Sadly, anxiety has become almost an expected part of life today.
Maybe it’s always been this way? Whether it’s managing responsibilities, making big decisions, or facing uncertainties, anxiety often feels like the default response. We all deal with it from time to time, but we rarely stop to consider the deeper impact it has on us.
The real issue is that anxiety doesn’t just affect our mood or mindset—it attacks our identity.
Jesus spoke to this in Matthew 6, telling us not to worry. Paul echoed it in Philippians 4. Both understood the toll anxiety takes and how it pulls us away from who we are in Christ. Anxiety distracts us from our purpose, makes us question our worth, and often drives us to act like everything is up to us. It pushes us into survival mode, triggering reactivity and pulling us away from a life of abiding in God.
So how should we respond to anxiety?
Many Christian leaders remind us, rightly, that Jesus told us not to worry. But how? How does God expect us to handle our worry? How do we face crippling uncertainty? For most of us, anxiety is the feeling that our responsibilities have outpaced our identity. We’re overwhelmed by too much to do, too little time, and too many things outside our control. We lose touch with who we are in the storm.
The irony is that the problem is also the solution. The very thing anxiety assaults—our identity—is the key to overcoming it. Like passing through airport security, trials offer us the opportunity to display our true identity. This identity check is the way forward.
Each time anxiety strikes, it’s an opportunity for an identity check—a reminder of who you are in Christ. So, where are you anxious? This is a key area where you have the opportunity to upgrade and press into your identity. Without that, anxiety can take over. But when you remember your true identity, God’s peace protects you and carries you through.
1. Anxiety Steals Focus and Assignments
Anxiety steals the big picture, shifting our attention away from God’s call on our lives. Instead of focusing on what God has assigned to us, we can get stuck in the loop of worry and distraction.
Distraction: Anxiety pulls our focus in a hundred directions.
Misplaced priorities: We focus on fears, not purpose.
Energy drain: Worry takes the energy meant for our mission.
Identity Check: You are called by God. Your identity is shaped by the assignments He’s given you. Don’t let anxiety steal your calling by causing you to focus on the wrong things. Solve problems when necessary, but don’t lose the view of the whole field. Actually, some of the stress you’re experiencing might be built into the calling (remember Paul’s shipwrecks?).
2. Anxiety Causes Spiritual Amnesia
Anxiety makes us forget who we are and how God has worked in our lives. It clouds our memory, leading us to doubt God’s faithfulness.
Forgetting who we are: Anxiety erases our sense of worth.
Forgetting God’s faithfulness: We lose sight of the ways God has provided.
Losing focus on promises: Temporary fears overshadow eternal truths.
Identity Check: You are God’s child. Your identity is built on the foundation of God’s past faithfulness. There’s a reason that REMEMBER is the primary commandment given to God’s People in the Old Testament. We so easily forget who we are in Christ and what God is doing in us. God is working, and has worked, on your behalf. Every past answered prayer, or survived trial, is a reminder of who He is and who you are in Him.
3. Anxiety Leads to Temporary Atheism
Anxiety can push us into believing that it’s all up to us. We stop trusting God’s timing and take control ourselves, as Saul did in 1 Samuel 13.
Believing you’re on your own: Anxiety convinces you that no one is coming to help.
Acting out of fear: Instead of waiting, we rush ahead.
Doubting God’s timing: We get impatient and take matters into our own hands.
Identity Check: You are part of God’s sovereign plan. Anxiety tries to make you forget that. But God’s timing is perfect, and He is in control of your story.
Jesus reassures us in Matthew 6 that the Father knows our needs before we ask. Philippians 4 promises that God’s peace will guard our hearts when we trust Him. Don’t let anxiety push you into control mode—God’s got it covered.
Identity Check Review:
When anxiety steals focus: Remember, You are called by God.
When anxiety causes amnesia: Recall, You are God’s child, with a history of His faithfulness.
When anxiety pushes you to control: Trust, You are part of God’s sovereign plan.
Here’s my key point - are you feeling anxious? Do an identity check! Remember who you are in Christ. God’s peace will guard your heart and restore what anxiety tries to take.