Overcoming

Anxiety
BY JOYCE MEYER
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©2017 Joyce Meyer Ministries

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Overcoming
Anxiety
 Table of
Contents

6 9
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1:
Be Anxious
for Nothing

16 24
CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3:
Expect the Good! Leave Your Worries
Behind

34 48
CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 5:
Keep Your Peace Calm Down & Cheer
Up
 INTRODUCTION

When I say the word “anxiety,” I’m sure it means a

little something different to everyone. It comes in
various forms and can leave us feeling apprehensive,
afraid, and even sick.

As a young woman, anxiety and fear were the “norm”

for me. Because I had been sexually abused as a
child, I was extremely pessimistic and always feared
the worst. I always expected something bad to
happen. And, as a result, I was also quite miserable.

But that’s not God’s normal—His normal is peace and

joy. He wants us to live each day filled with faith,
secure in His love...and expecting Him to do great
things in our lives.

In fact, this may be a new thought for you, but God

says it’s not His will for us to ever have anxiety about
anything. He invites us to come to Him with all of our
problems—He wants to bear the burdens for us.

I’m not sure where you are today—like I said, anxiety

comes in many forms and can attack in many ways.
But I do know the solution.

8
Over the years, the Lord has taken me from being
perpetually afraid, anxious, worried and worn-out...
and He’s brought me to a place where I absolutely
can’t live without His supernatural peace and joy.
And I so desperately want the same for you.

I’m so excited about this book—it literally contains

some of the greatest lessons the Lord has taught me
over the past 40 years on how to fight anxiety. I have
included a lot, so I encourage you to take your time
and really allow these lessons to sink in. Look up the
various scriptures on your own and even go back and
reread portions that really speak to you.

I want to say it again: It is not God’s will for you to

live with anxiety. When anxiety sets in, I know it’s
easy to panic and allow fear to take over. That’s when
we need to slow down, get still and focus on Jesus.

One of the greatest things about God is that He’s

always just a prayer away, available any time of the
day for us to cry out to Him for His peace, strength
and help.

9
 No matter what you’re going through today—no
matter how intimidating your situation feels, no
matter how stressful things are, and regardless of
how discouraging life may seem—always remember
that God loves you.

He is your answer for the stress and pressures of

life...and He’s the One Who can calm any storm.

10
 - CHAPTER 1 -
Be Anxious
for Nothing
Anxiety is defined as “a state of uneasiness,
apprehension, worry, intense fear, or dread that
sometimes even lacks a specific cause; to be
eagerly desirous or to take thought and be anxious
beforehand.”

Proverbs 12:25 teaches that Anxiety in a man’s heart

weighs it down.... It leaves a person with a feeling of
heaviness, and it’s a burden God never intended for
us to bear.

The great news is, the Lord gives us wonderful

instructions in His Word on how to fight worry and
anxiety. As I mentioned, living with peace and joy
should be the “norm” as Christians. Life brings diffi-
culties and surprises, but the Lord wants to equip us
to handle everything that comes our way.

Philippians chapter 4 contains some of my favorite

verses to teach on when it comes to this subject.

11
 Let’s begin with Philippians 4:6. It says, Do not fret
or have any anxiety about anything, but in every
circumstance and in everything, by prayer and peti-
tion (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue
to make your wants known to God.

I love this! First and foremost, God is saying, “Don’t

worry about anything!” If you’re like me, you can
sometimes feel like it’s your responsibility to worry—
it’s a sign that you care...it’s a part of life.

But God says it’s not His will for us to have anxiety
about anything. He invites us to come to Him with all
of our problems—He wants to bear the burden for us.

Now, we also have an enemy, Satan, who wants to

steal our peace and joy—he attempts to fill our minds
and hearts with anxiety and fear. I often say that
Satan sets us up to get us upset.

That’s why it’s so important to run to God when we

are anxious or upset. We can ask for His help and
BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING

begin to receive His peace. In fact, 1 Peter 5:6-7

instructs us to “cast our cares” onto God.

What does this mean? Casting our cares means a life

free from worry and anxiety. It’s placing our prob-
lems in God’s hands through prayer—it’s taking the

12
things that are making us anxious and giving them to
the Lord. I will share more about casting our cares in
a later chapter.

So, Philippians 4:6 tells us to “be anxious for nothing”

(NKJV)—to place our problems in God’s hand
through prayer. Then, when we do that, look at what
verse 7 tells us will happen:

And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state

of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and
so fearing nothing from God and being content with
its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace]
which transcends all understanding shall garrison
and mount guard over your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

Wow! When I’m anxious, upset, worried, or fearful, I

don’t think there’s anything I desire more than peace.
God’s peace is greater than any solution this world
can offer.

God wants to take our worry, anxiety, and concerns,

and He also wants to give us His peace and joy. I
think this is a pretty good trade!

13
 LIVE IN THE “NOW”
Many things can cause anxiety, and I’ll address
several of them in this book. However, one major
cause of anxiety is not living “in the now.”

Have you ever gotten yourself worked up mentally

or emotionally because you’re worrying about
something in the future? Have you ever made your-
self miserable and ruined “today” because you’re
busy rehearsing a conversation with someone in
your mind...a conversation that may never even take
place?

We’ve all done this to some degree or another.

Unfortunately, I used to be the queen of worrying
and “getting ahead of myself.” I spent most of my life
not enjoying what I was doing because I was anxious
about the next thing to be done.

