Joel Osteen - The Antidote for Anxiety

I want to talk to you today about the Antidote For Anxiety. A recent article talked about how we're in an epidemic of anxiety. Never has there been so much coming against our mental health, creating stress, pressure, people living overwhelmed. That's not the way we were created to live.

The scripture (1 Peter 5:7) says to "Cast all your anxieties on him". One antidote for anxiety is you have to give it to God. You can't go around carrying everything, trying to figure it all out, living in tomorrow, wondering how it's going to work out. "What if my health doesn't improve? What if my company has layoffs? This family member did me wrong, I gotta fix that". You're weighing yourself down. Carrying things you were never meant to carry, that's why you can feel worn out, not able to sleep at night. Do yourself a favor and start casting those anxieties.

So much pressure these days with social media, there's the comparison: Am I good enough? Funny enough? Pretty enough? Do I have enough followers? Am I popular? If you fall into trap, you'll never feel good about yourself. There will be this pressure to outperform, and outdress, have more friends. That's a never ending cycle. You'll miss who you were created to be, trying to keep up with everyone else. Take that pressure off yourself, that's what's causing anxiety.

Dealing with anxiety doesn't mean that you're weak, you don't have enough faith, you must have done something wrong. The enemy wouldn't be trying to stop you, if he didn't know there was a calling on your life.

The anxiety is not permanent. It's not going to last forever, it's a season, this too shall pass. And sometimes God will bring you out quickly, other times he'll take you little by little. Don't be discouraged if you don't see anything changing, God is working.

When anxiety attacks, often we call our friends, call our neighbor, call our parents. That's all fine, but you need to make sure you call on the name of the Lord. Call on the God who created you. Call on the God who brings dead things back to life. Call on the God who is more powerful than any force trying to stop you. He said in Psalms 50:15, "Call unto me in the day of trouble and I will strengthen you and I will deliver you".

When anxiety attacks, don't try to do it on your own. Go to God prayer, ask him for his help. Cast the care, cast the anxiety, cast the worry. God has you in the palm of his hand. He didn't bring you this far to leave you. He's done it in the past, he's going to do it this time.

If Peter were here today, he would tell you, "The antidote to anxiety is to turn it over to God. Don't care carry it - cast it. Don't go around dwelling on all the negative, trying to figure it out, focus on the what-ifs. Put it all in God's hands, that's when you'll have peace that passes understanding".

That anxiety is not how your story ends. It may happen quickly or God may take you little by little, but know this: you're coming out. It is not permanent.