In The Lord of the Rings, King Theoden becomes enfeebled by listening to the words of Wormtongue, his advisor. These lies poison the mind of the King of Rohan and keep him from being a threat to the evil wizard Saruman.
Only when the lies of Wormtongue are exposed by Gandalf the White is Theoden freed from the bondage and able to see the truth.
Characters like Wormtongue remind us of an important lesson: be careful who you listen to.
We all recognize the need to heed that advice, but we often do not apply it to the voice in our heads that speaks up when we are anxious and afraid. This voice can debilitate and hinder us. People who live with anxiety know all too well what these words are and what they sound like.
Listening to the whispers of anxiety is not wise because they are not words of truth. Rooted in fear and worry, anxiety tells us lies that can keep us from living in faith.
We must learn to tune out these words and instead listen to the truth. Using Scripture, we can fight against the twisted words of fear. For truly, those words can sometimes come from the enemy.
The first step in combating the lies of anxiety is learning to identify them. Sometimes, in our fearfulness, we can rationalize the worry we feel and make convincing excuses for our anxiety. We may even feel that the words that pop into our heads during anxious times are true.
To fight against the lies of anxiety, we must practice discernment and test everything against Scripture. We cannot always control the flood of fearful thoughts that overwhelm us during stressful and trying times, but we can control how we respond. By applying the Bible to our lives, we can learn to combat lies with truth.
An important note before we begin: if you find that your feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, or fear continue, do not be afraid to reach out to someone you trust. Persistent and chronic anxiety could be a sign of an anxiety disorder or could be connected to other issues, such as depression.
A trusted family member, friend, or ministry leader can help you find a Christian counselor or therapist. There is nothing wrong with seeking help and you should not feel afraid to do so if your anxiety is crippling.
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1. God Would Not Pick You to Do His Will
Anxiety can strike when we desire to obey God. We know what His Word says and what He has called us to do, but our anxious thoughts whisper that “God would not call you to do that.”
Self-doubt creeps in and we start thinking of all the reasons why we are not good enough or well-equipped enough to carry out the task.
Such thoughts plague Christians at times when they want to share their faith with others or be involved in ministry. Our anxiety tells us that surely God could not be calling us to do that because we would surely mess up.
During these times, we are fixated on our weaknesses and struggles. But that is not where our focus should be. We need to remember the One who has called and commanded us to obey. He is more than able to strengthen and enable us for the task He has given us.
Furthermore, we have the wonderful promise that our Lord is with us (Matthew 28:20). As much as our fear might make us feel like we are alone, we are never alone.
Instead of giving into the sneaky lies of anxiety, we need to remember: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, ESV).
Whenever you think that God could not be asking you to do a certain task, like evangelizing or serving, keep in mind that the Lord is strong and faithful.
He is with you and will never leave you. You might feel weak and unskilled, but God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
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2. Someone Else Is Better Suited for the Task
Anxiety often comes in a whirlwind of thoughts in which one fear leads to another. When we face a major challenge or feel that God is calling us to do a task, not only can we doubt God’s choice, but we can also think that someone else would be better suited for Him to use. Our anxiety lies to us and tells us that we are not good enough to carry out the task.
Of course, none of us are “good enough.” If we were, we would not need grace.
Being “good enough” is not the point. When Christ presents you with an opportunity to serve and obey Him, He is not looking at whether you are “qualified.”
Our Lord does not choose people for tasks the same way the world does. In society, we might search for the most charismatic and successful leader — someone who can captivate a room or wield political power.
In contrast, Scripture tells us that “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:27, NLT).
Consider the disciples. They were just fisherman who had no special training or education (Acts 4:13). The Bible even describes them as ordinary.
Yet, Christ chose them to be His followers and to spread the good news to the world. If He can use them, then He can use you too.
We can easily fall into a comparison trap when we encounter challenges. Especially in today’s world in which social media shows us the highlights and accomplishments of others, we can look at other people and anxiously think how God can use them, but not us. Do not listen to that lie. The Lord can use whomever He chooses to accomplish His will.
