Proverbs
12:25 Anxiety
in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Overcoming anxiety is best
accomplished by living out the truth of God’s Word. Teaching others the truths
in Scripture is the beginning or foundation building for a life of obedience.
Without the knowledge and understanding of biblical truth, the counselee will
not be able to adequately live their life in a way that brings healing and wholeness.
Fullness of life is knowing and doing the truth.
Anxiety begins with
misbeliefs that have caused the anxious person to think and act in ways counter
to truth and reality. It is not merely an intellectual change that is
sought. The goal here is to get them to
“do” the things they fear. With truth as their guide, the counselee learns to
face their fear and to act against that fear. Allow them to experience the
anxiety and learn that there is little or nothing to fear.
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of
life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all
his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of
the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he
not much more clothe you”. (Matthew 6:27-30)
The counselor’s work is to
help the other person to identify and change their misbeliefs connected to
anxiety. This is accomplished by a dialogue that allows for questions and
answers and for argument. Change, even small amounts, can begin the process of
conquering fear in the client. The hope is that enough truth will get through
to the client so they might begin to move forward toward facing their fear. The
more they act against their fear, the more truth they will apprehend and the
more fear they can face in the future. The Holy Spirit will oversee this
process in the client bringing eventual freedom and new life.
