When anxiety creeps in unexpectedly, it can feel like we’ll never get control of it.

I do all the things: antidepressants, abdominal breathing, I stay away from caffeine, eat right, walk every day, I’ve spent enough hours in counseling, and it’s all helping—but let’s be realistic—nothing & no one has what it takes to silence the father of lies.

Those first few days I tried everything I could to keep anxiety from accelerating: keeping busy, listening to podcasts, some fresh air, flat out pretending it wasn’t happening. In a desperate cry for help, what I’d known all along in my head suddenly bulletproofed my heart, Fight your fears in prayer. 

I went straight to my bible concordance and typed in anxiety. It’s not as though I haven’t prayed against this awful condition, but this was different. It was like Jesus was saying, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

There are times when we need only pray for and against circumstances currently affecting our lives. But there are those ongoing troubles that will not cease until we’re home with the Lord.

In stretches of quiet and rest, we can tend to forget what had us in tears weeks, months, years before. In our need to feel we have everything under control—we stop acknowledging our weaknesses to the Lord. Scripture is very clear that it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. We are still occupants of our sinful consequence. We have enemies we can’t even see. We are strangers, foreigners, warriors. We are marked by our enemies as children of God. Our next battle lay right around the corner. And, hear me now sweet friend, there are some spirits of evil that require ongoing knock-down drag-out fighting until our last breath is taken. Fear is one of them.

Scripture verses referencing anxiety and fear started adding up on my phone screen like I hit the jackpot. I have yet to cover all of them! The Father who knit us together keeps us together still.

From beginning to end the Bible addresses every kind of fear there is. The fear of death, the fear of failure, the fear of loneliness, sickness, addiction, enemies, disaster, the fear of fear itself. What’s even more exciting is how God provides, through the blood of His spotless Son, the deadliest weapon against every evil spirit there is. Prayer. We don’t hesitate. We don’t take breaks. This is no time to be self-confident, to pull up our bootstraps and stick our chest out. These are spirits beyond human animation. Before that bully even thinks to torment, threaten, berate us—we draw our sword—we call on Jesus Christ the Lord! God’s army of angels descends, and our enemies turn on themselves.

Here are just a few key verses for you to arm your heart and put into prayer:

♥ “You keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

♥ “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

♥ “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:25, 33)

♥ “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

We can have perfect peace in the midst of trouble—not because we put all things in order—because we seek Jesus first.