• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

COVID-19 UPDATE – Click to Read

Get the Guide: Thriving Mental Health Alongside COVID-19

Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC

Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC

Get Unstuck From Fear

  • Home
  • Treatment Areas
  • About
    • About Justin
    • Speaking & Training
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Make an Appointment

Fear Not

Posted July 30, 2019 in Anxiety, CBT, Christian, Mental Health, OCD Share:

Primary Sidebar

Search Posts

Recent Posts

  • Intrusive, Unwanted Thoughts and Faith (I am Second Blog)
  • I Want To Hold Your Ha-aa-aa-aaand
  • Accidental Exposure: A Strong Mind Is Not Made In Comfort
  • Why I Say ‘Thank You’ to Amazon Alexa (It’s Not What You’d Think)
  • Getting Aroused With Anxiety

Categories

person with fear not tattoo on arm

The Bible has a lot to say about fear and anxiety.  In fact, some variation of “do not be afraid” is the most common directive in Scripture, occurring in some fashion more than ‘do not steal,’ ‘do not kill,’ and even ‘love your neighbor.’

How Does Anxiety Work?

When we study these constructs in research, we are understanding mechanisms through which the body/brain is informed to face a threat or danger.  We can argue these responses are inherently good, with their purpose being survival, protection, and preparedness. Its activation results in the sympathetic nervous system being primed: adrenalin and noradrenalin are produced, cortisol increases, heart rate increases, blood flow moves to muscles and away from extremities, speed and depth of breathing increases, and many other physiological changes occur.[1]  I’m grateful to have these responses- when they are in context.  Out of context, they suck, to put it bluntly.  Problems like panic attacks, worry, phobias, obsessiveness, skin/hair picking/pulling, preoccupation, social fears, avoidance, and more can be quite terrible.

One of the things I love most in my walk with Christ is context.  Direction.

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:5b-6, ESV).

What is being said here?  Partly, “Do not be anxious about anything.”  Since anxiety is a feeling of imminent threat- or in other words, it’s at hand- it’s very interesting that immediately before this phrase in Scripture we have another observation revealing a different type of imminence: “The Lord is at hand.”

In the context of the Lord being near we are told, “Do not be anxious.”  This Greek word for ‘be anxious,’ μεριμνᾶτε (transliterated as “merimnate”), means to be divided and distracted, fearful, and caring for things that are out of context.[2]

Sounds a lot like those who experience anxiety disorders, right?  Yep. Or even just day to day worry/anxiety? Yep.  When a person feels anxiety and fear and misinterprets this as significant, a person’s entire life and values can shift to focus on whatever is the subject of their fear, whether classified medically as a disorder or not.  This can lead to a preoccupation with avoiding something or someone (spiders, relationships, sex, social situations) to obsessively checking to make sure everything is okay (car, stove, locks, bodily sensations, health, perfectionistic behavior), or pursuing something (money, security, approval of others)- and MUCH more.[3]

The Supports We Often Need

To help work through these things and avoid pathological responses, I believe we need supports like therapy, help from friends, breathing techniques, mindfulness, exposure techniques, etc.  This only underscores our complexity (we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”[4] yet simultaneously all messed up[5]) and highlights what we are told in Scripture about our limits.[6]  We can rightly use these tools to help us, just as we do nutrition, medicine, community, and so forth.  But there is one thing these tools can’t do on their own: attach us to the very God of the universe and give us a lasting hope and focus- with meaning and purpose at the highest level.
​
So God gives us a jewel of a passage in Philippians 4 where we are kindly reminded what our attention is to be on (context), and a little bit of how we can live it out (practice).[7]  It is well known within the anxiety treatment world that even the most effective therapies (here’s looking at you, classic CBT, which I love and specialize in) often need supports to connect to larger beliefs, values, and commitments (ACT, DBT, and MI are some of the most common modalities).  If we don’t connect a person to larger motivations and goals than “I just want to feel better,” it is often near impossible for a person to grow with sustainable change for the long term because they don’t have a sufficient reason and value to keep them invested. God gives us this.

  • He is near (so we pray, cry out, talk to God, and work on gratitude- v. 6).
  • He gives peace (that defies understanding and supersedes suffering- v. 7).
  • He guards and protects us through Christ (v. 7).

