Putting an X Through Anxiety: Breaking Free from the Grip of Fear and Stress

by Louie Giglio

Does it seem like someone or something is lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce and destroy you or those you love?

Or is your valley less defined—a hard-to-describe cloud of doom that descends on your best thoughts, turning life into a shadowy mist of confusion?

Jesus is with me. In the valley. In the fight. In the struggle. He is with me. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:31, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NIV).

God was with you in the past. Look back to day to a high point before this valley. God was with you in the past and there will be a high point on the back end of this valley. God will be with you when you come back up for air. If He was with you before, and He will be with you at the end, it only makes sense that He is with you now. He did not leave you. He did not forsake you. In fact, He loves you, and because of that love He sent His only Son to walk with you side by side and step by step. That is a truth we can cling to as we journey through the valley.

Once that seed is planted in our minds, our Enemy is quick to reinforce it. He’ll make it his mission to whisper lie after lie, and he’ll tell you things like: You will never win. You don’t stand a chance. This black hole is too powerful—it’s going to suck you into its vortex of doom and you’ll never get out.

That’s why setting your eyes on God’s perspective is vital to your ability to put an “X” through your anxiety. Where we might see a powerful Enemy, God sees an opportunity for trust. Where we might see a fortified city, God sees a victory.

“more than conquerors through him who loved us”

forget that He promised to lead us through the valley and to fulfill His purpose for our life.