This article series presents Pastor Erik's Twitter posts as articles, making them accessible for everyone to read, regardless of their access to Twitter. You can find Erik's original Twitter thread HERE

Do you want to be free from anxiety and panic attacks in your life? By the grace of God, after years of dealing with them, I found freedom.  Here’s what I did, and still have to do:

1. Move from head knowledge to heart knowledge of God’s character. It’s easy for us to affirm God’s sovereignty or wisdom, but do we truly understand what it means and it’s implications for our lives?

A deep study into the attributes of God moves us into trust. The four attributes that transformed my anxious heart: - sovereignty (He’s in control) - wisdom (His plans are wise) - faithfulness (He fulfills His promises) - love (Everything filters through His love for me)

2. Learn to take thoughts captive in obedience to Christ. Our thoughts can be dangerous. This is why we’re told to take them captive (2 Cor. 10:5). Not every thought you have should be free to roam at its own leisure.

Taking thoughts captive means I capture them and examine them to ensure they’re aligned with the truth of God. Those that aren’t must be told to take a hike. The battle for the mind is a battle for truth.

2 Cor. 10:5 (ESV)
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

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3. Preach the promises of God to your heart. We can’t stop at capturing bad thoughts. We have to move on to preaching truth to our hearts and minds.

How? I always preached God’s attributes to myself. “Erik, God is sovereign over everything. Don’t fear tomorrow. If God allows something, it always will be according to His wisdom. He’ll be faithful to sustain you. He loves me. I can say “thank you” to anything.”

Preaching the character of God to yourself is how you replace negative thoughts with the truth. It doesn’t magically guarantee good results. It reminds me that nothing whatsoever can come to pass without His hand. You can trust that Hand.

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4. Develop healthy habits with diet, sleep, and exercise. Many ignore this. But we are not simply souls…we have a body. Our bodies and souls are connected. Your patterns of eating, sleeping, and exercising play a real role in your mental/emotional/spiritual health.

Avoid sugars. Get up early so you can start getting to bed earlier. Get at least 6-8 hours of sleep. Go for walks. Take a jog. Lift some weights. There are scientific studies done on how helpful this is for battling anxiety.

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5. Have someone you can tell when you’re struggling. It’s hard enough to battle anxiety. It’s worse if you’re doing it alone. Have people who can pray for you and preach truths to your heart when you need it.

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How Does Mental / Emotional Health Connect with My Spiritual Walk?
Find out HERE

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Erik is the Lead Pastor of The Journey Church in Lebanon. He also founded Knowing Jesus Ministries, a non-profit organization which exists to proclaim timeless truth for everyday life. He is married to Katrina, and has three children: Kaleb (who went to be with the Lord), Kaleigh Grace, and Kyra Piper.