When we get into the presence of God, and we have a relationship with Him, or maybe we start praying, and we feel His presence, there’s a sense in which it can automatically change our perspective. This is a gift from God. In His presence, we gain His perspective on our lives. It can be a bit like, “I’m ok. He’s got all these things in my life under control, even if I don’t. He’s so worthy. The earth dims in importance. It will be ok!”
If we don’t go beyond this “visiting” the presence of God, it can become a great coping mechanism. Any time we are fearful or anxious, we turn to Him and ask for His help. This is very Biblical, and I highly recommend it (Psalm 55:22, Psalm 56:3-4, among many others). God is so gracious, and He gives us His peace and guidance and reminders that He is with us and taking care of us. But it’s temporary – when we leave His presence, we can slowly but surely end up back in the same fear and anxiety all over again.
Most fear doesn’t come out of nowhere. Behind the fear or anxiety, there is something fueling it. Maybe we lack trust. Maybe we have pain in an area, so we worry that something will happen to hurt us more. Maybe we have cultivated thought structures that lean toward fear rather than faith. There are thousands of reasons why we might be afraid. Asking God for His help in these situations is a great start.
Once we have received God’s help, it can be useful to sit with God and talk with Him about the fear. Not, “God, I’ve messed it up again; please, I know, I’m a horrible person, but would you forgive me for being fearful?” More like, “God, why was I afraid in that situation? Who do You want to be for me in this situation? And what needs to be healed inside of me so that You can meet me in this situation instead of me automatically being afraid?”
You see, God gives us gracious gifts of peace, etc., but He’s not a God of coping mechanisms. He’s the God of healing. When you accepted Jesus into your life, you became a new person – not a flawed person being reformed, but a brand-new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). He loves to take people who still experience the old nature of things and walk with them into the healing and reality of this new creation. Sometimes we have to make choices (I’m just too valuable and honorable now to swear, so I don’t do it) and other times it’s something God does miraculously (I tried a hundred times to stop swearing before, but now suddenly I never swear because Jesus brought healing to me). (In all transparency, I’ve never sworn much or at all, so this is an example, not my testimony.)
We can move beyond coping mechanisms into healing. I’m not saying it’s always easy or that there aren’t specific breakthroughs necessary. But moving toward healing can break the cycle of shame and circling the same mountain over and over again with the same issues.
If you find yourself using God as a coping mechanism instead of receiving His healing, here are a few things you can do:
1) Stop and recognize that there is fear, anxiety, or some other issue. Recognition is the first step.
2) Talk with God. Not only does He usually have divine insight into what’s going on, but He will lead you through the healing with joy and compassion.
2) Do not give in to shame. Shame comes from accusation and the devil, not from God (who convicts of sin but does not shame you for sin).
3) Ask God for healing for the things He shows you. It can be helpful sometimes to pray with a friend, but be sure they’re trustworthy (even better if they have experience with inner healing).
4) Write down what God healed you from, what He says about it, and any special revelation that He gives you. If you’re tempted to believe you aren’t healed, or if the fear returns, go back to the things you wrote down. Declare what happened, how God healed you, and what He says. Truth is a real weapon when it comes to the devil’s lies!
