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What To Do When Anxiety Shows Up
Anxiety is one of the enemy's most effective weapons, and over 20 million Americans take medication for it every day. In this powerful message, Pastor Willie Russell exposes the devil's tactics behind anxiety and gives you practical, biblical tools to stand firm when fear and worry come knocking on your door.
Related Sermons
Small Group Guide
Small Group Discussion Guide
"What To Do When Anxiety Shows Up"
Pastor Willie Russell
1. SERMON RECAP
Pastor Willie Russell preached on the spirit of anxiety, using the example of the prophet Elijah fleeing from Jezebel's threat to show how the enemy uses fear to derail even the most powerful people of God. He challenged the group to recognize that anxiety is a spiritual attack with a specific strategy, not simply a natural emotion to be managed or medicated. Pastor Russell pointed the congregation back to Philippians 4:6 and the power of prayer and humility as the primary weapons against worry and fear.
2. KEY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
3. ICE BREAKER
What is something completely harmless that used to make you nervous as a kid, and why did it feel so threatening at the time?
4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Point 1 — Anxiety only works if you have something to be anxious about
Pastor Russell pointed out that the enemy sent Jezebel's messenger specifically to make sure Elijah knew about the threat, because anxiety cannot take hold without a target. He noted that the devil studies each person and determines exactly what piece of information, what bad report, or what piece of news will be most likely to create fear in that individual.
When you consider the specific things that tend to trigger anxiety in your own life, what does that reveal about where you may need to place more trust in God? How does knowing that the enemy is deliberate and targeted in his approach change the way you respond when a threatening report comes your way?
Point 2 — Anxiety works best when the devil puts a timeline on it
Pastor Russell used Elijah's story alongside the vivid illustration of a schoolyard bully promising a fight "after school" to show how a deadline makes a threat feel unavoidable and real. He also referenced Psalm 31:15, which declares that our times are in the hands of God, not in the hands of the enemy.
Think about a time when a deadline attached to a difficult situation made the fear feel far greater than the situation itself. Looking back, how did God's timing ultimately prove different from the timeline the enemy was pushing? How does the truth that "my times are in God's hands" practically change how you face a ticking clock?
Point 3 — Anxiety works best when it can get you isolated with your thoughts
Pastor Russell drew attention to the moment Elijah left his servant at Beersheba and went a day's journey alone into the wilderness, contrasting that with Daniel, who immediately turned to prayer and community when he received the same kind of life-threatening news. He emphasized that isolation with anxious thoughts amplifies fear, while prayer and reaching out to others breaks anxiety's power.
What makes it so tempting to pull away from people and from prayer when anxiety hits hardest? What is one practical thing your group or a trusted person in your life could do to help you break that pattern of isolation the next time a difficult report or situation comes your way?
5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE
This week, identify one specific situation that has been producing anxiety in your life. Rather than waiting until the worry becomes overwhelming, set aside ten minutes each day to pray specifically over that situation out loud, speaking the promises of God over it by name. At the next group meeting, be prepared to share one thing God showed you or shifted in you during that week of intentional prayer.
6. PRAYER POINTS
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Pray that each group member would develop the habit of running toward God in prayer the moment anxiety begins to surface, rather than retreating into isolation or fear.
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Pray that God would give each person clarity on the specific schemes the enemy uses against them personally, and that exposure of those schemes would strip anxiety of its power in their lives.
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Pray for a spirit of humility in the group, that each member would be quick to humble themselves before God and cast their cares on Him rather than trying to carry burdens they were never designed to carry.
7. MEMORY VERSE
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
Daily Devotional
Be Anxious for Nothing — He Meant It
Philippians 4:6 — "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
When I read Philippians 4:6, I notice it does not say "be anxious for a little" or "be anxious for the things that are truly serious." It says nothing. Not one thing. That does not leave me any wiggle room, and honestly, it is not supposed to. If I wrote that verse myself, I would have softened it. I would have made exceptions for the big stuff — the doctor's report, the overdue bill, the relationship that is falling apart. But God did not ask me to write it. He wrote it, and he meant every word. The verse does not just tell me what not to do, though. It tells me exactly what to do instead: pray, make my requests known, and do it all with thanksgiving. That is the prescription. Not worry. Prayer.
