Don’t be anxious about anything

As anxiety levels spiral, how can Christians follow Jesus’ challenging command not to worry? Mike Nicholls explored this question at ELS

Did you know that the Bible app’s most highlighted verse in 2025 was Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear for I am with you”?

Or that in 2024 it was Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything”?

We are an anxious generation living in an anxious age – busy, overwhelmed, fearful and stressed; more connected than ever, but lonelier too.

So how – when market research organisation Ipsos figures show one in five adults have an anxiety disorder and reports in The Guardian show mental health overtaking cancer as Britons’ main health concern – can Christians live with eyes of faith rather than fear?

This was the question that Mike Nicholls addressed at May’s ELS. Here are eight insights drawn from his message.

1. Don’t worry about worrying

For Christians, worry and anxiety can feel taboo. In one Bible verse we have Paul telling us not to be anxious, in another we have Jesus telling us not to worry.

“It’s not even advice – it’s a command. So we’re not only anxious, we’re now also guilty,” says Mike. While we may preach about the power of God, we often go to bed nursing the worries of tomorrow.

We should take heart, Mike says, in the fact that Jesus and Paul do take time to talk about fear and anxiety – they are common and expected emotions.

2. Find truth in Scripture

A major cause of stress is that we’re living in an age where truth is curated, says Mike.

“You go on Facebook and have to decipher whether a video is real or AI.

“You turn on BBC News, see a president, politician or prime minister and have to check that you’re not watching a dystopian series on Netflix.”

When truth is curated, our anchor point is lost and the loudest voices become the lens through which we see the world.

The answer, Mike says, is to ground ourselves in the unshakeable truth of Scripture. That means the Bible itself, not just worship songs and online teaching.

“It’s good to listen but these are just supplements, like vitamin tablets. They’re not a main meal,” he warns.

3. Rejoice in the Lord always

Philippians 4 tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always”, followed by “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Mike pointed out that Paul practised what he preached here. He and Silas worshipped God from the depths of a prison.

They were men of deep prayer, and breakthrough came after prayer and worship.

4. Expect the storms

Another lesson to take from Paul and Silas is the inevitability of storms, no matter how strong our faith.

“They show us you can be bang in the centre of God’s will, doing all the things he’s promised and put in your life, but you can be beaten and put in prison,” says Mike. If ever someone had an excuse for worry it was Paul, with his list of imprisonments, lashings, stonings, shipwrecks and church leadership.

Yet from this place he could still write, “Don’t be anxious about anything, but rejoice and let your life be one of thanksgiving.”

5. Catch your thoughts

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a highly effective talking therapy that helps people evaluate and confront their thoughts.

But nearly 2,000 years before its discovery, Paul was teaching the same principle – “cognitive Bible therapy”, as Mike puts it.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul says: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

By applying the CBT principle of catching and evaluating anxious thoughts we can question if they are true, redirect them and reclaim truth, Mike suggests.

6. Renew your mind

When neuroscientist Jersey Konorshi suggested it was possible to change the physical pathways of the brain, the scientific community laughed. But further studies proved the theory – we can change the way our brains are moulded by the way we think.

Interestingly, Paul expresses a similar principle in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Mike used the words of Christian neuroscientist Caroline Leaf to explain.

“Thoughts are real and physical things that occupy mental real estate,” she says. “When we hope, it’s the activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction. It’s with our minds that we reject or believe the lies of the enemy.

“It’s with our mind that we decide to follow God’s rule and live in peace, despite what is going on around us.”

Although the presence of anxiety might be unavoidable, the prison of anxiety is optional, says Mike.

It’s a principle Paul and Silas modelled in jail, choosing prayer and worship in the midst of pain and opposition.

7. Choose faith

Choosing faith can bring mental strength, even when we face giants.

Mike gave the example of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

“A lot of the time he beat his opponent before he ever got in the ring.

“He had these six foot bruisers and little, fast Muhammed Ali was killing them in press conferences.”

He’d already won the mental battle – believing he would win. Believers can approach each day with similar confidence.

“When we wake up,” says Mike, “We can, say, ‘His mercies are new every morning, he has a promise and a plan over my life and no matter what the devil throws at me, today I can do it.’”

8. Don’t go it alone

One last tip comes from Hebrews 10:25: not to give up meeting together.

“Someone once asked why we need to come to church and I answered: ‘you don’t need water to be a fish, but it helps.’”

Church helps guard against isolation and is where we can share truth and encouragement and provide support, prayer and friendship.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.