Should We Be Worried about Anxiety?
And what about sin, the flesh and the devil?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Barry Cooper and I recently recorded an episode of the Cooper and Cary Have Words podcast on this verse. A sermon preached on this verse today will probably be quite different from one given only ten years ago. You can probably hear the objection to the old-fashioned sermon now, which I phrase in a passive-aggressive way merely to make the point:
Thanks for preaching at me that I shouldn’t be anxious. I’d love not to be anxious. But I have anxiety. I have been praying and petitioning, thanks, presenting my requests to God and so far, so anxious!
This is a very difficult area to discuss in a Christian context without falling off the horse on at least two different sides, by implying that mental turmoil is either never spiritual or only spiritual. One might equally be thrown off the horse if one says the drugs don’t work, because some plainly do. Or one could be dragged behind the horse with a leg stuck in a stirrup, insisting that we’re all victims of Big Pharma.
The problem is there’s something in all of the above. In preparation for the episode, I listened to David Murray be interviewed on a Crossway Podcast, entitled Answering Common Questions about Mental Illness. Murray admits he had been sceptical about mental illness, considering anxiety to not only be unfortunate but disobedient or the result of sin. But when his wife then fell into a deep depression around the birth of their fourth child, he was convinced her godliness was not the issue here and this episode was related to multiple strains upon her life. This led him into a ministry of writing and speaking on the subject, before falling into a serious bout of depression himself. He realises how that sounds and the interview is worth a listen.
As I listened, I reflected on how complicated our lives are and how many factors are at play when it comes to our mental state. The major factors would seem to be sin, the flesh and the devil, but these affect us in all kinds of ways that we don’t fully appreciate.
1. The Psychological Effect of Sin
We might be facing mental disintegration because of poor choices. If one leads a life of consistently and imaginatively breaking God’s commands, we can expect consequences. Some appear to be more mentally affected by a life of sin than others. You might be able to make a good living making scam phone calls before driving home to your family and forgetting all about it. For most, the effect of this repeated sin would be very harmful. Those who deceive and swindle will have a hard time trusting others, since their own word cannot be trusted, leading to isolation, suspicion and possible anxiety.
Then there are the effects of the sins of others. If one is regularly in a place where bullies are given free rein, we can expect that to have consequences over time. Most people avoid confrontation, which is why bullies expect to get away with their behaviour. Others are bullied without realising. The office, or the home, can be a stressful place, and words are said that are harsh, and there are very few apologies. The sins of those around us will take their toll on our mental health.
2. The Frailty of the Flesh
Our bodies are amazing and resilient. But they are not indestructible. Moreover, we have been given bodies that are not separate from our souls, hearts and minds. They are interrelated. So how can we expect our hearts and minds to function well when we’re staying up late watching Netflix (or worse) and getting through the following day on caffeine and snack food? When we’re tired or wired on caffeine, we might make poor, damaging decisions which will in turn have negative consequences.
You can survive on junk food, caffeine, no exercise and late nights for a while. The occasional ‘all-nighter’ to meet a work deadline is okay if you’ve built up some physical resilience over the previous weeks and months. But many of us live overstretched lives, promising ourselves that things will be quieter in a few weeks. And they just aren’t. Ever. Be honest. You’ve been saying that for years.
‘Having it all’ is not just a temptation for women with children, but everyone. Are we running ourselves ragged with work, church, kids, parents, friends, Netflix and getting it to look amazing on Instagram? All the while, we’re listening to audio about polarised politics, the culture war and climate panic.
There is no slack in the system. No backlog of reserves, physically, financially, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. It won’t take much to nudge us into a deep pit
3. Deafness to the Devil
This may come as a surprise to some, but although it’s 2023, the devil is still a thing. Satan is real. And he really hates Jesus and his followers. If you’re a Christian reading this right now, I have news for you. Satan hates you. Why would we think he won’t try and attack us? If the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we’re not about to be possessed, but we must expect demonic attack and oppression. In his first epistle, Peter writes:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
What does it look like to be devoured? Look around.
Demons don’t play fair. They will attack you when you are at your weakest, when you are tired, hungry and feeling entitled to sin.[1] Even if you resist, demons will load you up with guilt that isn’t yours. They will attack you when you are on your own. Given the loneliness epidemic, we shouldn’t be surprised that we are not coping well mentally.
The Blessings of the Church
Your church is full of people who love you and can support you. But when we’re on a downward spiral, most of us push people away. The devil loves that. He rubs his hands. Once we’re isolated, we won’t benefit from the wisdom, comfort and encouragement that comes from others.
I suspect that for most, our mental health problems are a combination of many of the factors above, or at least exacerbated by them to the point that medication is needed to kickstart recovery.
The issue of anxiety, then, is complex. But so are our lives. And maybe that’s at least part of the problem.
You can listen to Cooper and Cary Have Words about anxiety over here (Apple or Spotify). And that Crossway podcast with someone who knows what he’s talking about is here.
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[1] Disgraced evangelist Ravi Zacharias felt entitled to sin. He would employ spiritual language to ingratiate himself with women. One lady said he called her his “reward” for living a life of service to God. Sounds like he was devoured by the devil. Source here.