Lord, forgive me for the times I have treated anxiety like it was reasonable and prayer like it was optional. Teach me to reach for you first, before the worry takes hold. I trust that you hear me every single time I call.
The Enemy Always Sends a Message First
1 Kings 19:3 — "And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there."
When I preached on Wednesday, I pointed out something that I think a lot of us miss in the story of Elijah. Here was one of the most powerful prophets who ever lived. He had just called down fire from heaven and killed 450 prophets of Baal. And then one woman sent him a message — not an army, not a weapon, just a message — and he ran. The enemy did not need to touch Elijah. He just needed Elijah to know the threat was coming. That is still how anxiety operates today. The devil sends a messenger. It might be a doctor's report, a phone call, or a conversation you were never supposed to overhear. The moment you receive that report and believe it more than you believe God's word, the enemy has already done his job. Elijah was not defeated by Jezebel. He was defeated by her message.
God, help me recognize when the enemy is just sending noise to get me running. Remind me that a threat is not the same thing as a finished work. You are still on the throne, and your word still stands.
The Clock Ran Out and He Did Not Even Notice
Psalm 31:15 — "My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me."
Here is the thing about Elijah that absolutely wrecked me when I studied this passage. Jezebel told him he had 24 hours to live. But when I trace his steps — the journey to Beersheba, leaving his servant, then traveling another full day into the wilderness — the deadline had already passed. God had already carried him through it. And Elijah did not even realize it because he was so consumed with the fear of what might happen that he missed what God had already done. I have been there. I have sat under my own broom tree, so focused on the timeline the enemy gave me that I missed the moment God's protection quietly walked me right through it. Time belongs to God. The devil has no authority over your timeline. When you are in God's hands, the clock the enemy sets does not get the final word.
Father, I give you my calendar, my deadlines, and every timeline the enemy has tried to put on my life. My times are in your hands, and I choose to trust that. Help me stop counting down to something you have already handled.
Do Not Walk Away from Your People
Daniel 2:17-18 — "Then Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon."
I want you to notice the contrast I laid out on Wednesday between Elijah and Daniel. When the death decree went out and Daniel's name was on the list, he did not run. He did not isolate. He went straight to his friends and said, let us pray together. Elijah left his servant at the gate and walked deeper into the wilderness alone. Daniel pulled his people closer and they sought God together. Anxiety wants you isolated. It wants you alone with your thoughts because it knows that the longer you sit alone with the worst-case scenario, the more real it becomes. But when you bring another believer into what you are facing, something shifts. The fear loses its grip. This is why your testimony matters. This is why we do not do this walk alone. You were never meant to carry this by yourself.
Lord, forgive me for the times I have shut people out when I was afraid. Give me the humility to reach for my brothers and sisters in the faith, and help me be that person for someone else who is struggling right now.
Run to the Roar
1 Peter 5:8 — "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
I want you to catch something important in that verse. It says the devil walks around like a roaring lion. He roars. And I told you on Wednesday that the roar is the strategy. A lion that has already caught its prey does not need to roar. The roar is designed to make you panic, freeze, and run in the wrong direction. But here is what I know: the devil is so full of pride that he announces himself before he arrives. He tells you he is coming. He gives you a timeline. He sends a message. And every single time, you have a choice. You can let the roar produce anxiety, or you can run toward it in faith. The devil does not want to deal with someone who prays in the Holy Ghost, stands on the Word, and refuses to back down. He will find somebody else. Make yourself the wrong target. Run to the roar.
God, I am done giving the enemy ground that belongs to you. I choose to stand today, not because I am strong, but because you are. When I hear the roar, remind me whose lion you are — the Lion of Judah — and that you have already won.