Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
A few years ago, I was delivered of a spirit anxiety after receiving some hard truth from my beloved wife and a loving friend while on sabbatical in Goliad, Texas. However, the shocker was that I rarely realized or noticed that I was ever anxious.
Growing up in an Asian home meant that there were many unspoken and unachievable expectations from my family, heritage, and culture. Expectations to excel in every aspect of life including scholastically, financially, culturally, behaviorally, socially, and with extra curricular activities. Failure wasn't an option.
I recall playing in my apartment playground at age 10 and facing off with a bully who was 14 years old. I lost the fight and quickly retreated home to find my mother cooking. My head was hung low as I attempted to scamper past her to clean up. But, to my demise, she saw my condition and noticed I was crying.
“What happened,” my mother blurted out. “Did you get into another fight?”
Stumbling over my words, I tried to explain to my unrelenting mother that I had just lost a fight with a boy who was nearly six feet tall. But, before I ever explained, my mother asked, “Why are you crying? Did you win?”
With my head hung low, I shook my head no. “Go back outside and find the boy and fight him again until you win,” my mother demanded. “Don't come home until you win.”
As usual, I obeyed her orders and hesitantly exited unit #1507, our apartment. I knew that failure wasn't an option because failure wasn't allowed in my family's culture. However, I also knew that I was destined to fail again as I faced off with my goliath. As I meandered to the battlefield and turned the corner, hoping Nathan wasn't there, I saw him still laughing and celebrating his victories against me. I charged him and pushed him with all my might, causing him to stumble back a few steps in shock before fighting me, again and again. The minutes felt like hours as I stood back up, time and time again, bloody, sweaty, dusty, and bruised. While he was fighting for fun, I was fighting for my right to return home. After about 15 minutes, Nathan pleaded with me to stop. It seemed like my relentless pursuit for pain was wearing him down as he went from joyous laughter to the look of pity. “Why won't you stop boy,” Nathan screamed over and over. “Just stay down.”
This experience and many others like it ingrained in me that my value and identity was measured by my success and achievements. And, even after salvation, I unknowingly strived, working day and night, slaving over every project and assignment and never giving myself the grace to fail. Because, failure wasn't an option…
I was completely enslaved to performance-driven value and worst yet, I was driven almost solely by anxiety, and it was killing me.
Philippians 4:6-7 NASB
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The words prayer and supplication on the surface means the same thing, prayer.
And, on the surface the Apostle Paul was instructing God's people to pray and pray (supplication). But, dig deeper and you'll find that the word for “prayer” in this instance means to converse with God. It's a word used in a relationship. While the word for “supplication,” which can also mean prayer actually means “earnest petition.”
This means that our prayer (relational conversation with God) and our supplication (petition to God) are both the preventative and antidote to anxiety.
For believers, anxiety is a root of legalism.
If you deal with any measure of anxiety, take a deep breath and exhale and say, “Anxiety, I am no longer a slave to your schemes and works. I belong to Jesus, my Prince of Peace and serve only Him. Anxiety, I command you in the name of Jesus to come up and out of me now.”
Here's some truth. No matter what happened to you, is happening to you, or ever happens to you. Even if the happenings are self-inflicted. Your value and identity in Christ never changes. You are priceless. No longer a slave but a son or daughter. Your value isn't measured in your works but the price paid for you, by Jesus Christ.
You have permission to live holy, righteous, powerful, loved, and free. Now, go, arise renewed and victorious and shine gloriously for Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
I hope my childhood story and this quick teaching blessed you. If so, please consider liking, subscribing and sharing it.
A few years ago, I was delivered of a spirit anxiety after receiving some hard truth from my beloved wife and a loving friend while on sabbatical in Goliad, Texas. However, the shocker was that I rarely realized or noticed that I was ever anxious.
Growing up in an Asian home meant that there were many unspoken and unachievable expectations from my family, heritage, and culture. Expectations to excel in every aspect of life including scholastically, financially, culturally, behaviorally, socially, and with extra curricular activities. Failure wasn't an option.
I recall playing in my apartment playground at age 10 and facing off with a bully who was 14 years old. I lost the fight and quickly retreated home to find my mother cooking. My head was hung low as I attempted to scamper past her to clean up. But, to my demise, she saw my condition and noticed I was crying.
“What happened,” my mother blurted out. “Did you get into another fight?”
Stumbling over my words, I tried to explain to my unrelenting mother that I had just lost a fight with a boy who was nearly six feet tall. But, before I ever explained, my mother asked, “Why are you crying? Did you win?”
With my head hung low, I shook my head no. “Go back outside and find the boy and fight him again until you win,” my mother demanded. “Don't come home until you win.”
As usual, I obeyed her orders and hesitantly exited unit #1507, our apartment. I knew that failure wasn't an option because failure wasn't allowed in my family's culture. However, I also knew that I was destined to fail again as I faced off with my goliath. As I meandered to the battlefield and turned the corner, hoping Nathan wasn't there, I saw him still laughing and celebrating his victories against me. I charged him and pushed him with all my might, causing him to stumble back a few steps in shock before fighting me, again and again. The minutes felt like hours as I stood back up, time and time again, bloody, sweaty, dusty, and bruised. While he was fighting for fun, I was fighting for my right to return home. After about 15 minutes, Nathan pleaded with me to stop. It seemed like my relentless pursuit for pain was wearing him down as he went from joyous laughter to the look of pity. “Why won't you stop boy,” Nathan screamed over and over. “Just stay down.”
This experience and many others like it ingrained in me that my value and identity was measured by my success and achievements. And, even after salvation, I unknowingly strived, working day and night, slaving over every project and assignment and never giving myself the grace to fail. Because, failure wasn't an option…
I was completely enslaved to performance-driven value and worst yet, I was driven almost solely by anxiety, and it was killing me.
Philippians 4:6-7 NASB
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The words prayer and supplication on the surface means the same thing, prayer.
And, on the surface the Apostle Paul was instructing God's people to pray and pray (supplication). But, dig deeper and you'll find that the word for “prayer” in this instance means to converse with God. It's a word used in a relationship. While the word for “supplication,” which can also mean prayer actually means “earnest petition.”
This means that our prayer (relational conversation with God) and our supplication (petition to God) are both the preventative and antidote to anxiety.
For believers, anxiety is a root of legalism.
If you deal with any measure of anxiety, take a deep breath and exhale and say, “Anxiety, I am no longer a slave to your schemes and works. I belong to Jesus, my Prince of Peace and serve only Him. Anxiety, I command you in the name of Jesus to come up and out of me now.”
Here's some truth. No matter what happened to you, is happening to you, or ever happens to you. Even if the happenings are self-inflicted. Your value and identity in Christ never changes. You are priceless. No longer a slave but a son or daughter. Your value isn't measured in your works but the price paid for you, by Jesus Christ.
You have permission to live holy, righteous, powerful, loved, and free. Now, go, arise renewed and victorious and shine gloriously for Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
I hope my childhood story and this quick teaching blessed you. If so, please consider liking, subscribing and sharing it.