I developed this habit as a child because I lived in

such a volatile atmosphere. My father was an angry
and unstable man, and he abused me sexually from
BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING

the time I was a little girl. I didn’t feel safe, and I

never quite knew what was going to happen next. As
a way of trying to gain some stability, I would try to
guess what he might do—I would try not to be at

14
the wrong place at the wrong time or do things that
would set him off. It became very difficult for me to
learn how to live in the now. I was always worried
about the future!

As an adult, I naturally worried about the “big”

things...issues that are more serious. But I carried
this habit into every part of my life. It was also the
little everyday things that stole my joy and made
me anxious.

For instance, if I was riding somewhere in a car, I

didn’t enjoy the ride because I was anxiously plan-
ning what I needed to do when I got there. Or maybe
you can relate to this one: I wouldn’t enjoy eating
meals with my family because I was already dreading
the thought of cleaning the kitchen when dinner
was over.

It took the Holy Spirit many years to help me realize

the only way to enjoy my life is to be a now person.
Here’s the lesson: Live now and trust God for the
future. Live this moment and trust God for the
next one!

15
 God’s Word teaches us that we’re not even
supposed to be overly-concerned about what we’re
going to say to someone because God will give us
what to say when the time comes (see Luke 12:11-12).

I can’t tell you how many times I literally wore myself

out by rehearsing a potential conversation with my
boss or a friend over and over in my mind. I’d think,
Well, if they say this, then I will say that. It went on
and on. Most of the time I ended up not even having
the conversation. Or if I did, it was completely
different than I expected. I wasted my time and
energy (and my peace) for no reason at all!

You see, God gives us His grace—the power of the

Holy Spirit—to live our lives. However, His grace
comes with each task—not ahead of time. This is why
we feel anxious when we try to figure out things that
aren’t here yet.

Remember, peace and joy are the normal conditions

for a Christian. The world is full of pressure, anxiety,
BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING

and fear—but that’s not God’s way. He wants us to

believe and trust Him for something better.

What should we believe? God wants us to believe

that He loves us and that we can place every detail
of our lives in His hands. He wants us to believe

16
that He’s already been where we’re going...and He’s
already taken care of everything before we get
there!

Romans 15:13 says that joy and peace are found in

believing. And in Hebrews 4:3, it says that those who
have believed enter the rest of God.

In practical terms, this means I can enjoy my life now,

believing and trusting God that He will give me the
grace to do what needs to be done in the future.
Refusing to be anxious shows that we have faith for
the issues of life that have not yet arrived.

This principle works for every area of life—the major

things and the minor things. Even when life throws
you a curveball and something serious is happening,
the Lord wants you to give your worries to Him.

As soon as something becomes a “care,” decide to

pray and give it to the Lord. Trust Him to do what
needs to be done...or to show you what needs to be
done in that particular moment.

In the meantime, keep your mind on what you’re

doing and resist the urge to jump ahead mentally. As
you do—as you choose to trust God with the details
of your future and hand your worries over to Him—
you’ll find that His amazing grace will be there every
step of the way.
17
 - CHAPTER 2 -
Expect the Good!
As a young woman, I was the most negative person
I knew. In fact, my motto used to be, “If you don’t
expect anything good to happen, then you won’t be
disappointed when it doesn’t!”

Maybe you can relate. If you’ve ever lived through

a bad string of disappointments or endured a lot of
pain, it can be easy to develop a habit of expecting
more bad things to happen.

As I mentioned, I was abused by my father

throughout my childhood. As a teenager, I then
married the first man to come along, hoping to start
a new life, but he was a bigger mess than I was! After
he abused and abandoned me, our marriage eventu-
ally ended.

So, by the time I met my husband, Dave, I was

extremely negative and hopeless about everything,
just trying to make it through each day. Because I

18
had been hurt so much in my life, I always expected
the worst. I continued to struggle in this area even
after I developed a relationship with God.

Well, one morning, as I was standing in the bathroom,

I sensed such an oppressive feeling all around me. It
wasn’t new—it’s something I had experienced before.
It was a feeling that made me think, What bad thing
is going to happen to me next?

So, I finally asked God what it was. He spoke to my

heart that it was “an evil foreboding.” I had never
heard that term in my life. But then days later, I came
across Proverbs 15:15:

All the days of the desponding and afflicted are

made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings],
but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast
[regardless of circumstances].

Once I read that verse, I realized what it meant.

An evil foreboding is the fear of something bad
happening when nothing is necessarily even going
wrong. Then I looked back and saw how it affected
me at different times in the past.

19
 For example, the night Dave asked me to marry him,
he said he needed to talk to me about something. I
actually thought he was going to break up with me
because I just always expected the negative. That’s
exactly what Satan wants us to do. He wants us to
expect something bad and to become fearful of the
“what ifs.”

You see, fear is the opposite of faith. Fear expects

the worst and makes us miserable and anxious.
However, God desires for us to walk in faith. He
wants us to expect good things to happen each and
every day!

DON’T DREAD
Again, anxiety is partly defined as a “dread that
sometimes even lacks a specific cause.” Dread is
another way of saying “evil forebodings.” It is a form
of fear and anxiety...it’s the exact opposite of faith
and hope.

The truth is, God never intends for us to be miser-

able or anxious, even when things aren’t going our
way. He wants us to expect good things and stay full
EXPECT THE GOOD

of hope, regardless of our circumstances.

20
Without even realizing it, I think a lot of people
dread their way through the day. We can dread
going to work, dread the traffic jam, dread doing
the dishes, doing laundry, cutting the grass, cooking
dinner, and on and on.

