4 Ways to Battle Anxiety and Depression
I have no doubt that every one of us would unanimously agree that life is hard. We live in a fallen world so, naturally, it makes sense that sin and grief are present in our lives. With all the terrible things that exist in a fallen world, including ourselves, it is no surprise that it takes a toll on one’s mental health. From Mental Health in America, a non-profit organization focused on mental health, nearly 20% of adult Americans have some form of mental condition stemming from anxiety or depression as of late 2020.
As shocking as the statistic may be, it is a reality. Dealing with hurt and anger and overwhelming grief is not easy, causing people to react in a variety of unhealthy ways. Some withdraw into themselves, others lash out in anger, and others still battle tirelessly, indulging in people and materials in an effort to find joy and peace. Nearly two thousand years ago, Paul addressed this very topic in his letter to the Philippians. Written while Paul himself was imprisoned in Rome, Paul is encouraging the church of Philippi to live joyfully despite oppression and worry in their own lives.
Phillipians 4:4-9 states:
4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Within this passage, Paul helps us understand how we can battle the mental struggles of anxiety and depression in a biblical, Christ-like way. Before looking at these ideas, I must first note that this is not an easy formula to solve mental health. Rather, this is a charge from Paul and a promise from God. Work is required on your end; it is no magic spell, but the promise remains that God will be with you through it.
1. Rejoice in the Lord.
You may be wondering how that is possible. You’ve been hurt, abused, abandoned, and you think, “I have been through too much to find joy. I can’t overcome this, I can only live with it.” Paul doesn’t give you a choice. This is a command. So, I ask you, where do you find joy? Are you looking to people, circumstances, and things to make you happy? Remember, Paul is writing this from prison, potentially looking at his death sentence. He is joyful and content given the dire situation and he is telling us that it is not the situation that determines our happiness, but rather, God. For those who know Christ, you have a choice. Do you hang on to your pain and angst or rejoice in who Christ is, what He has done, and what He will do?
2. Do not be anxious.
In verse 6, we see another command. Is God not Creator, Master of the Universe, a Father capable of all things? I would hope you believe He is. By being anxious, you take all of the good you just affirmed and deny it by allowing your worries to take over. If you are consumed with your life and your worries, you become useless to the Kingdom. If you aren’t striving for improvement yourself how can you help others? Paul helps us understand how to overcome this. With supplication and thanksgiving, we come to God in prayer. Paul tells us, “in everything,” we should come to God. Nothing you are dealing with is too small or too great. If you believe He is God, if you believe He is your Father, then draw near to Him. When you feel the angst and fear and hopelessness set in, turn to your Father. Rejoice in His comfort and protective embrace.
3. Take captive your thought life.
Paul goes on in verse 8, telling us to think on a plethora of things, all of which are good and beautiful. I have to stress here that this is not the same as the popular ‘positive thinking mantras’ like “good vibes only,” or, “I’m sending positive thoughts your way.” Everything Paul is telling us to dwell on is God-centered. If you are self-centered because you are hurt or angry, you aren’t able to serve in your full capacity. Think about it. When you’re hurt or angry, what do you do? How many of us, when sad, listen to our playlist of sad tearjerkers? How many curse the offender and throw a pity party for ourselves? I know I am guilty of all of the above. My mind dwells on thoughts of revenge and self-pity, hardly thinking of pure and lovely things. Though far from easy, we are called to change our thought pattern and maintain it, shutting out the thoughts of the flesh. You aren’t alone in this; remember, verse 6 calls for us to bring everything to God in prayer. He’s there for you and will help you. Rejoice in the mental freedom God can bring.
4. You are called to imitate Christ.
Be Christlike. Verse 9 is a charge to the church of Philippi, telling them to take all they have learned from Paul and imitate him and live out the things they have seen him do. This is a consistent theme from Paul; we see him echo this in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” If we take that literally, we should imitate Jesus. What do we see with Jesus? He was a leader. Robert Greenleaf, an expert in leadership and pioneer of the servant leader movement in the 20th century, stated, “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Jesus is the most beautiful example of a servant leader, humbling Himself to become a man, spending years serving and teaching people, and then dying as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Christ’s characteristics should be mirrored in our own lives, which requires us to live out daily the things of Christ. Verse 5 of this passage is a not-so-easy to live out reminder. We are told to let our gentle spirit (that of Christ) be known to all men. It does not say let it be known to those who you like, but to all men. This would include those people who have hurt or wronged you. Who is there in your life that is hard to love? The individual that comes to mind for you is certainly human, thus falling into “all men.” How are you showing your “gentle spirit” to them? Are you serving them and portraying Christ through your works? How could you show Christ to them? Paul is calling us to do the hard thing. Lose yourself in others. Our fleshly tendency is to wallow in our self-pity and cut those that hurt us out of our lives, yet we are called to serve all men. Die to your flesh and serve others. Love others. Pour into others. Your hurt can help others and you can rejoice in the Lord when you realize that the situations that scarred you prepared you to serve others.
You are called to serve, love, and spread the gospel. If you have become so focused on your own sorrows and pain, then how can you do what you are called to do as a believer? In a way, you’ve boxed yourself in. The most encouraging part of this passage comes in verse 7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” and Paul’s close in verse 9. “…practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” This is a promise. Doing these things, rejoicing in God, seeking God, changing your thought pattern, and living out a Christlike life leads to God’s peace protecting and covering you. How wonderful it is to see this promise! It should certainly be encouraging to see that as you fight to free yourself from the pain and suffering of anxiety and depression, you are guaranteed the peace of the Lord.
Hear me, please, that this is not an overnight process. This is a battle, hard fought and sorely won, a battle that may require fighting daily to change how you think and act. It is not easy; we live in a fallen world and one of your biggest enemies is yourself. Your flesh is strong and you face your own sinful desires and evil thoughts daily. All of Scripture is rife with the theme of dying to yourself and living for Christ. Nothing promises it will be easy, but we are promised that God will be with us. As Paul notes in verse 5, “the Lord is near,” so rest in the promise from God that His peace, a peace that surpasses human understanding, will cloak you in all circumstances as you strive to overcome the difficult mental battles you may face.
So, as you struggle to keep your head afloat when depression or an anxious spirit are trying to drag you down, run to the Father. God speaks to you through His Word, so take this passage, read it, dwell on it, pin it where you can see it, and live every bit of it out daily. Rejoice in the Lord. Seek Him and fear not for your life. Think on God-centered things, and imitate Christ.