Tag: "Get Out of Your Head: A Study in Philippians" by Jennie Allen

Stopping the Spiral of Anxiety

Hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath and told myself not to overreact. My son in college had just proposed his spring break plans and was looking for our blessing. We loved that he wanted to travel to South America on a mission trip. What didn’t excite my husband and me was the location—a country that is notorious for poverty, crime, and drug cartels. Not wanting to squelch his enthusiasm, we agreed to pray about it. 

Before making the final decision, a thousand “what if” scenarios played out in our minds: What if the plane crashes? What if he’s mugged or robbed? What if he gets sick while he’s gone? What if he’s kidnapped and held for ransom? But each time we prayed, we remembered that God was sovereign, no matter what happened. Ultimately, we chose to trust the Lord and affirmed our son’s decision to go.

As the departure date drew near, the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading across the globe. Our son boarded a plane with his team and flew to South America just as the first coronavirus case was being reported there. Meanwhile back at home, the pandemic was already closing down schools, businesses, and churches. It seemed impossible not to be affected by the tension all around us.

We continued to fight anxious thoughts by entrusting our son’s wellbeing to the Lord. The texts we received from him during the trip comforted us. Our son even thanked us for not “freaking out” like some of the other students’ parents. We breathed a sigh of relief when he touched down on United States soil a week later and thanked God for protecting him and keeping us calm. The next day we had to stop ourselves from asking another series of “What if” questions when he decided to ride out spring semester on campus, in spite of the pandemic.

I’d love to say those situations were unique, but if I’m honest, I can always find a reason to be anxious. Maybe you can too. Jennie Allen says, “We keep finding new concerns to worry about and new facets to each concern, as if by constant stewing we can prepare ourselves for what’s to come. But there is a God who will give us what we need today, next week, and twenty years from now, even if our very worst nightmares come true…The enemy wants to tell us that we cannot trust God to take care of our tomorrows. But the truth is, God is in control of each and every day.” 

Maybe, like me, trusting God isn’t your first reflex. It takes time and intentional effort to retrain our minds to put Paul’s words into practice: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil 4:6-8, NIV)

Many of us don’t focus enough on what’s true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. We’ve unintentionally trained our minds to default to anxious thoughts. Every situation presents a fresh opportunity for worry as we envision worst-case scenarios or imagine how our plans may go awry. Often this happens because we fret about the future instead of enjoying the present. Instead, we need to fight anxious thoughts by reminding ourselves of what’s true, just as Paul advises in Philippians. Here are a few biblical truths you can lean on:

  • God is good and working for our good (Romans 8:28)
  • God is for us (Romans 8:31)
  • God loves us and lives in us (1 John 4:15-16)
  • God knows what we need and provides for us (Matthew 6:32-33)

Try using this strategy Jennie Allen suggests next time you’re struggling:

Grab your anxious thought. Write it down and be as specific as possible (like my list of “what if” scenarios for my son’s mission trip).

Diagnose the thought. Ask yourself if it’s true. Look for answers in Scripture and/or ask a wise friend to help you figure it out.

Take it to God. Pray about what’s making you anxious and see how the Lord speaks to you. Take note of how the Holy Spirit may be answering you through Christian songs, Scripture, devotionals, Bible studies, sermons, blogs, and godly friends.

Make a choice. Are you going to believe God or stay stuck in your negative and anxious thought pattern? Remember, it takes intentional effort to re-route your thinking in a healthier direction.

In her devotional Jesus Calling, Sarah Young says, “Learn a new habit. Try saying ‘I trust You, Jesus,’ in response to whatever happens to you.” She explains how this practice can become a reflex that helps you to see the Lord in every situation and to acknowledge His sovereignty and control over all things. As you trust, you’ll begin to recognize how the Lord uses hard circumstances for growth opportunities.

Paul’s words in Romans provide a fitting blessing to close my final post in this series: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NIV)

Often anxiety springs from fretting about the future and overlooking how God is at work in the present. Let Jeremy Camp’s song “Keep Me in the Moment” help you remember to trust the Lord now and to believe that He’s sovereign over whatever the future holds.

Jennie Allen, Get Out of Your Head: A Study in Philippians, Thomas Nelson Press, 2020 , pages 135 & 140.

Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: Knowing Peace in His Presence, Thomas Nelson Press, 2004, January 4 entry.

Stopping the Spiral of Isolation

Not long ago I found myself consumed with negative thoughts after a series of text messages. Hurt feelings led me to make some cynical assumptions and harsh judgements. I’d let my joy be stolen by making unhealthy and unfair comparisons. Within a few hours, the negativity felt like a weighty anchor pulling me underwater in a sea of self-pity. After floundering there for a while, I realized I needed a friend to throw me a lifeline. 