However, dread can steal our joy and ruin our day.
Instead, I encourage you to stop being miserable
about stuff you can’t do anything about. Choose to
stay happy and let God take care of it!

In every situation, we need to have an attitude that

says, “I can do whatever I need to do, and I’m not
going to stop enjoying my life. I know God will work
everything out for my good.”

For example, my husband, Dave, used to get debil-

itating migraine headaches. If you’ve ever had one,
you know how it goes; the headache comes on little
by little. So when it first begins, you naturally begin
to dread it and think, Oh no, here it comes again!

One day the Lord spoke to Dave’s heart and said,

“When you feel those headaches coming on, don’t
dread them. You can enjoy your life anyway.”

Romans 8:37 says, Yet amid all these things we are

more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory
through Him Who loved us.

21
 This is what the resurrection power of Jesus Christ
is all about. It means right in the middle of all these
things we are more than conquerors. We don’t have
to wait until they are over to enjoy our lives!

So, Dave started practicing what the Lord showed

him. When a migraine would come on, he’d say,
“Nope, I’m not going to dread it—I’m going to enjoy
my life.” Not long after, he stopped getting the head-
aches altogether.

Now, I’m not saying it will always make your prob-

lems go away. However, choosing to not dread will
certainly make life better!

Even when bad or inconvenient things happen to

us, we can still choose to respond in a positive way.
When we do, we are agreeing with God, because
God is always positive.

No matter what life brings your way, God has a plan

to make it better—a plan filled with hope and good
things. I encourage you to get in agreement with
Him. Approach each day with a positive attitude and
EXPECT THE GOOD

choose to not dread. As you do, I believe you will

begin to find joy in every single part of your life.

22
GOD LONGS TO BE GOOD TO YOU
I want you to stop for a moment and really think
about this next statement: God loves you, and He
longs to be good to you each and every day. Just
look at what Isaiah 30:18 says:

Therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting,

looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and
therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have
mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you….
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those
who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look
and long for Him….

God wants to be good to you, and He wants you to

expect Him to do good things in your life. Even if bad
things have happened in the past...and even if you’re
going through something difficult right now, the Lord
wants you to place your trust in Him and believe that
He has good things ahead!

I really like what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31-32. It’s

so practical, and it has the ability to change our lives
if we let it:

Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What

are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going
to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to

23
 wear? For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave
and diligently seek all these things, and your heav-
enly Father knows well that you need them all.

Now try to make this personal. Think of some of the

things in your own life that threaten to steal your
peace and bring you anxiety. Have you ever asked
yourself questions like, When will my son or daughter
ever change? What will happen if I lose my job? How
am I going to deal with that difficult person?

Whatever is weighing on your mind today, God wants

you to cast the care of your worries onto Him—all of
your fears, and all of your “what ifs”—and choose to
expect the good in every situation.

Now, this doesn’t mean we simply ignore our prob-

lems. But even in the midst of difficult times, God
tells us to remain positive because He loves us and
wants to work these situations out for our good (see
Romans 8:28).

I want to finish this chapter by giving you some

homework. Don’t worry—it’s easy! For the next few
EXPECT THE GOOD

weeks, I encourage you to speak out the following

statement as you begin your day:

24
“God is good, and something good is going to
happen to me today!”

Remember, faith is the opposite of fear and anxiety.

And as you actively place your trust in God—
believing, thinking, and even speaking positive things
from God’s Word about your future—you will begin
to experience His peace and joy in a whole new way.

25
 - CHAPTER 3 -
Leave Your
Worries Behind
In today’s society, worry is an epidemic. Worrying
can cause us to feel anxious, uneasy, and troubled—
it can even make us physically sick! But what so
many people don’t know about worry is that it’s a
form of fear.

I think it’s easy to view worry as something trivial

that can’t really hurt us. Some people actually view
it as a positive thing because it demonstrates how
much they care. Sure, it’s natural to have genuine
concern about situations in our lives. However, when
a healthy concern turns into worry, making us miser-
able, then we know it’s gone too far.

I often say that worry is like sitting in a rocking chair—

it’s always in motion, but it never gets you anywhere!

Worry is the opposite of faith; it steals our peace

and joy, and even makes us sick. When we worry, we
actually torment ourselves—we’re doing the enemy’s
job for him!

26
Worry is caused by not trusting God to take care of
the various situations in our lives. Too often we trust
our own abilities, believing that we can figure out
how to take care of our own problems. However, we
eventually learn one way or another that trying to
take care of everything ourselves is too big of a task.

THREE OF MY FAVORITE WORDS

I admit, I was a professional worrier. I was good at it.
For years, I simply believed it was a normal way to
live. But through the years, God has helped me end
my relationship with worry...and He did it with the
help of my husband, Dave.

Dave and I have been married for over 50 years, and

I can’t even count the times I’ve come to him with a
problem only to have him respond with these same
three words: “Cast your care.”

At first, I didn’t want to hear this answer—I was

worried, frustrated and upset, and I wanted some
“deep” solution or a Word from God to help me get
through it. But this is a Word from God—it’s exactly
what the Bible tells us to do!

27
 Look with me at 1 Peter 5:6-7. I can say these verses
have truly been life-changing scriptures for me:

Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower your-

selves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand
of God, that in due time He may exalt you, casting
the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your
worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him,
for He cares for you affectionately and cares about
you watchfully.

In the dictionary, the word cast means “to pitch or to

throw.” God wants us to pitch or throw our cares and
worries onto Him and allow Him to carry the weight
of them.

