Hey everyone, and welcome to Walking the Way with Dr. Carlos Quijada. I am Dr. Quijada, and this is a space where we talk about what it really looks like to follow God in the middle of everyday life, uh, the pressures, the struggles, um, not just spiritually, but also emotionally, physically, and and and to know that we don't have to walk alone. Uh, so today we're gonna have a conversation that it might be a little uncomfortable to some people, but I believe that is going to bless your life because it's something that we all deal with at some time in our lives more than others, some people struggle with it more than the average. Wherever you are, when it comes to this, I believe that this discussion is going to be very helpful to your life. And the question that I want to start off with is if you have faith, why do you still feel anxious? Can faith and anxiety exist at the same time, or does anxiety mean something is wrong with your faith? So today we're going to talk about faith versus anxiety as we continue in this uh series titled Faith in Real Life. I think that if we are honest, a lot of us have been there. Uh I know some folks uh that are in uh Christian circles that they are like, you know, a Christian can't never be anxious. A Christian, if it's you're a real Christian Christian, you should not experience any of this. But maybe you're in a place that you're praying, you believe in God, uh, you're trying to trust Him, but at the same time, your mind is racing, your chest feels tight, you're overthinking everything. And then on top of that anxiety comes that guilt. Well, if I'm a believer and I'm praying and I believe in God, then and I still feel this way, then there's something wrong with my faith. And and people start questioning whether they have uh enough faith or or if they have faith at all. Um do I not trust God? You might ask yourself. Uh, shouldn't I be stronger than this? Or or maybe um I'm not enough of a Christian. And and that is a very heavy place to be. Uh it is hard when we understand that the way we live out our belief in God is not what we are seeing in our own lives. And and there comes guilt, there comes shame, and all those things, instead of helping us, it makes us even more and more anxious. Um instead of looking for help on top of that, then they try to hide it because there's that fear of being judged. Uh, I've been there myself, uh, not just when it comes to to anxiety, but sometimes we go through seasons where we feel that we're just not measuring up. Uh, we might be dealing with feelings of sadness or or excessive worry, or or maybe even you might think of yourself that you're a failure, a failure as a parent, a failure as a child, uh, a failure at work. And all these things bring an array of emotions that it just causes your heart to start racing. Uh, you have trouble sleeping at night. Uh, there's people that I come across, uh, and I see that a lot in men that have reached a certain age, but they don't make enough to provide for their families. And and they're like, you know, Carlos, I I can't sleep. I feel that I should be in a better place. I should have this amount of money coming in every month and uh being able to provide a home, a house for my family, and things like that, but I'm not there. In the case of some women that maybe they have children and and and their kids, uh their behavior is is questionable, and they keep getting calls from their school and and or or their kids that are already growing up, and they become rebellious, and then these moms and and and some dads too, they start questioning, am I not being a good enough parent? And that brings that sensation of anxiety, of worry, uh uh what how am I going to uh overcome this? And instead of going out and asking for help, then there's that expectation that we placed on ourselves. I I should be able to uh tolerate this, I should be able to carry this weight on my own because otherwise, then I'm not a good enough Christian. So that adds to that list of not good enough. Some of us are not just battling anxiety. Like I said, we're battling that shame about having anxiety. And and if if that is you right now, or maybe it's been in the past, or maybe you know somebody who you're trying to help and it's going through that, I want to share some truths on what the Bible says about that. Um many of us who've been in this walk for some time are familiar with uh scriptures that talk about anxiety. There it's uh in Philippians chapter 4 where it says, do not be anxious about anything. Uh and and they use that as a way to be like, you see, I'm not supposed to be anxious. So if I'm anxious, then something is wrong with me. Uh I might need to be delivered, I might need to, I don't know. I there's some I need to convert. Uh and and there's all these thoughts that come to mind that it just don't help. But this scripture that it is inspired by God. Uh, all scripture, like it says, uh, like Paul, he told Timothy, all scripture is God's breath and it's useful for teaching, for correcting, for for rebuking, for just guiding us in the right place so that we can be individuals that are uh perfect in all every way, and that we can be effective in our calling from God. So, but what is God trying to tell us when he says, do not be anxious for nothing? It's not that it that there's something wrong with you, uh, because if Paul would understand as he's writing these words, inspired by God, that these believers should not be anxious, that somebody who's in Christ can't be experiencing these things, then why would he say this to a group of believers? Well, this uh it's an indication that even if you're a believer, a person of faith, there can be moments in which you go through periods of time in which anxiety might set