Anxiety, worry, fear and doubt all require faith to exist. Faith is belief in the unseen. Anxiety is created when you picture the future being undesirable. Maybe you have a meeting tomorrow and as you mentally prepare you begin to think about everything that could go wrong. As you picture yourself being humiliated your mind sends chemical signals to your body that produce a hormone that creates the feeling or emotion that corresponds with the idea you picture in your mind. Meaning as you picture an undesirable future you begin to feel like it is real.
Anxiety is created when you believe in the idea that you will fail tomorrow. Anxiety is based off of a future event that hasn’t even happened yet, though for you it feels like it has already happened because you have lived it many times already in your imagination.
Let’s break it down like this, an idea cultivated creates a corresponding emotion. So if you feel anxious it is because you are thinking thoughts that are not beneficial. If the thoughts are not beneficial then they hold no value.
When you expect the imagined future to happen how you see it, you have faith. Faith is when you believe that what you see in your mind is the only possible outcome. Faith is belief in the unseen. It takes faith to be anxious, just like it takes faith to have peace. The process is the same for both but the outcome is determined by the quality of the idea.
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul writes,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Paul says, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” The circumstances of your situation could be less than desirable, but as you pray, you begin to picture the less than desirable turning into super desirable. This new idea creates faith that is based on God’s goodness. As you picture the future being painted in God’s goodness you begin to feel like this event has already taken place. When you feel like the event has already happened you become thankful.
When you can see and believe in a desirable future, it creates peace. This peace of God transcends understanding, meaning people can’t understand how you could believe in a beautiful outcome. Because the thoughts they hold are not based off of the mind of Christ. But we who have access to the mind of Christ, can see the future like God sees it. When you begin to think the thoughts that God thinks, you can’t see the future without hope. The belief of hope creates peace.
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9