You have an enemy, and he would like nothing more than to eliminate you. If you’re going to win this battle, you need to know your enemy, but more importantly, you need to know his strategies. His goal is to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10)…and his tactics haven’t really changed across the centuries. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He is on the prowl, doing reconnaissance and gathering intelligence on the best ways to incapacitate and disable you from living the full and abundant life Christ died to give you.
One of the major tools of the enemy is fear, and anxiety is its ugly offspring; they’re not the same, but they’re definitely related. To grossly oversimplify, fear is a reaction to a present danger, while anxiety is the anticipation of a threat. It’s the difference between “There’s a fire in the kitchen right now” and “There is the potential for there to be a fire in the kitchen at some point.” One causes us to flee, and the other causes us to be paralyzed.
I always said that if I was going to write, then I was going to be real. And a very real part of my story is my battle with anxiety. It rose to the surface after a traumatic event, which is not an altogether uncommon way for it to manifest. It had probably been there most of my life, just waiting to be born. Fear birthed anxiety in me, and I was crippled by it for years. I tell you this because I want you to know that you are not alone. I understand what it’s like to feel utterly defeated…but I also know what it’s like to walk in freedom and in hope.
God loves you and has an incredible plan for your life. You are absolutely essential to His work here on Earth, and He has placed you exactly where you are as part of His grand plan! God tells us in Isaiah 54:17 that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. The weapons will be formed…but He unequivocally guarantees that they will not prosper. Sometimes that weapon is anxiety…but you need to know without a shadow of a doubt that God will not allow that weapon to prosper!
I know this because we have weapons of our own, given to us by God to be used in the battles we face. According to Ephesians 6:12, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places,” so we can’t wage war like mere mortals…we have to fight like anointed spiritual warriors in the mighty name of Jesus.
Do you consider yourself to be a warrior? It’s your birthright as a woman and an image-bearer of God. When He created Eve, He named her “Ezer”… and while this is most often translated as “suitable helper” or “helpmeet” (Genesis 2:18), a quick dive into Hebrew challenges us to revisit and expand our understanding of what that really means.
In the Old Testament, “Ezer” is used 21 times: to define the woman (Genesis 2:18, Genesis 2:20), to describe the nations Israel appealed to for military aid (Isaiah 30:5, Ezekiel 12:14, Daniel 11:34), and to name God’s identity as Israel’s helper (Exodus 18:4, Deuteronomy 33:7, Deuteronomy 33:26, Deuteronomy 33:29, Psalm 20:2, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 70:5, Psalm 89:19, Psalm 115:9, Psalm 115:10, Psalm 115:11, Psalm 121:1, Psalm 121:2, Psalm 124:8, Psalm 146:5, Hosea 13:9). Ezer is always used in a military or strategic context.
(Side note: There are so many scholars much more learned than I who have written far more eloquently about the concept of the Ezer. If you are looking to explore this topic further, check out Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women and God’s Women Then and Now to get you started.)
Sister, you are a strategic asset in the Lord’s army, and I think it’s just about time you started acting like one! You are essential! If you’ve been side-lined by crippling anxiety, let’s talk about the three weapons God has given you to start living in victory:
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The Word of God: Declare your fighting verse. Start by asking God to give you a verse or passage of Scripture to help you in this battle. His Word isn’t called the Sword of the Spirit for nothing (Eph. 6:17). It is truly the most powerful weapon in our arsenal. Every time the anxious thoughts begin to swirl, declare that verse out loud. Memorize it. Write it out. Put it on sticky notes. Get it tattooed. Do whatever it takes to burn that verse onto your heart. (My verse is Philippians 4:6-7).
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Music: Make your playlist. Worship is the proven antidote to worry. It is impossible to focus on your anxiety when you are focused on praising the Lord. Whether you resonate with the old-school hymns or the contemporary anthems, make a playlist that causes you to focus on the strength and goodness of God. Make the enemy flee. Listen to this playlist daily.
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Support: Find your people. When you are gripped by anxiety, it’s easy to retreat and isolate, but you have to resist that urge. Seek help. Go see a Christian counselor. Find out if medication might be an option. Find a support group. Get one or two women to consistently check in with you and pray for you.
Remember, whatever you face this week, you’re a warrior…and you can do this…not because of your own strength, but because of the strength of the One who lives in you! God’s got this covered.
Written by SUSAN MYERS
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Carol McLeod Ministries
Featured Image by Mitchell Hartley on Unsplash
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