in. Anxiety, I want to remind you, it's an emotion, just as uh happiness. Sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we feel angry and upset, and and all of these are emotions that are in our soul and they play a role. Uh if we're gonna go into the the scientific sense of it, uh there are some uh things that activate in our in our bodies when we're feeling anxious and our heart starts racing and and and and we just get more uh uh vigilant or hyper-vigilant, and and and it serves the purpose to protect us from danger. If let's say uh we're facing some dangerous situations, we need our body to react quickly. It's what some have called that the the fight or flight reaction. But when we are in a state where we think that we're in danger, that something bad is gonna happen, that we're not gonna measure up, then that becomes an anxiety that it can be concerning to some people, you know, and it could be very extreme, it could paralyze you, it can uh it immobilize your ability to do things. You probably get anxious when you're in front of people or or when you're in a in a closed space or or when you're starting a new journey, or some people get anxious when they're about to make a commitment, or maybe you made a commitment already, and now you're second-guessing yourself. Am I going to uh be able to uh do the things that I committed to? When God tells us, be anxious for nothing, it's not a condemnation, it's an invitation from God. God is telling us, bring that anxiety to me. You don't have to carry it alone. Yes, in this world, there's a lot of dangers out there, there's a lot of risks. Oftentimes we we need to take risks, and and and I pray that if if you're thinking about taking a risk, that it's an informed risk. We need to also balance and like we talked a few weeks ago, uh, have wisdom in the things that we do. But there are times that taking risks is necessary, uh, it can cause that anxiety to set in. But it's not about the anxiety, it's about who you put your trust in the middle of anxiety. When we talk about faith and walking in faith and believing in God, it doesn't mean you don't feel fear. It means who you choose to trust even when you're feeling afraid. When we go through the Bible, we run into different characters. Uh, the famous David and Goliath story, and and in the Bible depicts this young man who is uh determined to face Goliath, and he was full of much courage. But humanly speaking, it's fearful, like not knowing what's going to happen, but yet being able to trust God even in the not knowing. A lot of people struggle with anxiety because of the not knowing. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We don't know how are we going to uh pay the rent, which is due tomorrow, uh, or or we don't know how to we're how to how we will afford buying some groceries where our refrigerator is going on empty and we have kids that we have to feed. These are legitimate reasons to feel that way. But even if you're going through those circumstances, we have a God who's inviting us. Don't be anxious about anything, don't carry it alone. Because when we read the the context of it, it says, but come with prayer, giving thanks. And and I'm gonna share some strategies and all this, but remember this, my friends. The goal here is to learn how to bring our anxiety to God instead of letting it control us. There's a lot of individuals that they're they're they're feeling stuck right now because of worry, because of, you know, I don't know what to do. They they have this uh some call it task paralysis or all different kinds of paralysis, but you don't have to let anxiety control your life. Like I said before, anxiety it's a form of emotions. Some people let anger to control your lives or sadness, and and you don't have to. It's about being like, you know what? I believe, I choose to believe that there's someone greater than anything that I can worry about, and I choose to trust him. I I was sharing with uh some of my friends and and and spiritual family uh for years I I had uh anxiety about flying on a plane, and and it started with a really bad experience that I had when I was nine years old. Uh my family and I, we were uh moving from New York to the Dominican Republic, and during that flight, the plane went through very, very bad turbulence, and it was so bad that uh most people thought this was it. This plane was gonna crash. It actually fell, and and all the the carts, the the flight attendants, everything flew to the roof, and it was a very scary moment. And from that time, for a few years, I was very scared of flying. And I'm being I'm being very uh honest here, transparent, uh, because I know there might be some people watching this that you may relate to to this. And it was a point that I was led to by God, that I needed to trust in him, even if I saw that if I had to fly uh and there was bad weather, to understand that the God that I serve, he's above all that, he's the creator of the storms, he's the creator of the sunny days. And if my life is in his hands, he knows what he's doing, and it's that shift that needs to take place for us to be able to overcome those emotions. So, here are some tools that I want to share with you. So I pray that you're taking some notes here, and the first step is if you're feeling anxious, name it, don't ignore it or try to suppress it. There's a lot of people that they'd be like, you know, I'm feeling this, but I'm gonna try to suppress it. I'm not gonna talk to anybody because if I do, then they're gonna think that I don't have faith. This is gonna cause more anxiety. The more you try to suppress your anxiety, the more it's going to backfire with more anxiety. So have the confidence to come before God and be like, you know, God, I can't do this. I'm feeling