But this requires a decision on our part. I’ve learned

firsthand that the only way to have what God says
we can have is to do what His Word says to do. In
this case, if we want to have His peace, then we must
hand our worries over to the Lord.
LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND

So, when things come our way that cause us to be

concerned, we need God’s help. How do we get it?
First Peter 5:6-7 lists two important steps:

1. Humble yourself.
2. Cast your care on Him.

28
How do we humble ourselves? We honestly come
before God and let Him know we can’t do it on our
own—that we need His help to have success in any
area of our lives. It’s worth it because the humble get
the help!

The truth is this: As long as we try to do everything

ourselves, God will let us. He won’t take care of our
problems and worries until we choose to give them
to Him. Either we’re going to do it or God’s going to
do it—but both of us aren’t going to do it!

Now, casting your care doesn’t mean you can be

irresponsible. God won’t do for you what you can
do yourself. You must do what you can do, and then
trust God to do what you can’t do.

When we humble ourselves and ask for God’s help,

then He’s able to release His power in our situations.
It’s only then that we can really enjoy life!

So, the cure for worry is to humble ourselves before

God, cast our cares on Him, and trust Him. Instead of
making ourselves miserable trying to figure every-
thing out on our own, God wants us to place our
trust in Him and enter into His rest, totally aban-
doning ourselves to His care.

29
 It’s absolutely wonderful when we can feel
completely comfortable not knowing the “why”
behind what’s happening in our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Lean on, trust in, and be confi-

dent in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do
not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all
your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him,
and He will direct and make straight and plain
your paths.

We don’t always have to know what God is going to

do or when He’s going to do it. All we really need to
know is that God has a plan, and He is in control. We
can rest in the truth that at the right time, God will
execute His plan.

ARE YOU ON “OVERLOAD”?

I think too many people live on permanent “over-
load”—busy from daylight till dark trying to fix ev-
erything, worried about what’s going to happen next.
People worry about their jobs, their finances, their
LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND

kids, their health, and their future...just to name a

few! But we were never meant to carry these burdens.

Did you know God wants to ease your burdens and

give you His peace and rest? And not just for a day, a
week, or a month—He wants you to live in His peace.

30
Matthew 11:28 is an often-quoted scripture—and for
good reason. As you read this, let Jesus’ words soak
deep into your soul.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden

and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will
ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

Now, I want you to read it again from The Message

Bible:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover
your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk
with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn
the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything
heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me
and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew
11:28-30).

Wow! This sounds good, doesn’t it? I’ve had enough

“heavy” stuff in my life, and I want to be free.

Like I mentioned, I was addicted to reasoning and

always had to figure everything out. That’s the way
most of us are; we think we need to have an answer
for everything in our lives.

31
 To make matters worse, the enemy also attempts to
attack our minds with the same question: “What are
you going to do?” Like a broken record, he’ll play it
over and over again. But having real faith means we
don’t always have to know what we’re going to do.

It’s so nice to know that we don’t have to figure

everything out. We just need to get comfortable
saying, “I don’t have a clue, but I’m not going to
worry about it because God’s in control. I’m going to
live free and light!”

When you’re overloaded with the cares of this life—

struggling, laboring and worrying—you need God’s rest.

Your mind needs to rest from worrying about how to

take care of your problems, and your emotions need
to rest from being upset all the time. So, when you
feel worry setting in, remember what Jesus says:

Come to Me...and I will cause you to rest...

(Matthew 11:28).
LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND

Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” (see Isaiah 9:6), and as

we spend time with Him in His Word, through prayer,
or by simply sitting quietly in His presence, He
imparts His peace and rest to us.

32
When we feel anxious, it’s easy to panic and allow
fear to take over. That’s when we need to slow down,
get still and focus on Jesus. One of the greatest
things about God is that He’s always just a prayer
away, available any time of the day for us to cry out
to Him for His peace, strength and help.

And if we allow Him, God will get involved in every

area of our lives...and He’ll help us exchange our
worry and anxiety for a lifestyle of worship...

WORSHIP WINS THE BATTLE

Worry and worship are exact opposites. Worry
opens the door for the enemy, but worship is rever-
ence and adoration for God that leads us into His
presence.

God created us to worship Him. In fact, I don’t

believe we can enjoy our lives to the fullest unless
we really become worshippers.

Worshipping God is a choice. When things aren’t

going well or we don’t have all the things we want or
need, it’s easy to get discouraged and stop worship-
ping and thanking God. However, this is when we
need to worship Him the most!

33
 Psalm 16:11 says, ...In Your presence is fullness of joy,
at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

When we choose to worship God—focusing on His

goodness and all of the good things He does for us—
we invite His power and presence into our lives.

When fear, worry and anxiety attack, I challenge you

to stop what you’re doing, get quiet for a moment,
and begin to worship God. Thank Him for His good-
ness, grace and mercy. Choose to think of the good
things He has done for you in the past.

Choosing to worship and cast your cares also

involves your thoughts and attitudes. When you’re
tempted to keep worrying about the same things,
make a decision to get in agreement with God.

Think and say things like:

LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND

“Your Word says you are an ever-present help in a

time of trouble. I know that You love me and that
You’re working on my behalf right now.” (See Psalm
46:1; Romans 8:38-39.)

“God, I trust You, and I believe you are working in my

life. I’m expecting great things for my future!” (See
Philippians 1:6; Psalm 37:3; Isaiah 30:18.)
34
I’m not saying we should ignore our problems,
wishing they’d just go away; it’s good for us to be
honest about what is happening in our lives. But
worrying and obsessing over them won’t help us!