Pulling out my phone, I dashed off a quick text asking for prayer. My friend was quick to respond and even offered to meet me in person to process my feelings more. At first, I was hesitant, knowing that an in-person encounter meant I’d have to delve deeper than the few lines I’d spewed out on my phone. It didn’t take long to realize that I needed to stop isolating and get the tangle of thoughts out of my head. I needed an outsider perspective to understand why I’d spiraled to such a negative place.

Sitting in my friend’s backyard later that day, I realized the root issue wasn’t that I’d been wronged, but that I’d fallen into some sinful thought patterns. Humbled, I realized my hurt feelings were based on envy and resentment. I’d wanted to complain and have her make me feel better, instead I saw that my reaction to the texts was sinful and my thinking was faulty. What I needed to do was confess, repent, and move on from my wallowing. Connecting with my friend and processing my thoughts aloud enabled me to stop the downward spiral.

Ironically, this situation unfolded the same week I was studying the fourth enemy of our minds. In case you missed my last three posts, I’ve been working through Jennie Allen’s Get Out of Your Head: A Study in Philippians. The book identifies the primary enemies of our minds and the weapons God gives us to fight them. It’s been powerful using these tools to stop my downward spirals and toxic thoughts. So far, we’ve covered three of the six enemies of our minds: self-importance, noise, and cynicism. We learned how to fight them with humility, silence, and delight. (Check out my last three posts if you haven’t read them yet.) The fourth enemy of our minds is isolation and the weapon we need to fight it is connection.

Jennie Allen explains, “We find ourselves in a generation that has made an idol out of the very thing God is calling us away from: independence. But often when we back away from others, it’s because we’re listening to lies about our worth…We weren’t meant to be alone in the dark. Being known turns on the light. And that scares the devil. He doesn’t want us in the light because when we stay in the dark with him, he can tell us whatever he wants. No more. Use the weapon of connection, and fight with light.”

The apostle Paul models the importance of connection throughout the book of Philippians. During a two-year house arrest in Rome, he wrote this letter to the beloved people of the church he’d founded on his second missionary journey recorded in Acts 16. Let’s see what inspiration we can draw from his examples:

Connection Through Prayer: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Phil 1:3-5) Paul’s ongoing prayers for the believers in Philippi kept his heart connected to theirs. In the same way, when we pray with and for others it keeps us tied to them and gives us tender feelings for them.

Connection Through Shared Goals: “And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” (Phil 1:14) Paul’s imprisonment motivated fellow believers to continue the work he’d started. Their mutual passion to share the good news of Jesus created a deep bond between them. In the same way, we connect with others through having mutual motivations and goals rooted in Jesus.

Connection Through Caring for Others: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil 2:3-4) Looking beyond ourselves to care for the needs of others creates powerful connection points and authentic relationships.

Connection Through Serving with Others: “For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” (Phil 2:21-22) Timothy and Paul labored for the sake of the gospel together. Doing this bonded them like a father and son. Serving with others is a powerful way to make meaningful and lasting connections.

Connection Through Allowing Others to Serve You: “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.”  (Phil 2:25) The Philippians sent Epaphroditus to care for Paul while he was imprisoned. Paul’s willingness to allow Epaphroditus to do this created a lasting bond between them. It also strengthened Paul’s connection to the believers who had sent Epaphroditus to help him in his time of need.

Connection Through Shared Struggles: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Phil 3:10) Paul wanted to experience suffering to identify with Jesus. When we journey through suffering with others and the Lord, it connects us to them in deep, lasting ways.

Connection Through Shared Hope: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Phil 3:20-21) Sharing the same hope for the future connects us to other believers and enables us to encourage one another, especially in difficult times.

Connection Through Tangible Support: “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.” (Phil 4:14-16) Meeting the tangible needs of others connects us to God’s greater purposes and helps us to participate in building His kingdom on earth. When we support missions and ministries beyond our community, it helps us to connect with His people throughout the world.

Connecting to others is a powerful weapon to stop the downward spiral caused by isolation. What’s one area mentioned above you’ll pray and ask God to expand in your life in the months ahead?

The first time I heard OneRepublic’s song “Connection” the lyrics struck me as being the anthem for our culture today. It paints a picture of how many people in our world are hungry for meaningful connection. If you enjoy fellowship with Jesus, let Him use you to share it with others.

Jennie Allen, Get Out of Your Head: A Study in Philippians, Thomas Nelson Press, 2020, pages 86 & 87.

All Scripture quoted from the New International Version.