Joel Osteen - The Antidote for Anxiety (05/14/2023)
In this sermon, Joel Osteen teaches that the powerful antidote to anxiety is to actively cast all our worries and cares onto God, as instructed in 1 Peter 5:7, because carrying them ourselves weighs us down, but releasing them brings supernatural peace that allows God to sustain and deliver us.
The Epidemic of Anxiety Stealing Your Peace
We all have opportunities to live anxious and worried about the future, wondering what is going to happen with our children, our finances, our health. It is always something trying to steal our peace. If you watch the news, you hear about inflation, violence, wars, divisions. A recent article talked about how we are in an epidemic of anxiety. Never has there been so much coming against our mental health, creating stress, pressure, people living overwhelmed. That is not the way we were created to live. The scripture in 1 Peter 5:7 says to «Cast all your anxieties on him.»
Why Carrying Worry Wears You Out
One antidote for anxiety is you have to give it to God. You cannot go around carrying everything, trying to figure it all out, living in tomorrow, wondering how it is going to work out. «What if my health does not improve? What if my company has layoffs? This family member did me wrong, I have to fix that.» You are weighing yourself down. Carrying things you were never meant to carry—that is why you can feel worn out, not able to sleep at night.
The Power of Forceful Casting
Do yourself a favor and start casting those anxieties. They are going to come, but if you are going to stay in peace, you have to get good at turning them over to God. The word «cast» is an action word. When you are fishing, you cast the rod. It is not a complacent, underhand, «Let me just toss it.» No, you forcefully swing your arm and aggressively flick your wrist. There is action, energy.
Anxiety Won’t Leave on Its Own
In the same way, anxiety is not going to just fall off of you. Worry is not going to go away on its own. You cannot just sit back and hope that things change. You have to do some casting. When thoughts come, «What is going to happen with your child? There are so many distractions these days, they are probably going to get in trouble.» You can dwell on those thoughts and let them weigh you down, cause you to live anxious.
Choose Faith Over Fear for Your Kids
Or you can say, «No, thanks, my children are in God’s hands. Father, thank you that you are protecting them, causing them to make good decisions. That as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.» You know what you did? You just cast those anxieties on him. «Well, have you seen the news about the economy, inflation, gas prices? What if prices keep going up? What if your business does not make it? What if you cannot pay your bills?»
Don’t Let the Enemy Steal Today
The enemy would love for you to worry about things that are never going to happen. He would love for you to miss the beauty of this day because you are so anxious about tomorrow. Do not fall into that trap. God has not failed you in the past, and he is not going to fail you now. When I was growing up, my father used to say, «If bread goes to a dollar a loaf and gasoline to a dollar a gallon, God will take care of us.» If Daddy could see us now. God is faithful.
God’s Provision Rises When Prices Do
If prices go up, let me give you some good news: God’s provision is going to go up. God is not in heaven saying, «I did not see this one coming. I did not know inflation would be this high.» God owns it all. He makes streets out of gold. You get stressed looking at the future, anticipating the worst, higher costs, higher bills. What you are not anticipating is the goodness of God. David said, «I was young, now I am old, I have never once seen the righteous forsaken.»
Stop Carrying—Start Casting!
Instead of carrying the anxiety, do yourself a favor: start casting it. I read where the largest increase in anxiety is among young people. So much pressure these days with social media—there is the comparison: «Am I good enough? Funny enough? Pretty enough? Do I have enough followers? Am I popular?» If you fall into that trap, you will never feel good about yourself because you will always see someone that is more talented, more beautiful, more successful.
The Endless Trap of Comparison
There will be this pressure to outperform, outdress, have more friends, more talents, more compliments. That is a never-ending cycle. It is not only going to wear you out, take your joy, your peace, but you will miss who you were created to be, trying to keep up with everyone else. Take that pressure off yourself—that is what is causing anxiety. «How can I keep up?» You do not have to keep up. You are not competing with them. Run your race, be who God made you to be.
You’re Gifted Exactly As You Are
«Well, I cannot do what they can do.» Well, they cannot do what you can do. You are gifted, you are talented. «Well, they are so beautiful.» You are so beautiful, you are a masterpiece, you are made in the image of God. «Well, they are more popular.» Popularity is fleeting; it can change in a minute.
Even King David Felt Overwhelmed
Psalm 55—David was dealing with anxiety. He said, «I am overwhelmed with trouble. My enemies are making loud threats. My heart is anxious, with so much fear and trembling, I cannot stop shaking.» That is some serious anxiety. Now, David was a warrior. He had defeated Goliath, conquered cities, led the Israelites into great victories, but now he is overwhelmed, so anxious that he cannot move forward.
