Supposedly, the Bible tells us not to fear 365 times. I haven’t counted, so I just take their word for it. (Fear can often be translated to anxiety, which is why I give you this bit of trivia.) This demand is not there just to give us an impossible mandate, but because there are very good reasons why those who have faith in God would not be anxious. It is a battle of the mind which must be fought for.
1. Walk in the spirit. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) This means that when the Spirit urges me to go and talk to a certain person, I don’t pause to think about it, but rather, I start moving my feet to obey.
2. Think positively. “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.” (Philippians 4:8) There’s no space for anxiety when you’re thinking about all of these things!
3. Pray. “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:5b-6) Because the Lord is with us always, we don’t need to fear; God’s got us. We are encouraged to take our concerns to the Lord, whom we can trust. (We’re already trusting him for salvation, right?)
4. Gentle and quiet spirit. “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:3-4) These verses specifically apply to women. The passage is on how to be a good wife, and we see “a gentle and quiet spirit” at the heart of it. A fearlessness is portrayed here that even single ladies would do well to possess. (I’m not prepared to apply this to men… On one hand it might fit, on another, men have a very different role.)
When all these things are being implemented, there is freedom from anxiety. As I’ve heard it said, you are controlled by everything, and everyone, around you, or by God. It is a battle to be only controlled by God, but it’s one that is absolutely worth fighting.
grace flowing 
I enjoyed reading your section on prayer.
My life always improves when I pray for others instead of myself.
Sometimes I treat God like a Santa Clause figure, approach ing him only when I desire selfish needs.
^When I pray this way, my vision of God blurs to the point where I don’t believe He wants my help.
I loved that verse you included, because God actually DOES want us coming to Him.
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That’s great, Logan! I’m glad you were encouraged!
Your perspective on prayer challenges me because I tend to go to God with a checklist of requests, even for other people. Prayer should come from the heart and not just be about seeing the “problem” fixed.
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^* requests (typo)
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