overwhelmed. And that comes to brings us to the second point and is to pray honestly. Doesn't have to be a polished prayer, uh, it doesn't have to be like, you know, uh, oh Lord, thy art, you know, like it doesn't have to be a King James version type of prayer. Just be real. God, I'm feeling overwhelmed. I can't make this. I I I'm anxious about this, uh, the situation. I don't know how am I going to make it through uh the day or the week. Just be honest and pour out your heart before him. I don't know when was the last time that you were like, God, I'm overwhelmed. Instead of trying to hide it, bring it to the light. The third step is replace lies with truth. What am I believing right now? Those things that you're anxious about, put it under the light and also remember what God says about those situations. If you're anxious about the lack of provision, what does the Bible say on who your provider is? If you're anxious about what is going to be the future of your uh children, what does the Bible say about God's promises when we are faithful? There's the a psalm where it says, uh, I was young and I have aged, and I have not uh been uh forsaken, nor have I seen my descendants begging for bread. Think about the promises of God. Replace the lies of I am gonna fail, um this is this terrible things are gonna happen, and replace them with the truth and hold on to those truths. There is an aspect about anxiety that is not just spiritual, there's also emotional and also physical. Remember, we are uh uh as human beings, we have a soul, we have a spirit, and we have a body, and they're all intertwined. We we we can't separate from ourselves. So there are moments in which we need to slow down our body, our body responds to anxiety, and and sometimes we just need to breathe. A simple exercise of breathing, taking a time to just quiet down. Some people they find it helpful to get in a room and deem the lights uh or stay away from things that are going to stimulate you, like uh looking into videos that are going to trigger more those anxiety symptoms. Uh just be in the stillness. God cares about your body too. He cares about just as he cares about your spirit, he cares about your soul, he cares about your body, he created it so that it could serve a purpose on this earth. So take good care of it, take a time to breathe. If you need to go take some, uh get some sunlight, that sometimes can be very helpful. Go out for a uh a walk out in the park, uh sometimes listening to the birds and looking at nature, these are things that can help slow down your body, and you're telling your body it's okay. I serve a God who's in control, he knows what he's doing, I don't know how he's gonna do it, but I choose to trust him. And the fifth uh tool that I want to give you is to stay connected. Isolation makes anxiety louder. The more you are alone, the louder is going to be those thoughts that are making you anxious. Talk to someone you trust, somebody who's going to encourage your faith, somebody who's going to be non-judgmental, but it's gonna be like, hey, remember what the Bible says. Remember who God is, remember who you are in God. And those are the type of people that in moments like this we need to surround ourselves with so that we can become stronger in our faith. So once again, anxiety is not a proof that your faith is failing, but maybe, just maybe, that's the very place where your faith. Faith is being formed. It's easy to say, I have faith when everything is going swell, when everything is going fantastic, and things are going the way you want them to be. But when things are getting difficult and you don't know what's going to happen, and you're like in this place of not knowing, that's where our faith grows. So see these situations as opportunities for your faith to become stronger. So, my dear friend, I want to ask you as we close, what's been weighing on you lately? Have you been hiding it or bringing it to God? That's a question that you need to ask yourself. And also, I want you to remember this. If you're gonna get anything from this episode, is that you can have faith and still feel anxious, but you don't have to face anxiety alone. So I pray that this uh conversation has blessed your life. I I I pray that if you're feeling anxious right now, God will help you see Him through, that you can see His hand working in all this situation. And also, if you know somebody that can that is going through this, I pray that you share this podcast with that person and share with as many people as you want. And and if you want to share your story and and how this is blessing you or this has uh helped you, or or perhaps you have a testimony that you want to share, please by all means in the comment session. I want to hear from from you. If you have any questions or if you need prayer, please feel free to reach out to me, and I'll be more than happy to connect with you. Uh these uh videos, these episodes are meant to help each of you in your walk with Christ. So God bless you. Thank you for tuning in. Uh, I I am so excited to announce the next episode. We're gonna be talking on uh a topic when obedience to God costs you relationships. There are times in which uh being obedient to God may cost you some friends, some relationships. But we're gonna talk about that and how to deal with it and and and what what to do in those situations. So thank you so much for tuning in. Uh stay tuned for updates and and different uh things and and guests that we're gonna have in the future uh episodes. And don't forget that God is with you in this walk, but we also are called to respond to this companionship as we walk the way. So this was Carlos Quijada in walking the way with Dr. Carlos Quijada. So God bless you and you have an amazing week.