However, when we adopt a hopeful, positive atti-

tude—an attitude of worship—we invite God into our
situations and open the door for Him to bless us
with His peace and joy.

Worship is a spiritual weapon. When you pray and

worship God, you will receive heavenly help to fight
your battles. God’s grace and power can make things
happen with ease that you can’t bring about no
matter how much you struggle or worry!

Determine what your responsibility is and do what

you can, but don’t take on God’s responsibility.
Remember, when you do what you can do, God will
step in and do what you can’t do.

Don’t waste another day of your life worrying. The

enemy wants to use worry and anxiety to intimidate
you and make you fearful of the future. But as you
spend time with God—as you begin to worship Him
and allow Him to speak to your heart—He will bring
you peace...and reassure you that He’s got every-
thing under control.

35
 - CHAPTER 4 -
Keep Your peace
I spent many years of my life upset, in turmoil,
and living without peace. Actually, I never really
knew what peace was! But as I continued to read
and study God’s Word and saw what the Scriptures
promise us—when I realized the Lord wants us to
daily receive His peace and joy—I began to hunger
after His supernatural peace in my life.

The truth is, we’ll never have peace if we’re waiting

for our circumstances to change. I came to realize
the world is not going to change, our enemy (Satan)
is not going to change, and all of the people who
bother me probably aren’t going to change. So I have
decided to change.

John 14:27 has played a major role in my life. Let’s

look at it together. Jesus says, Peace I leave with
you; My [own] peace I now give…to you. …Do not
let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and
disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful
and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

36
I love this scripture! God is saying that He’s giving us
His peace; however, we also have a choice to make.
It’s up to us to make a decision to not be troubled,
afraid, agitated and disturbed—it won’t happen auto-
matically.

There will always be opportunities to get upset or

offended about something, and that’s why we must
pursue peace on purpose. For example, what if you
lose your car keys when you’re running late, or you
get caught in a traffic jam, or someone at work gets
the promotion you wanted, or the electric bill is
higher than you expected it to be? Yes, these things
can be upsetting. However, right in the midst of
these things, God wants you to enjoy His peace...He
wants you to choose peace.

Jesus Himself told us, ...In the world you have

tribulation and trials and distress and frustration;
but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident,
certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world.
[I have deprived it of power to harm you and have
conquered it for you] (John 16:33).

I really like this because it’s so practical. God never

said that being a Christian would magically make
all of our problems disappear. He’s saying there will
always be things in our lives to get upset about,
but we can still receive His peace and joy in the
midst of it—we can learn to change our approach to
life so we don’t live upset all of the time.
37
 7 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR PEACE
God’s Word is truly our handbook for life, and if we
follow His directions, we can learn to fight worry and
anxiety His way.

First, the Lord wants us to receive His peace through

our relationship with Him...He’s the Source of all
peace. However, He also gives us practical instruc-
tions on how to conduct our lives and battle the
stress and anxiety of the world.

Over the years, God has taught me many valuable

lessons in this area. In this chapter, I want to share
just seven things that can help you keep your peace.

1. UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF PEACE

As I mentioned, God is our true Source of peace;
however, it’s up to us to receive and walk in it. For
years, I didn’t value peace—I was content to lose my
temper, get upset, and worry about everything and
everybody. I had to come to a place where I truly
desired to walk in God’s peace.

I often teach on 1 Peter 3:11 because it’s had such an

impact on my own life. It says, ...Search for peace
KEEP YOUR PEACE

(harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating

passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly.
[Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God,
with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue,
go after them!]
38
If we want peace, we’re going to have to make
some changes. If I want to remain in peace with my
husband, Dave, it’s going to require me to go the
extra mile on occasions. It sometimes means being
the first to apologize, even if I don’t think I should. It
means placing a greater value on peace than winning
an argument and getting to be “right.”

We must also pursue God’s peace. I think Jeremiah

29:13 is one of the greatest promises in the Bible.
God tells us, Then you will seek Me...and find Me
when you search for Me with all your heart.

Do you want true inner peace—peace that keeps you

stable in every situation? Then pursue it. That kind
of peace is found only in a relationship with God. It
must be sought after…chased…followed. True peace
is not based on stuff, other people, or circumstances.
It’s based on keeping our focus on Jesus and
pursuing an intimate relationship with Him.

2. TAKE INVENTORY OF YOUR TIME

Do you have an “unsustainable life”? What I mean
is, are you doing too much? Is your schedule too full
to keep up on a long-term basis? If you’re like me,
you’ve looked at your schedule on occasions and
thought, This isn’t even possible—no person can do
all of this! Something has to change.

39
 I believe one of the greatest things we can do is
look at our calendar every year and examine where
we are spending our time, then make a decision to
eliminate those things that aren’t bearing fruit in
our lives. It’s also healthy to do this throughout the
year—maybe a few minutes each day or at the end of
the week.

You see, Jesus never commanded us to be busy, but

He does instruct us to be fruitful. And one of the
major ways to be fruitful is to continually prune back
our lives and eliminate the things that aren’t neces-
sary.

People often ask me, “How in the world do you have

time to run a worldwide ministry, write all of your
books, record your television program, and also be
a wife, mother and grandmother? How do you keep
your priorities straight?”

The last time somebody asked me, I replied, “I don’t

keep them straight—I’m constantly straightening
them out.”

