Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

View this verse as an instruction manual to anxiety. When anxious: pray, be thankful, and let God know what you're going through and present your request. When done, the peace of God, that is hard to even explain, will set your heart and mind right because of Jesus! WOW!

John 14:27 “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” (fyi...thats JESUS talking!)

This is one of the last things Jesus says to His followers before He ascends into heaven! His peace is so much different than what the world offers as "peace." Then He commands us to not be worried or afraid. Instead of going to the WORLD, go to the KING!

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

In CHRIST we are a new creation. With this new creation we are, our God given spirit is not one of FEAR! That is of the enemy and of the world. God wants to give us POWER, love, and a sound mind!

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (fyi...God's love is PERFECT LOVE)

God's love is the only perfect love, so in it, there is no fear! Dwell in His love and presence and watch your fears dissolve.

Psalm 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

David, the author of many Psalms, is super honest about his anxiety here, which I love! The solution for Him? Spending time with God brought his soul JOY! Not just temporary happiness, but JOY!

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Why should we worry about something that we have no control over? Its all about what we put our energy to. You can worry about something that you have no control over, or you can release it into God's hands who does have control!

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.”

God cares for us so much that He WANTS to help us! It says LEAVE YOUR WORRIES WITH HIM! He's not too busy for you, He is the God of the Universe...He can handle it!

Luke 12:22-26 “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 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 his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

For some of us (like me) most of the things we worry about won't even happen or do not make that huge of a difference, though, sometimes in life we face legitimate worry with relationships, finances, tragic situations, and the list goes on! BUT, no matter the situation, none of them are too big for God. He takes care of the birds...does He not care more for you than an animal? What does worrying to to help the situation? Nothing. Trust God. Don't sweat the small stuff, and let Him handle the big things, too!

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

Our God is the God of all! What can make us fear? Who can make us fear? Don't forget the great, all-knowing, all-wise God we serve!

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

EVER-Present! This means YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Proverbs 29:25 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

Though we may not understand God's ways sometimes, we have to TRUST Him. He wants GOOD for us. He has a plan! At the end of the day, we have to trust that His way is best and know that we are safe in His arms!

Psalm 34:4 “I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.”

Ever feel like your prayers are "hitting the ceiling?" Like you pray and nothing happens? Sometimes God doesn't answer us in a HUGE audible thundering voice, or even in the way we would like for Him to, but He promises, He's always there. He will answer the way He knows is best. He FREES US from our fear!

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Ever get impatient with doing the right thing? Starting good habits, even? Waiting on God's timing wearing you out? Remember, God's timing is the BEST timing. Don't give up!

Proverbs 16:32 Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

WOAH, say what?!? Solomon here is saying that it is better to be patient than to be a tough fighter in battle? WOW! This truly shows the power of patience!

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Have you ever seen someone living in obvious sin (not that we're ALL not living in sin) getting their way and succeeding more than you?

Guess what? Their life is not to be compared to yours! GOD has a better plan for you if you will just wait! The ways of sin will never result in God's true plan!

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

We are to be patient because GOD is always patient with us!

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. This means that when we develop a relationship with God, our spirit becomes more like Him. Think of a fruit...its a product of a plant. When you spend time with God, patience is one of the many products in your life!

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Deceit is a powerful word, and that is exactly what we do to ourselves when we simply just listen to the Word and don't apply it to our lives!

It not about religion and a set of "rules," its about a better plan and purpose for your life!

John 14:23 Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.

Wow. This one hits hard. Do what Jesus says because we love Him?

Why? Because He loves us too much to see us not do what He says, because His way is truly best.

Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

In this scripture, Jesus is using the metaphor of a house on a rock, or sand, to represent the foundation of our life. If we obey God's word and His Holy Spirit, our foundation will be SOLID!

1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

This is the GOOD stuff right here! Obeying our own way of life may get us temporary happiness or satisfaction, but obeying GOD's way will reap ETERNAL benefits! WOW!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for

and assurance about what we do not see.

This is the Word's definition of faith! Being sure of something you can't yet see.

If you can see it, its not faith.

Its having hope in what God WILL do. 

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So this is how we GET faith! By HEARING GOD's WORD!

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

So without faith, without hoping in what He hasn't done yet, we can't please God. Would you be pleased with a friend who didn't believe your promises you had made?

James 2:14-26 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works

Good deeds can't "win" your way to heaven, but in our faith walk, faith goes hand in hand with our actions and deeds. How can we have "faith" that God will heal us and still speak doubt? Is that faith at all? How can someone walk in the light of love yet operate in hate? Its like oil and water!

