Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Suicidal Thoughts & Low Self-Worth is Satan’s Deadliest Weapon against us!

Anxiety – “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.”

Anxiety causes depression and depression can lead to suicidal thoughts. How do we overcome anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts?

Romans 12: 1 & 2 New Living Translation (NLT)

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.^[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 King James Version (KJV)

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Notice the two bold statements – “but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think – but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

If a person has experienced sexual abuse in childhood, many become permiscuous as they get older. One of the greatest tools the devil uses against this person is toxic thinking dominating their thoughts. They have difficulty fully accepting God’s forgiveness of their sins and believing God’s love is unconditional. Many people deeply feel they must do great things for God to become worthy of His love. The depressed person feels hopeless, helpless, defeated, unworthy and unlovable.

What they do not comprehend is God’s love is not based on our performance. We cannot do enough to deserve God’s love. God paid the price through His coming in flesh to die on a cross as payment for our sins.

Our value comes from God alone – not our performance. God is our Creator and He became our Savior! These two facts establish our value with Him. The only opinion that matters is God’s truth – not what others think about us. We cannot gain value by trying to impress others. It will be an endless and hopeless activity.

In providing nationwide Bible-based counseling, I often help people suffering from anxiety attacks and suicidal thoughts. All of these people have a salvation experience with God through the power of the Holy Ghost. Yet, anxiety invades their lives to a dysfunctional stage – some having suicidal thoughts.

Everyone at some time in life feels an unease or worry about something in his/her life. Thankfully, when we focus on God’s truth, God helps us get through it and we are not paralyzed by fear. Having continual anxiety or panic attacks go beyond a routine unease feeling.

Anxiety has its roots in fear. We fear the unknown or uncertain future usually based on something that has happened in our past. God does not give us a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. We must face the fact that if we are full of anxiety, we are not fully trusting God with our today or our future.

It is Satan’s goal to steal, kill and destroy our faith in God. He wants us to focus on the unknown and the uncertainties of life. Even this counselor has experienced anxiety. With the support of close friends who are prayer warriors, I was able to release the major need to God through the power of prayer and His Word.

I made a firm decision to start praising God for the answer to the problem. I started thanking Him for sending angels into the situation and bringing the legal answer that was needed. As I praised Him for the answer, my spirit lifted and I never had another panic attack. Nothing happens in our lives that is a surprise to God. His grace is sufficient for today.

I continued to pray and reached out for one more legal action that could help my situation. Four and one half months later, I received a phone call that the miracle had happened!  The legal matter had been reversed to my ministry’s favor and all was restored after one and a half years. Hallelujah!

         When I got off the phone and told my husband through tears, I just sobbed and sobbed with overwhelming thanksgiving and there was a tingling from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. (I’ve written about the details of this in my book entitled: Our Job-like Adversity that I will publish when God brings the full completion to our story – this one issue being a small part).

         My decision to be vulnerable in sharing this story is to let everyone know that the devil is on the warpath against all of us. He has limited knowledge, but with that knowledge it is his goal to put us in a spiritual warfare whipping us with the negative ‘stinkin toxic thinkin’ of our circumstances. He wants us to look on the temporal painful things in our lives (toxic thinking) instead of looking unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith!

         As a man thinketh in his heart so is he! That’s God’s truth. So if I’m thinking negatively about my life and the unknowns, it will drag me into the depths of despair. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So If I’m speaking to the uncertainties of my life with doubt, my thinking will be toxic and my faith in God will go to zero!

Emotional hurting people must accept God’s truth – they cannot allow their painful past to define who they are today! Through the power of Jesus’ blood, we become a new creation in Christ. The word new means unused, clean, without blemish in the eyes of God. This is God’s truth that makes us free when we take ownership of God’s love and forgiveness by faith!  

         Isaiah 61 tells us Jesus came to bring salvation and also came to heal the broken in heart and set the captives free – free of their depressed toxic feelings. When we trade the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise, praise will repel and replace the heavy spirit. Try it! It works!  It is not based on feelings!  Feelings ebb and low like the ocean waves. We must say, “What is God’s truth?”

         God promised He would never leave or forsake us. God promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. God has a plan for our lives that is not for evil but for good. God said to draw close to Him and He would draw close to us. God said the tongue has the power of death or life. 

         We must speak ‘life’ into our prayers and circumstances. When we speak ‘life,’ our physical brain starts flashing with color and producing new connectors. When we speak ‘death’, our physical brain creates blackness. Our whole body responds to our thoughts and words either negative or positive.

         God tells us not to worry about anything – to pray about everything – make are needs known to God with thanksgiving and the peace of God that passes all understanding will enter our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!

Philippians 4:6-7 The Message (MSG) 6-7 “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Philippians 4:6-7 New Living Translation (NLT) 6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Notice verse 7 says – “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus!”  God knows our battle is in the mind.

Whatever unknown and uncertainty you are facing, start thanking God for the answer, direction, guidance, provision and wisdom right now. Praise Him for His goodness for His provision in the past and for what He will do in the future.

If you need to make changes in your life, then do so. Seek godly counsel. There is safety in counsel. When we have done all, then we are mandated by God to stand!

We are facing some major needs for my ministry. I’m thanking God daily for the answers. I do not know when the answers will come, but I’m making a choice to trust Him and thank Him. I’ve done all I can do, so I choose to stand on His promises no matter how I feel.  It is a choice to speak His Truth. I do prayer journaling to God. I’m gut honest with Him on what I’m thinking and feeling. I give Him praise and thanksgiving for His daily blessings and for His future provision and guidance. I write out the specific requests in detail.

I choose to trust in God for His provision, guidance and wisdom daily. When the devil knocks on my mind with a toxic thought I say, “Away with you, Satan! Greater is He that is in me than he that is within this world!” I go to God’s Word and read His promises and choose to believe them.  There is no other alternative – the devil has nothing to offer!

We are in a spiritual warfare and I choose to put on the whole armor of God: Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)  – 10 “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

We can overcome anxiety, fear, depression and thoughts of suicide by renewing our minds/hearts with God’s truth. It takes determination and discipline to take our thoughts to God first. In 27 years, I’ve counseled thousands of people – many of those were fighting all of these issues and were able to walk in victory through God’s truth.

An old chorus says, “I trust in God. I know He cares for me on mountain peaks or on the stormy sea. Though billows roll, HE keeps my soul. My heavenly Father watches over me.”

© Carol Clemans – www.carolclemans.org – read ‘about ministry’ page for counseling and teaching ministry nationwide (636) 448-0121- teaching CD’s, DVD’s, book: God’s Design for Marriage soft cover or eBook: amazon.com. Ministry ref: Pastor Daniel Batchelor, Dupo, IL.

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