If we’re going to have a schedule that promotes

KEEP YOUR PEACE

peace and keeps us from “hurry and worry,” we’re

going to have to work at it every single day. It’s going
to require us to be selective with our time and even
get good at lovingly saying “no” to certain people
and activities.
40
So, I encourage you to take a few moments right now
and ask yourself this question: “Am I busy...or am I
fruitful?”

3. TRUST GOD
I have taught entire conferences on Proverbs 3:5-6.
These verses contain the prescription for every
single problem we will ever face. Let’s take another
look at what they say:

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with

all your heart and mind and do not rely on your
own insight or understanding. In all your ways know,
recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct
and make straight and plain your paths.

I don’t know if it can be much clearer than this! The

Lord is saying we are just not smart enough to run
our own lives…but He is. In every situation—when
we’re hurt, disappointed, confused, upset, anxious,
stressed-out, scared, tired, or even angry at where
our lives are at the moment—the greatest words we
can say are, “God, I trust You.”

Like I said, we’re not always going to have all of

the answers, but that’s okay. God is faithful, and He
promises to take care of us as we place our trust in
Him—in His will, His timing, and His way of
doing things.

41
 We are “believers,” and God has called us to simply
trust and believe that He has our best in mind and is
always working for our good. And when we believe, it
releases tremendous joy and peace in our lives (see
Romans 15:13).

The Lord promises that ...No [one] who believes in

Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him]
will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed
(Romans 10:11).

Do you want more peace and less anxiety? I can’t

think of any better stress reliever than trusting God.
After all, He’s big enough to handle every single
problem you have. And when you give it all to Him,
He promises you won’t be disappointed.

4. DON’T BE A PEOPLE PLEASER

I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. There are
simply too many people—there’s no way I can keep
all of them happy, all of the time.

Now, I’m not saying we should have a belligerent,

rebellious attitude that says, “I don’t care what you
think, and I don’t care what you do!” The Bible actu-
KEEP YOUR PEACE

ally tells us to serve one another (see 1 Peter 4:10;

Matthew 20:27-28). But the Word also instructs us to
not be people pleasers at the expense of pleasing
God (see Acts 5:29).

42
It seems like everybody wants us to do something,
but it’s impossible to please and accommodate
everyone else. This is a major reason why so many
people are overcommitted, too busy, in a hurry and
stressed-out! If I did everything people wanted me
to do, I don’t think I’d still be alive.

I had to learn early on that if I wanted to have peace

in my life—if I wanted to prevent stress and anxiety
from constantly creeping in—then I had to be willing
to say no to others and live my life based on what
God was leading me to do.

Always remember: You can’t control what everybody

else thinks and does. Some people aren’t going to be
happy regardless of what you do, and you can’t let
their decision to be unhappy control your joy.

I love Jeremiah 29:11. It tells us that God has a good

plan for our lives—plans for welfare and peace (see
Jeremiah 29:11). When we follow His leading and
will for our lives and free ourselves from trying to
always meet everyone else’s expectations, it
relieves tension and anxiety and allows us to serve
Him with joy.

43
 5. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
A lot of people don’t realize this is even in the Bible,
so I want to show it to you. First Thessalonians 4:11
says, ...Make it your ambition and definitely endeavor
to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your hands, as we charged you.

I was always nosey and in other people’s business,

and let me assure you, it steals your peace and brings
unwanted anxiety. Many times, the less you know, the
better off you are! The things you eventually find out
can end up making you miserable.

I’ll never forget an instance years ago, in the early

days of this ministry. My assistant was at my home,
and we were conducting some business and having a
few meetings. I met with her first, then decided to go
upstairs for the evening while she finished up her busi-
ness with some others.

However, as I was getting ready to take a shower, I

was overcome by curiosity to know what they were
discussing downstairs. So, in my towel, I went and
knelt down and placed my ear to the air vent on the
floor, hoping to hear their conversation.
KEEP YOUR PEACE

44
 Right then, the Lord spoke to my heart and said,
“Joyce, just look at yourself. What are you doing?” I
got the point. And over time, God helped me to
understand the value in minding my own business.

There’s just something about a secret that gets us

excited...we just love to know! However, many times,
our desire to “know” also involves gossiping and
judging others for what they have said or done.

It used to be easy for me to look at a person and

immediately judge them and be critical. But this isn’t
God’s way, and it won’t lead us to a life of peace.
God instructs us to not judge but always “believe the
best” in others (see Matthew 7:1; 1 Corinthians 13:7).

Each one of us has enough challenges in life, and we

really don’t need the stress and trouble of involving
ourselves in other people’s business as well.

6. LET PEACE BE YOUR “UMPIRE”

Colossians 3:15 shares one of the most important
principles we can learn. It says, And let the peace
(soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as
umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding
and settling with finality all questions that arise in
your minds....

45
 I really love this verse. The Bible is telling us to use
peace as an umpire to help make decisions in our
lives. Now, I’m not a big sports fan, but I think it’s
helpful to look at the umpire in a baseball game as
an example. Part of the umpire’s job is to decide
what is “safe” and what is “out.”

Well, this verse is saying that we should allow the

peace and harmony in our hearts to act like an
umpire, making decisions and settling all questions
in our minds. Peace is God’s way of telling us what
things are “safe” for us and what things we should
leave out.

I honestly run my life by following peace. I’ve

reached a place where if I don’t have peace about
something, I’m not going to move forward—it’s a clear
indication from God that He doesn’t want me to
do it.

There have been times when I have made plans

to go somewhere or do something, and as time
went along—as I continued to go in that direction—I
became increasingly unsettled and simply didn’t feel
peaceful about going forward. It was the Holy Spirit’s
KEEP YOUR PEACE

way of showing me that it wasn’t God’s will for me to

do that thing at that time.

