Christian Perspectives on Anxiety, Truth, and Fear
My greatest takeaways from a worldwide Christian women’s gathering
What is IF Gathering?
IF Gathering is a two-day women’s conference that happened live this year, 2022, on March 4th and 5th in Dallas, TX. I didn’t have the chance to attend the initial gathering, but I had an amazing opportunity to attend an IF Local this past weekend at a participating church in my area.
There were about 150 women who gathered at the IF Local that I attended. It was so amazing to share this opportunity with God-fearing women from my local area. Sometimes, it can feel like I’m all alone in my beliefs. This was a wake-up call that I’m definitely not.
IF Locals, where women tune in together from all over the world, are happening in almost every country. How amazing is it that women are the ones gathering to make a difference in this world?!
At the IF Local, I was able to listen to a number of speakers including:
- Bianca Olthoff (“It Won’t Always Be Night”)
- Sadie Robertoson Huff (“Your Truth Vs. God’s Truth”)
- Dr. Anita Phillips (“Embracing Your Emotions”)
- Christine Caine (“God, Use Me Right Here”)
- Jada Edwards (“Hate the Lies to Hear the Truth”)
- Ruth Chou Simons (“What God Thinks About You”)
- Matt Chandler (“Who Can Stand Against Us”).
In the privacy of my own home, after the IF Local, I was able to stream three more amazing speakers:
- Justin Giboney (interviewed by Jamie Ivey, “Living with Compassion and Conviction”)
- Ann Voskamp (“Waymaker”)
- Dr. Curt Thompson (“Bringing Beauty to Chaos”)
If you’ve never heard of these speakers before, it’s worth your time to check them out. God speaks through them in ways that are understandable and applicable to today.
This year’s theme for the IF Gathering was, The Darkness Does Not Win, God Does. We are living in a time of darkness, despair, anxiety, fear, and a whole bunch of other yucky emotions. The speakers listed above gave some awesome ways of dealing, and they all point to God.
Fighting Anxiety
It’s rare these days to come across someone who isn’t suffering from anxiety. We can feel like no matter what we do, we’re just not enough. According to Dr. Curt Thompson, God has known the broken parts of us from the beginning, before we were even formed. And He still says, I’m all in!
How amazing is that? Do you know anyone else who would love you, not in spite of your failures, but because He can use your failures to change the world?!
So, how do we get out of our negative mindsets and racing thoughts? Bianca Olthoff reassures us that God doesn’t want us to live in the darkness of anxiety and depression. He is hovering over our chaos, waiting for us to call out to Him for help.
Olthoff suggests 3 steps to fighting anxiety and depression:
- Give it to God. Cast your cares on Him. (Psalm 55:22)
- Know the enemy. Stay sober-minded so you can discern good from evil. (1 Peter 5:8)
- Resist the enemy. Be purposeful in your actions to resist the darkness. (James 4:7)
Sometimes, we don’t even know what we are anxious about. Dr. Anita Phillips gives us sound advice to get to the root of anxiety. She concludes that our anxiety stems from feelings of fear, failure, grief, guilt, sadness, etc.
Phillips says that whatever you’ve been holding onto, let it out. It’s important to release the emotions we are bottling up inside. Most importantly, she reminds us that no emotion is a sin!
Jesus felt everything we feel during his time here on earth. He knows what we are going through, and he wants to be our savior. (Hebrews 4:15)
Distinguishing the Truth
What is the truth? Whose truth is the real truth? How do we know? These are just some of the confusing questions that plague us today. Sadie Robertson Huff tells us that we live in a generation that lets the majority rule. Many people believe that if everyone says something is true, it must be true.
But there is a problem with that thinking, especially in tumultuous times such as these. Huff says that the enemy (Satan) sneaks in a lie along with a bunch of truths so that we become confused. Jada Edwards echoes the notion when she says that truth can only change your life if you let go of the lie.
So, how do we know what is a lie? First and foremost, immerse yourself in scripture, so you know the Truth of God. Edwards says we should then invite investigation from God. We should pray, Search me, God; and Show me myself. God’s wisdom can only be applied if we know where we need to change.
One of the most important truths is that God loves us; even in our darkest hour. According to the Bible,
- We are God’s children (1 John 3:1)
- God delights in us (Zephaniah 3:17)
- We are valuable to God (Matthew 10:31)
- We are chosen by God (Romans 8:29)
- We belong to God (Isaiah 43:1)
These are just a few of the amazing things God believes about us. Ruth Chou Simons asks the question, How might we live differently if we really believed what God believes about us?
Conquering Fear
Many times, our anxiety turns quickly to fear. Matt Chandler tells us of the 4 horsemen in Revelation, representing false gospel; rage and war; spiritual famine; and disease.
Do these things sound familiar? They are not just problems of today. These are problems that have wreaked havoc on the world for thousands of years.
And to be fair, these problems are actually really scary. People today are going through things that some of us can only imagine. God wants to turn our fear into hope. He is a waymaker.
We don’t know why bad things happen and we can never understand the mysterious ways of God. But that’s not a bad thing. Ann Voskamp asks “if we had a god small enough to understand, how could he be a great enough God to stand with us against all that we face?”
God wants to use us, right where we are, despite our fears. We have been placed on this earth for a purpose. Sometimes we think, what could I possibly have that God could use?
We need to make God bigger than all our what-ifs. We need to look at ourselves deeply and ask God to use the gifts he has given us. Christine Caine says, “God cannot multiply what you don’t recognize.”
In Conclusion
As Christians, we see the world differently. Justin Giboney shares that “the world has distorted everything. What isn’t broken in this world? We are here to show people what God meant it to be.” We are here to show God’s grace and mercy.
Know your convictions. Read the bible so you are confident in biblical truth. Ask questions and think about things critically. Find your tribe–hold each other accountable.
And the number one takeaway I got from this amazing conference, that I really needed to hear, is that it is important to speak Truth, but do so with compassion and love, just as Jesus did.
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