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3. You Will Fail if You Try
Another sneaky lie that anxiety tells you is true is: “You will fail if you try.” Cue the scene that plays in your head of you failing at the task. Then, you are bombarded with reminders of past blunders. Soon, you conclude that if you are going to fail, why even try at all?
One of the problems with this lie is that there is a hint of truth in it. That small pinch is enough to make the thought convincing. In life, there is the possibility of failure.
However, sometimes we wrongly assume that something is a failure when it is not. For example, you see an opportunity to share the gospel with a friend but falter.
In the past, you had evangelized to your co-worker, but she did not place faith in Christ. You decided you were a failure at evangelism, which is why you view trying to talk about Jesus to your friend as pointless. Her response will be the same as the co-worker’s, right?
In this scenario, the person assumes he or she is a failure because the desired outcome did not happen. This person needs a shift in perspective.
Actively sharing the gospel with someone else is a success because you have obeyed the Lord’s command (Matthew 28:18-20). You cannot control the person’s response; all you can do is be obedient to what God has called you to do.
In life, though, we will sin and fail. All people fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Even Christians will struggle with sin at times, though they have been redeemed and given a new life. We are not thinking biblically if we demand perfection from ourselves.
Thankfully, as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit of God living inside us. He produces spiritual fruit in our lives and enables us to pursue godliness (Galatians 5:16, 22-23). Although we will fail at times, the Lord gives us His grace.
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4. You Are Only Worthy if You Succeed
Tied to the lie that you will fail if you try is the untruth that you are only worthy if you succeed. These two thoughts often walk hand-in-hand.
If we look closer at these thoughts, we unveil an underlying issue with perfectionism — the idea that you must always act flawlessly. Anything less than perfect means you are a failure and worthless.
Like the previous lie, this one is also deceptive. Many of us are influenced to believe that others will only accept or like us if we meet their standards. For example, a student thinks she is a success only if she gets good grades.
A worker only feels confident if he receives approval from his boss or manager. A pastor believes that he can only make a difference if he increases the size of the congregation or church building. The person’s worth is tied to his or her performance.
These anxious thoughts that propel us to chase after perfectionism also impact our relationship with God. If others only love or care about us if we perform correctly, then we assume the same is true about the Lord. We fall for the lie that our Savior only loves us if we are doing everything right.
Even if we do mess up (which we will), God still loves us. Nothing can separate us from His love, not even our unrealistic expectations for ourselves (Romans 8:38-39).
The Lord’s love for us has nothing to do with our successful deeds. He saved us because of His grace and love, not because of anything we did or will do (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Your worth is not tied to your performance and success. You are a child of God, valued and loved by your Savior (John 1:12). Nothing can ever change that truth.
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5. Staying in the Fear Is Safer than Stepping Out in Faith
At the surface level, this lie appears to be true. There is something comfortable about staying in the familiar and expected instead of stepping out in faith. Our anxiety feeds off the assumption that we are safer where we are than where we could be by following the Lord.
But make no mistake, this is a lie. Fear can make even terrible circumstances seem safer than faithfully following the Lord. Anxiety may lead us to stay when we should go, or run when we should remain still.
I can look back on my life and see the times I caved into fear and anxiety and missed opportunities to serve Christ. At the moment, it was easy to give in to the lies of fear, but in hindsight, I regret the decisions I made. Instead of trusting the Lord, I doubted. Maybe you can relate.
The problem is not that we feel afraid. Fear is an emotion that all people feel. No, the problem is that we allow the anxious fearfulness to control us and drown out scriptural truths and commands. In submitting to the terror, we display a lack of trust in God.
Also, we ignore the truth that the Christian life is hard. Jesus promised that we would have trouble in this life, but He also tells us that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Stepping out in faithful obedience and self-sacrifice is often scary, but it is worth it to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23; John 14:15).
So, if your anxiety tells you that your fear is a safe place to remain, remember that living in disobedience and regret is much more terrifying than taking up your cross and following Christ.
You may feel afraid while stepping out of your comfort zone, but you will be glad you obeyed God and followed Him in faith.
Do not let the lies of anxiety hold you back from living for the Lord.
For further reading:
7 Ways You Are Letting Anxiety Control Your Day
3 Ways You Can Fight Your Anxiety
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Originally published Tuesday, 07 November 2023.