Q for those who believe anxiety & worry are sinful; Do you believe anxiety disorders are real?

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My wife mentioned to me the other day how on pinterest there are a bunch of blogs written by Christian women , who give bad advice about being anxious. Some even imply that it's a sign of not trusting God and worshipping idols.

I believe that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety and worry, but not the only one. My sister has an anxiety disorder. She takes meds.
 

SkyWriting

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My wife mentioned to me the other day how on pinterest there are a bunch of blogs written by Christian women , who give bad advice about being anxious. Some even imply that it's a sign of not trusting God and worshipping idols.

I believe that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety and worry, but not the only one. My sister has an anxiety disorder. She takes meds.

It could be considered a symptom of not trusting God.
But a runny nose comes from snorting Cocaine, or a cold.
The symptom does not prove the cause by itself.
 
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Lybrah

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I would continue to meds, but she needs constant prayer. It talks in the bible about how we shouldn't worry because that emotion does not come from God, and that God is in control. However, that is easier said than done. I would try casting out the spirits of Anxiety and Worry in Jesus' name. That makes me feel better.
 
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Rescued One

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My wife mentioned to me the other day how on pinterest there are a bunch of blogs written by Christian women , who give bad advice about being anxious. Some even imply that it's a sign of not trusting God and worshipping idols.

I believe that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety and worry, but not the only one. My sister has an anxiety disorder. She takes meds.

She should take her meds. God blessed doctors and scientists to help those who are ill. Those who call meds sinful are wrong. God made broccoli. Some people don't eat it and therefore don't reap the benefits. Broccoli isn't sinful. Nuts and whole grains are beneficial. Many Christians wear glasses. Glasses help me read my Bible and do a lot of other things. My oldest grandson is blind; glasses won't help him. We use the resources we have. Some people just want to make accusations; they judge those who use those resources.
 
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NothingIsImpossible

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Its just the normal human thing we tend to do of if we don't understand something, we judge it. Some people can have anxiety because of something off in the brain. Others can have it because of how they were raised or maybe some past trauma. Its like saying having down syndrome is sinful, something they had no choice in how they developed.
 
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JAM2b

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There is a difference between just being worried about a circumstance or getting something you want or need, a having clinical anxiety.

Anxiety is a true medical problem and needs to be treated with medication and/or therapy. It is not a sin to have a mental health problem anymore than it is a sin to have a cold.
 
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Job3315

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My wife mentioned to me the other day how on pinterest there are a bunch of blogs written by Christian women , who give bad advice about being anxious. Some even imply that it's a sign of not trusting God and worshipping idols.

I believe that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety and worry, but not the only one. My sister has an anxiety disorder. She takes meds.
I often say, “Not everything is physical and not everything is spiritual.” I’ve been on both sides. I’ve had anxiety due to a mineral and vitamin deficiency. I had to take supplements for that. But then I also have the gift of discernment. When I was learning about the gift I had horrible anxiety because I thought I was going crazy. I didn’t know how to connect with God back then but it felt like my spirit, soul and body were not aligned.

That’s why I am not quick to judge. I let the spirit reveal the hidden issue in my life and of others.
 
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Ron Gurley

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Anxious:

Philippians 4:6 (NASB)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Be anxious...Greek 3309...merimnaō...A.to be troubled with cares

Medical Anxiety condition:

people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961
 
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Greg J.

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My wife mentioned to me the other day how on pinterest there are a bunch of blogs written by Christian women , who give bad advice about being anxious. Some even imply that it's a sign of not trusting God and worshipping idols.

I believe that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety and worry, but not the only one. My sister has an anxiety disorder. She takes meds.
Unless you are sitting in a Theology class, this explanation is 100% from Satan. It comes from misunderstanding what faith is. There's a LOT of people in the world who think that way. A more accurate explanation than that would be that anxiety comes from being a fallen human. But even then that is not a particularly useful explanation.

Without turning this thread into an lengthy examination of what faith is, let me suggest that you think of faith as a word that describes the depth of one's relationship with God himself—a relationship that deepens through a person's understanding of Scripture (that the person him/herself has studied) and acted in obedience to God as revealed over the course of years (and decades).

