is there some catastrophic event you fear?

• How many of your worries materialized? Highlight the number of times you were worried about something that never actually happened.

• Was the gain worth the pain? As you look at the emotional toll the anxiety took, was it worth it?

• How did your anxiety affect others in your life?

• Is there anything you can do to address the source of anxiety? What is a practical step you can take? Make an intentional choice to act so the next time this anxiety surfaces, you can tell yourself what you are doing to alleviate the potential problem.

Each morning add your concern to your prayer time. Ask God to go ahead of you.

Verse for Reflection

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

Pray It Through

Father,

I release the fears and anxieties I face today, and I place them in your hands. Help me surrender my tendency to try to control certainty. May the truth that you are sovereign over every detail of today bring peace to my heart and my mind.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Week 3

CLEAN YOUR LIFE LENS

Everyone has assumptions about life. Many are useful and constructive. We know that the sun will rise and set each day. We assume that storms will pass and that food will be available in grocery stores. Some assumptions, however, are toxic. Even worse, they are contrary to the truth. Unhealthy assumptions include thoughts like these:

I'm unworthy. I don't deserve to have good things happen to me.

People abandon me. When people come to know the real me, they leave.

It's all my fault. I'm to blame for every bad thing that happens to me.

No one has my back, which makes me vulnerable. Something bad is going to happen.

The world feels dangerous. I'm scared.

Many false beliefs were formed in the early years of our lives when we did not have the ability to challenge them. So their roots run deep, and such false assumptions create an anxiety-ridden life. God's solution? Truth. Face worries with truth. Bring "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5 ASV). One way to do this is to correct faulty thinking with accurate thoughts.

I matter to God. He made me, knows me, and has a plan for my life.

I am worthy of love. I'm not perfect, but I have abilities and God-given gifts.

I'm not responsible for all the bad things. I've made mistakes, but I am learning and growing, and, most of all, I am forgiven by God.

I'm protected. It is a dangerous world, but I serve a mighty God who knows and loves me.

Listen to yourself. Monitor your beliefs about yourself, about God, and about the world. Don't allow false assumptions to take up any space in your mind. Immediately treat them with truth.

Verse for Reflection

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:24-26 NIV)

Pray It Through

Lord,

Deconstruct the lies I believe about myself, about the world, and about you. Replace those lies with the truth of your love and care. Help me get out of the way. Please re-create my perspective so that truth reigns and guides my beliefs, decisions, and actions.

In your holy name, amen.

Week 4

CAST A VOTE IN YOUR FAVOR

You are either your worst critic or greatest cheerleader. Either you tear yourself down or you build yourself up. The words you tell yourself can usher in fear or faith. Are you against you? Or are you for you?

God is for you. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). He has cast his vote. In his opinion you are worth the death of his Son. You are valuable, purposeful, and important. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isa. 43:1 RSV).

If God is for you, shouldn't you be for you? Does it make sense for you to be against you? You are against you when you call yourself dumb, ugly, or...