Want more?  Well, there’s two tips in the next two verses, Philippians 4:8-9

  • Learn to focus your thoughts in ways that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
  • Follow someone who has practiced these things.

“Anxious for nothing” will take a lifetime to put into practice.  I’m grateful to have the opportunity.

~Justin

 

 

References:
[1] Continued misinterpretation and repetitive experience of these symptoms worsens disorder, like in Panic Disorder, GAD, Phobias, OCD, PTSD, and more.
[2] Bible Hub. (n.d.). 3309. merimnaó. Retrieved July 13, 2019, from https://biblehub.com/greek/3309.htm
[3] I think it’s very important to note that we have to be very careful with saying anxiety/fear is sin- and what we mean by this.  A lot of Christians get tripped up on this, and many, ironically, become more anxious. The extent of this point would likely require an entire book, so I will not take the space here to elaborate.
[4] Psalm 139:14; Genesis 1:26-27
[5] Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23
[6] Psalm 73:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
[7] Oh yes, there’s a whole lot more in Scripture on this topic. Let’s not reduce a couple sentences into a “how-to-manual.”

Tags:
Anxiety, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Evidence Based, Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), Faith, Religion, Spirituality

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related posts

Intrusive, Unwanted Thoughts and Faith (I am Second Blog)

Honored to be featured again in the I Am Second mental health blog, this post addresses the common occurrence of Intrusive Thoughts and how those of Christian faith can live in freedom. Click Here to Read NOW

Read More >
person holding hands
I Want To Hold Your Ha-aa-aa-aaand

The Beatles were on to something. It turns out that holding your romantic partner’s hand is good for you.  New research reveals that if you do so during emotional distress, it actually lessens emotional pain in recall later.  (Sahi et al., 2021). The study defines emotional pain as “an unpleasant feeling (or suffering) associated with […]

Read More >
four men playing basketball
Accidental Exposure: A Strong Mind Is Not Made In Comfort

Accidental workouts are great; just don’t base your exercise off of them.   Has this ever happened to you?  You have an exercise routine (walk, weights, circuit, CrossFit), and while expecting to take a holiday break, say Thanksgiving…..until someone challenges you in the paint for pickup game of basketball (in my family we had the 6 […]

Read More >
2nd. gen black Amazon Echo speaker on white panel
Why I Say ‘Thank You’ to Amazon Alexa (It’s Not What You’d Think)

The power of habit is a currently popular topic, no doubt through the lens of James Clear, Harvard Business Review, and similar ilk.  Social media influencers give us all sorts of ‘hacks’ to make a habit in 30 days, get a flat belly, and more. While there’s a mix of good and a lot of […]

Read More >
woman in black tank top
Getting Aroused With Anxiety

Mark* was generally confident in his therapy, but bringing up sex….well, he got a little sheepish.  He had these small avoidances that he never realized were behavioral and cognitive avoidances.  For example, he would never have sex with his wife when the kids weren’t away from home.  He intentionally steered conversation away from topics with […]

Read More >
man using silver iPhone 6
What’s Your Why?

Yvette had a hard time breaking through in therapy. She knew and understood well the rationale for putting in the work. Her grasp of when she felt anxious and distressed, and even what to do, was excellent. I mean, the research speaks for itself, right? Just do it- just practice what your therapist teaches? I […]

Read More >

Footer

Owner, Dallas Counseling, PLLC 17330 Preston Road, Suite 102D Dallas, TX 75252

justin@dallascounseling.com
469-490-2002

Treatment Areas

  • CBT / Exposure Therapy
  • OCD & Anxiety
  • Addiction
  • General Mental Health
  • Christ-Centered Treatment

Upcoming Events

Common Pitfalls in ERP 4 OCD Livestream

Late Spring 2021
More to Come Soon!

OCD Texas' Learn at Lunch

July 2nd, 2021 - 12 noon (CST)
Click for More

Newsletter

Recent Talks

ERP 4 OCD

Download FREE

Common Pitfalls in ERP for OCD

Download FREE

Copyright © 2021 Dallas Counseling, PLLC. Privacy Policy

Important 3 Things: 1) We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 2) Content is sometimes mature and/or geared towards different specialty audiences. 3) Professional content is educational in nature and doesn't substitute for professional therapy. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to both the use of ALL the cookies and agree to use of website as is.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

SAVE & ACCEPT