When we are dealing with personal problems like anxiety, it can be easy to just hide and suffer on our own. Pride can be at the root of avoiding asking for help, but James 4:6 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

This scripture makes it clear that God Himself will resist us if we are too proud to seek the help that He so readily offers to us. So walking in humility is an important step to receiving help and healing.

If we want to live a life free from anxiety and worry, Philippians 4:6-7 shares keys to achieve this: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” In other words, God’s peace will overtake us if we turn our worries into prayer and if we choose be thankful.

Philippians 4:8 continues: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” This scripture gives us the key to changing our mindset: we must choose to think about positive things rather than negative things.

But changing our thinking and shifting our habits to line up with Kingdom culture takes training; we must train our minds and attitudes to line up with the Word of God. And as we’re changing our thinking patterns, we sometimes come up against strongholds, or learned ways of thinking, that must be torn down and replaced with Kingdom mindsets.

God has given us spiritual weapons to demolish the mindsets and thinking that go against how God wants us to think (1 Corinthians 3:4-5):

1. Think about positive, good things and reject negative thinking and attitudes (Philippians 4:8).
2. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). Think the way God thinks!
3. Refuse to become accustomed to the way the world thinks or does things; determine to adopt the culture of heaven and its ways and mindsets as your own.

If you begin to feel anxiety or fear, remember that fear comes from the enemy, not God. The Apostle Paul told Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 2:17). The enemy tries to put fear in us to derail us from the purposes God has for us.

We cannot underestimate the enemy’s tactics, and fear and anxiety are some of his favorite tools. We must recognize that “the thief [devil] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). More than anything, our enemy wants to harass us with fear and torment us with anxiety.

But Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). In fact, Jesus has given us the power of His name, and we can use His authority to defeat the enemy. But we must exercise the authority we have in Jesus’s name and not shrink back; we must stand firm in the victory He’s won for us and stand against the forces of darkness.

Additionally, if want God’s peace in our lives and homes, we need to be sure that we don’t dishonor God in any way. We must strive to create a sanctuary where He feels invited. If there’s a lack of peace in your home, your family seems to be in chaos, or you just feel agitated in your soul, be willing to examine your home and your heart for anything that may hinder God’s Spirit. If you discover items, attitudes or habits that are not pleasing to God or may be inviting a demonic presence instead of God’s Presence, do what you need to do to purge your home of it.

Resolve that you will stand in Jesus’s authority against anxiety and the forces of darkness that want to torment you and your family. Speak words of peace, declare the Word of God, and play worship music in your home to create an atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Be diligent about transforming your mind with the Word of God, and be sure to be involved in a solid church that teaches about standing firm against the devil’s schemes against you and your family.

While we are on this planet, we CAN enjoy a Kingdom lifestyle of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). In addition to salvation through Jesus, we also have full, abundant life, free from anxiety and fear – life abounding with peace, hope and joy!