Jesus said "just believe," sometimes, but that cannot be taken out of context. He spoke that to individuals whose heart he knew. While the same context can arise for anyone, it is not what builds faith. Believing/faith/trust in Jesus comes over time with persistent building on the rock:

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” (Luke 6:46-49, 1984 NIV)
 
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HatGuy

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Anxious:

Philippians 4:6 (NASB)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Be anxious...Greek 3309...merimnaō...A.to be troubled with cares

Medical Anxiety condition:

people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).

Anxiety disorders - Symptoms and causes
That's an overly simplistic definition of what an anxiety disorder is.

An anxiety disorder is actually a physiological problem that can develop due to an overly long period of stress. The body gets stressed naturally when it encounters a stressful situation. One does not tell a person running away from a lion that they're backsliders for being anxious about being eaten. People stress about valid things in life, and it's not a sign of disbelief. You can be anxious and have faith at the same time. The verses you quoted are encouragements of how to think when you are anxious - they do not claim being anxious is evil.

If you're under stress for too long, your body's nerves become sensitized and even after the problem or the stress-causing factor is gone, your body's nerves remain sensitized because they're just used to being there. So you are 'on edge' all the time. That's an anxiety 'disorder' It takes some meds and / or some practice, some time off, and a whole lot of other things to desensitize your nerves - all depending on how sensitized your nerves became.
 
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Ron Gurley

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Luke 12:25-26
And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?
If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
Luke 12:29
And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.

Worry is a sin of disbelief that God will provide
 
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seeking.IAM

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Worry and anxiety disorder are two different things and should not be confused. Neither are a sin. Although we are reminded that God provides and worry is a waste of energy because we cannot change anything by doing it, neither is it condemned as a sin that separates us from God.
 
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bbbbbbb

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Anxiety (panic) attacks are a genuine physical disorder and can be a side effect of some medicines. I know this from personal experience. I do not belittle people with mental disorders, including anxiety disorders, but try to show them grace and sympathy.
 
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dms1972

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I think anxiety can come from knowing too much , listening to too much News for instance, I don't think we are meant or able to cope with knowing too much about everything going on. We can't process it all.

I started to take note of nearly everything that got mentioned on the News, and I am sure my sense of unease increased, till i had an anxiety disorder, whereas before I never listened to the News all that attentively, only when something caught my attention. I didn't listen to all the varying analysis. Certainly there are things that take place that are important to be aware of, but not everything IMO
 
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dms1972

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That's an overly simplistic definition of what an anxiety disorder is.

An anxiety disorder is actually a physiological problem that can develop due to an overly long period of stress. The body gets stressed naturally when it encounters a stressful situation. One does not tell a person running away from a lion that they're backsliders for being anxious about being eaten. People stress about valid things in life, and it's not a sign of disbelief. You can be anxious and have faith at the same time. The verses you quoted are encouragements of how to think when you are anxious - they do not claim being anxious is evil.

If you're under stress for too long, your body's nerves become sensitized and even after the problem or the stress-causing factor is gone, your body's nerves remain sensitized because they're just used to being there. So you are 'on edge' all the time. That's an anxiety 'disorder' It takes some meds and / or some practice, some time off, and a whole lot of other things to desensitize your nerves - all depending on how sensitized your nerves became.

Thankyou, you seem to understand the condition.
 
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bbbbbbb

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I think anxiety can come from knowing too much , listening to too much News for instance, I don't think we are meant or able to cope with knowing too much about everything going on. We can't process it all.

I started to take note of nearly everything that got mentioned on the News, and I am sure my sense of unease increased, till i had an anxiety disorder, whereas before I never listened to the News all that attentively, only when something caught my attention. I didn't listen to all the varying analysis. Certainly there are things that take place that are important to be aware of, but not everything IMO

Having an anxiety disorder and experiencing varying degrees of anxiety are actually two different things, although they share common symptoms. One can be controlled by behavioral modification and the other is a mental illness which no amount of behavioral modification will alleviate entirely.
 
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