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

This describes my heart so many days! WANTING to have faith yet being tossed like waves by my own doubts or the things of this world! ASK GOD and He will help you increase your wisdom in HIM and grow in your faith!

John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

PRAISE GOD! All it takes is receiving Jesus to renew our identity! We become ROYALTY: CHILDREN OF GOD!

Romans 6:6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sinmight be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

He has nailed our OLD SELF to the cross with our sin! Will we still mess up? Of course! We won't ever be perfect on this side of heaven, yet, we don't have to live in the guilt and bondage ever again!

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

YOU ARE CHOSEN BY GOD! A royal people, holy people, with a calling and purpose! God wants to use you! This is the proof!

Psalms 139:14-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

God knew you before the world did. You were made with care in your mother's womb! You are a breathtaking, beautiful creation! God carefully planned your arrival. Don't ever let the enemy lie to you about your worth or purpose.

Colossians 3:13-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.

Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense.

Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Being patient, even-tempered and quick to forgive is not just a command, its a lifestyle! Its a part of our "chosen" identity and who God has called us to be!

Matthew 6:14-15 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.

WOW. Blunt but true. How can you expect to be given forgiveness if we do not forgive? That alone should be motivation to have a forgiving spirit!

1 John 19 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself.

He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

There's 2 sides to forgiveness: either we need to give it or receive it. So many times we live a life of guilt over sins that God has forgiven! LIVE in the freedom of His forgiveness and don't let Satan trap you in guilt!

Mark 11:25 And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.

Is your lack of forgiveness hindering your prayer life? Self examine your heart and pray that God can set you free of that so that you can live in the fullness of His FREEDOM!

Phillipians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Again, this verse is crucial in the battle of anxiety. FIGHT your anxiety with prayer and the word!

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The World is heavy with the burdens of depression, anxiety, fear, and so many more crippling conditions of our hearts and minds. Its crucial to understand that those are NOT of or from God. His ways are light!

Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

I love how the Bible tells us WHAT to think about instead of telling us WHAT NOT to think about. Here's a perfect instruction list on healthy thoughts!

2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ

THROUGH CHRIST we have the authority to capture bad and toxic thoughts as prisoners! Your thoughts have power so it is so important to take those toxic ones to Christ!

Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Thinking about yourself and the world= deathly thoughts and lifestyle. Thinking about things of GOD= a peaceful life! WOW!

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Having a daily relationship with God can seem overwhelming at first, and even intimidating. It doesn't mean to just "drop" everything in your life, it means giving it all to God and letting Him transform your life.

Let Him make you a better person, wife, sister, friend, coworker, etc. Acknowledge Him in ALL things!

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Ever feel confused? Lost? Dont know where to go or what to do? Spend time in God's word and let Him direct your path! His WORD lights the way!

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The more we walk with God, the more we will want what HE wants! He will help us fight our own desires and the temptations of the world!

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

The journey does not STOP at salvation! God desires a life-changing relationship with you! Everyday! He wants to see you be transformed into more than you can ever imagine. It takes and everyday relationship!

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Everyone has a past, but in the Identity tab above its clear to see in scripture that God wants to make us NEW in Him! If are walking in His ways,

Its amazing how God can take our past, take the temptations, the struggle, and all of the things the enemy and world intend for bad, and work it all for GOOD!

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

I LOVE the confidence of the Psalmist here! God WILL fulfill His purpose for you...just give it all to HIM! We are the work of His hands!

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Want to be able to discern the will of God for you life? Renew your mind in His ways and His word! His plan is PERFECT!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Want to know why you were created? To do the good work of GOD! He already had plans for you before He made you! You are His work of art!

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,

for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Despite of what we feel, we have to remember the promise that God makes here that He will never leave us!

This verse is a perfect example of combating the lies of the enemy with the truth of God's word.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Because of His Holy Spirit that is with us, we have no reason to fear. He is loyal and faithful!

Isaiah 43:1-2 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

It's amazing how throughout the Bible, we see God assuring us that we are not alone, but also in the same sentence, not to fear.

We have no need to fear, not even fear loneliness, because He is near. He doesn't promise us an "easy life," as Isaiah goes on to describe a struggle/battle, but He does write that God is with Him through it all!

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

Again in the 23rd Psalm of David, we see another theme that we have NO reason to fear, because HE IS WITH US!

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Sometimes, let's face it, it feels like our prayers hit the ceiling. Thats a lonely place, and Satan would love nothing more than to make us thing that God has abandoned us.

But, here in James, we see the truth that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Clear your mind, clear your heart, and set your mind on Him. He will draw near!