46
This applies to every area of life. Whether you’re
buying a car, shopping for something at the mall,
deciding what church you should attend, or even
praying about what friends to hang out with, God
will always lead us by His peace. And the more we
learn to follow God’s peace, the more we will enjoy
lives that are free from worry, pressure and anxiety.

7. KEEP IT SIMPLE
I don’t need to tell you that life can often get
complicated. Between friends, family, children,
work, church, commitments, activities, and all of the
unexpected surprises of life, we usually have a lot to
juggle!

I’ve actually found the busier I become, the more

important it is to keep my life as simple as possible.
Simplicity brings peace and rest. It even feels good
to think about simplicity.

I used to be so complicated. I tell this story a lot, but

there was one time when Dave and I invited friends
over for a casual lunch out on the patio. We planned
on throwing some hot dogs on the grill. Of course,
that was too easy for me...

47
 By the time Saturday arrived, I had turned hot
dogs into steaks and even bought new patio furni-
ture, spending money we didn’t really have. Before
people ever arrived, I was frustrated and worn-out. I
regretted ever inviting them!

Any of this sound familiar? If so, I encourage you

to look for ways to simplify your life. Whether it’s
clearing the clutter out of your house, adding more
margin to your schedule, or even finding simpler,
easier ways to prepare dinner, everything counts.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

I think it’s fascinating to look at how Jesus handled
things and how He responded to the pressures and
demands of other people. I encourage you to read
the Gospels and study this for yourself.

Jesus didn’t conform to the world—He walked in the

Spirit. When He felt tired and pressured from the
crowds who wanted Him to help them, He took time
to walk away and get rest. He spent time in prayer,
alone with the Father, because He knew He wouldn’t
be any good to anybody if He didn’t get refreshed.

It’s so easy to let other people’s needs and emer-

KEEP YOUR PEACE

gencies control and manipulate us. And when we let

others run our lives, we can get to the point that

48
we’re falling apart! It’s not wrong to want to help
or be there for people, but we need to take care of
ourselves, calm down and stop getting upset about
things that usually don’t really matter anyway.

It’s simply amazing how much anxiety, stress and

pressure we can alleviate by simply pursuing peace.
There’s no way I can adequately describe to you how
much this one thing has changed my life. At one time,
I didn’t even know what peace felt like, but now I
can’t live without it!

I encourage you to set apart some time on a regular

basis to get alone with God and receive His peace.
Talk to Him, worship Him, and even just sit quietly in
His presence, allowing Him to strengthen you from
the inside out (see Isaiah 40:31). Take time to read
and meditate on God’s Word. As you do—as you
focus your eyes on Jesus and make Him “bigger”—
the cares and anxieties of this world will slowly
dissipate and become smaller.

When life is overwhelming and the demands and

burdens of this world begin to cause anxiety, it’s time
to run to the Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6). He is
our answer for the stress and pressures of life...and
He’s the One Who can calm any storm.

49
 - CHAPTER 5 -
Calm Down
& Cheer Up
As a young woman, I was extremely serious.
Because of the years of sexual abuse I endured
growing up, I really never knew what it was like to
have a childhood—to live carefree and just laugh and
play.

I’ll never forget the time I went to see a doctor

several years back. As he examined me, he remarked,
“You’re an intense person, aren’t you?” He was right.
My personality is by nature a little more serious, but
I had to learn how to enjoy my life.

Joy is a major part of God’s plan for us. Romans 14:17

tells us that the Kingdom of God is righteousness,
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It’s part of His will
for our everyday lives!

What is joy? It’s not just about entertaining ourselves

all of the time or doing something fun. Joy has been
defined as everything from “extreme hilarity” to “a
calm delight.”

50
Since I’m a more serious person by nature, the “calm
delight” definition is usually my state of joy. But a
good belly laugh is sometimes just what we need!

Joy is also a spiritual weapon. For instance, Nehe-

miah 8:10 says, ...the joy of the Lord is your strength....
And Psalm 16:11 tells us where to find joy. It says, ...in
Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand
there are pleasures forevermore.

Like peace, God is our Source of joy, but we also

have a choice. Life will never be perfect—we will
always have circumstances to deal with. But it’s how
we respond to those circumstances that makes all of
the difference.

LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE

Proverbs 17:22 contains some great advice if we will
heed it. I know it’s simple, but it’s more powerful
than we think. It says, A happy heart is good medi-
cine and a cheerful mind works healing....

Take a moment and think about how you’ve been

approaching life. Do you find yourself just trying to
make it through the day? If you’re honest with your-
self, can you even remember the last time you had a
good laugh? Well, I want you to know that the joy of

51
 the Lord can ease anxiety and emotional and phys-
ical pain...it can bring you a new level of satisfaction
in life.

Laughter is the outward evidence of inward joy, and

it is proven to make you feel better. I once heard
someone say that laughter is like internal jogging,
and I think that is so true. Laughter improves
emotional and mental health, it lifts our spirits, and it
dispels worry.

It’s almost impossible to be anxious and laugh at the

same time. This is why we would be wise to express
our joy and take time to laugh every chance we get.
God has given us the ability to laugh for a reason.
It may seem like a little thing, but laughter is vitally
important in the battle against stress, anxiety, fear
and worry. It’s a tool from God that benefits us in so
many ways.

