Faith and Anxiety
Te’Anna Bermudez
MA, AMFT, APCC
9/3/26
Do you ever feel like your anxiety is getting in the way of your Christian faith?
More specifically, do you ever feel that, because of your Christian faith, having anxiety
means you have a lack of faith? Anxiety is something we all experience, and it can get
the best of us. However, it is not something that determines or measures your ability to
sustain your faith. Rather, it is your body’s response to something challenging you
mentally or emotionally, creating physical responses such as rapid heart rate, shortness
of breath, muscle tension, upset stomach, or dizziness; emotional responses such as
excessive worry, irritability, panic or a sense of danger, and racing thoughts or trouble
concentrating; and behavioral responses such as avoiding situations, difficulty
completing daily tasks, and seeking constant reassurance.
With that understanding in mind, where does your faith lie between your
symptoms and your anxiety? Does it mean you are failing as a Christian because you are
experiencing anxiety? No; it means you are human and that you are experiencing what
we all experience through trials and error. In fact, if there is an error or a problem, then
that also means there is room for a solution and an opportunity to work toward healing.
So, how do we begin to address the problem through therapeutic goals and scripture?
First, we create long-term goals and then work to meet them by integrating scripture in
comparison to those goals.
Long-term Goals and Scripture
1. Reduce overall frequency, intensity, and duration of the anxiety so that daily
functioning is not impaired.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made to God.” Philippians 4:6 NKJV
2. Stabilize anxiety level while increasing ability to function on a daily basis.
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7
3. Resolve the core conflict that is the source of anxiety.
“...But with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles...” II
Chronicles 32:8 NKJV
4. Enhance ability to effectively cope with the full variety of life's worries and
anxieties.
“The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of wise seeks
knowledge.” Proverbs 18:15 NKJV
After identifying these goals and scriptures, the next step is to connect each one
to the therapeutic process. For the first goal, “reducing the frequency” and “being
anxious for nothing,” treatment would begin by discussing unrealistic threats, the body’s
response to anxiety, and hypervigilance. Next, with goal two, “stabilizing anxiety” and
“casting cares on Him,” treatment would focus on targeting anxiety and worry, reducing
hypervigilance, and introducing behavioral activation by teaching the client to identify
and engage in rewarding activities daily. In addition, goal three, “resolve the core
conflict” and “help us and to fight our battles,” would involve identifying the client’s
major life conflicts that triggered the anxiety, helping the client increase awareness of
unresolved conflicts, working toward resolving them, and reinforcing the connection
between emotional pain and present anxiety. Lastly, for goal four, “ability to effectively
cope” and “the prudent acquires knowledge,” the client would learn coping techniques
such as mindful breathing, muscle relaxation, and cue-controlled relaxation. Along with
these skills, treatment would continue to include behavioral activation, rewarding
activities, assigned psychoeducation, scripture reminders, and practice applying these
skills within daily life.
Ultimately, anxiety does not have to be a battle between your flesh and your faith.
Instead, you can treat your anxiety both therapeutically and spiritually. Your faith gives
you the foundation, while therapy helps provide the skills that work cohesively to meet
and sustain your therapeutic needs.
WC
657
Jr., A. J., Peterson, L. M., Bruce, T. J. (2021-04-22). The Complete Adult Psychotherapy
Treatment Planner, 6th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf 10.5.3]. Retrieved from
vbk://9781119629924
(Jr., 2021-04-22, p. 36)
The Holy Bible: New King James Version. (1982) Thomas Nelson.
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