Interestingly, there have been studies done that

show laughter has some exciting benefits:
CALM DOWN AND CHEER UP

• Laughter causes the release of endorphins, a

chemical in the body that relieves pain and creates a
sense of well-being.

52
• It can raise your energy level, relieve tension and
change your attitude.

• It increases antibodies and strengthens your

immune system.

• A good belly laugh causes you to inhale more

oxygen and stimulates your heart and blood circula-
tion. It’s like internal aerobic exercise!

Laughter lifts our spirit, improves our mental,

emotional and physical health, and de-stresses our
mind. And (here is the best part)...it costs nothing.

We have a proven, God-given weapon against

stress that is free of charge and that we can use at
any time, day or night.

Maybe you haven’t laughed—I mean really laughed—

in a very long time. If that’s the case, it’s probably
adding to the stress you may be experiencing today.
You’ll find that you will feel better after a hearty
laugh.

Sometimes I feel clean and refreshed after a good

laugh. If I am tired and weary from dealing with life’s
issues, I often feel like my soul is a dusty closet—
stale and in need of fresh air. But when I take the

53
 opportunity to have a really good laugh, it seems to
“air my soul out,” refreshing me and lifting the load
off my tired mind.

You may be thinking, Well, Joyce, I don’t have

anything to laugh about! Many times I don’t either,
but when you do make the time, you’ll be amazed at
how different you will begin to view your job, your
family, your relationships, yourself and even your
walk with God. You’ll become a person whose first
response to stressful situations is faith instead of
fear—joy instead of sorrow.

MAKE A CHOICE TO REJOICE

Philippians 4:4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always
[delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say,
Rejoice!

As you go about your day, make this your goal:

Rejoice in the Lord! As the joy of the Lord gives you
strength, you’ll be able to face any problems you
have to deal with, and you’ll enjoy your life while
CALM DOWN AND CHEER UP

you’re doing it.

If you’re like I was—if you’re too serious about life—

it’s time to lighten up! Learn to laugh at yourself and
the things that normally frustrate you. You don’t
have to laugh about your problems, but thankfully,
you can laugh as you trust God to take care of them.

54
No matter what you’re going through today—no
matter how intimidating your situation feels, no
matter how stressful things are, and regardless of
how discouraging life may seem—always remember
that God loves you.

You are special to Him, and He sees what you’re

going through. He cares about every detail of your
life, and He is already working on a solution for the
things that threaten to overwhelm you.

So, when things get tough, and you feel like giving up,
make a decision to run to God and place your trust
in Him—decide to rejoice right in the middle of what
you’re going through.

Because He’s the One Who can take away all of your
worries, cares and anxieties...and fill you with joy.

55
 - SALVATION -

Salvation:
A Life of True
Peace Begins
Right Here
The first step toward enjoying true peace is to
fully turn your life over to God. It’s the founda-
tional element on which you can build everything else.
The moment you realize your deep need for God, you
begin an amazing journey into His plan for your life.

Romans 3:23 (NIV) says it this way: for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.

Knowing Jesus is simply acknowledging your need for

Him, believing what He did for you and accepting His
amazing gift. It recognizes that you can’t live this life
on your own—that you’ve sinned and are in need of a
Savior. And the good news about knowing Jesus, about
being saved, is the beautiful exchange that happens in
that moment.

You give Him all the bad and sinful things you’ve done,
and in return, God gives you everything He has for you.
Whether you know it or not yet, His plan for your life is
amazing, and this is the first step on that journey.

IF YOU’RE READY
to start your own, personal journey with Jesus or
perhaps want to get to know Him in a deeper way, visit:

joycemeyer.org/salvation
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joyce Meyer is one of the world’s leading practical
Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling
author, her books have helped millions of people
find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ.
Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a
number of topics with a particular focus on the mind,
mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communica-
tion style allows her to share openly and practically
about her experiences so others can apply what she
has learned to their lives.
 JOYCE MEYER MINISTRIES
Sharing Christ-Loving People
Joyce Meyer Ministries is called to share the Gospel
and extend the love of Christ. Through media we
teach people how to apply biblical truth to every
aspect of their lives and encourage God’s people to
serve the world around them.

Through our missions arm, Hand of Hope, we provide

global humanitarian aid, feed the hungry, clothe the
poor, minister to the elderly, widows and orphans,
visit prisoners and reach out to people of all ages
and in all walks of life.

Joyce Meyer Ministries is built on a foundation of

faith, integrity and dedicated supporters who share
this call.

To view additional resources from Joyce Meyer Minis-

tries, to watch our most current Enjoying Everyday Life
show, or to receive information about our missions out-
reach Hand of Hope, please visit joycemeyer.org
 Are You Anxious, Weary or
Worn-Out?
Anxiety comes in various forms and can leave you feeling appre-
hensive, afraid, and even sick. However, God doesn’t want you to
be anxious about anything! He wants you to live each day filled with
His peace...and fully turn all of your cares and worries over to Him.

In this book, you’ll learn how to:

• Exchange your anxiety for God’s peace
• Live in the “now” and stop worrying about tomorrow
• Simplify your life and eliminate stress
• Combat fear and expect the good in every situation
• Enjoy every single day of your life

So, are you anxious, worried, or worn-out? If so, God is always just
a prayer away—available any time for you to come and receive His
peace, strength and help. He is your answer for the stress and pres-
sures of life...and He’s the One Who can calm any storm.

ISBN 978-1-942854-42-5
90000>

joycemeyer.org /joycemeyerministries
(800) 727-9673 @joycemeyer
9 781942 854425
© 2017 Joyce Meyer Ministries BKL213/010980