Anxiety Doesn’t Mean Weak Faith
Dealing with anxiety does not mean that you are weak, you do not have enough faith, you must have done something wrong. The enemy would not be trying to stop you if he did not know there was a calling on your life. He knows there is greatness in you, that you are on the verge of seeing a new level. That is why he will try to make you feel overwhelmed, worried about the future, think it is not going to work out.
The Lies Anxiety Whispers
Thoughts will tell you, «It is never going to change. You will always have to deal with this anxiety. You will always have this feeling that something is wrong.» Do not believe those lies. The anxiety is not permanent. It is not going to last forever; it is a season. This too shall pass. And sometimes God will bring you out quickly; other times he will take you little by little. Do not be discouraged if you do not see anything changing—God is working.
Declare Freedom Every Day
Every day you need to declare, «I am getting better. My mind is at peace. My heart is at rest. I am free from this anxiety.» David had been attacked by King Saul, attacked by his son Absalom, attacked in the city of Ziklag. He handled those attacks well—he went out and defeated, recovered, and was victorious. But when anxiety attacked, it was a different story. He did not think he could go on.
Mental Attacks Hit Hardest
The most powerful attacks are not physical but mental. That is why the enemy works overtime in the mind: anxiety, fear, «It is not going to work out. You are never going to get well. You will always be alone. What are you going to do?» David was sitting there overwhelmed, shaking, believing these lies that nothing would improve. This anxiety attack could have been the end of David’s story. This could be the last time we read about him—the anxiety won, and he faded off into the sunset.
Call on God First in the Storm
No, David did something that we all must do. When anxiety attacked, instead of just sitting there, he said in verse 16, «I will call on the name of the Lord, and he will rescue me. He will keep me safe from the battle raged against me.» When anxiety attacks, often we call our friends, call our neighbor, call our parents. That is all fine, but you need to make sure you call on the name of the Lord.
The God Who Brings Dead Things to Life
Call on the God who created you. Call on the God who brings dead things back to life. Call on the God who is more powerful than any force trying to stop you. He said in Psalm 50:15, «Call unto me in the day of trouble, and I will strengthen you, and I will deliver you.» If you call unto him, he will give you the strength you need until the deliverance comes.
Stop Owning What Isn’t Yours
Every morning you need to call, «Lord, thank you for strengthening me today. Thank you that this anxiety cannot stay in my life. I am a temple of the Most High God. Anxiety, you are on foreign territory. You are not welcome here.» Do not be complacent; do not just accept it. «Man, my anxiety is acting up today. My depression is really bad.» Do not take ownership of it. It does not belong to you. The moment you say «my,» you are giving it permission to stay.
Cast It Out—It’s Temporary!
It is like you are inviting it into your life. Instead of inviting it, you need to start casting it away. See that anxiety as foreign, as not welcome, and as temporary. David went through this attack—we do not know how long it was: weeks, months, maybe a year, I do not know—but when it was all over, at the end of the chapter, he gives us what he learned. He said in verse 22, «Cast your burdens on the Lord, release the weight of them, and he will sustain you.»
David’s Hard-Won Wisdom for You
He was saying, «I went through this terrible anxiety, thought my life was over, I lived worried, overwhelmed, but now that I am out, having lived through it, here is what I am going to do differently next time. Here is how I can save you a lot of heartache and pain: cast your anxieties on the Lord. Release the weight of those worries. Quit carrying things that you are not supposed to carry, turn it over to God, trust him in the trouble, trust him when you do not see a way, trust him when you do not understand, and he will sustain you; he will bring you safely through.»
Release What You’re Holding Back
Are you holding on to worries, anxiety, «What is going to happen with my child? And this situation at work has me stressed out. My health is not getting any better»? If David were here, he would tell you, «I was where you are. I did the same thing—so much so that I could not function. I was shaking, I was trembling. Do not do like I did; release the weight of it, cast that burden on the Lord.» As long as you hold onto it, it is going to hold you down. You are holding on to what is holding you back.
Faith Starts When You Let Go
We wonder when God is going to do something—God is waiting for us to release it. Releasing it is an act of faith: «God, I do not see how it is going to work out, but I know you have a way. God, my child is not making good decisions, but I know he is in the palm of your hand. God, my business is slow, but I thank you that you are supplying all of my needs.»
My Own Battle with Pandemic Anxiety
During the pandemic, when so many things closed down, one Sunday morning I went to breakfast with my family at this small outdoor restaurant. This is when there were no in-person services, only online. And we would record the Sunday service on Friday, so I was free on the weekends. I told my family: I have never been to breakfast on a Sunday morning in all of my life. We were always in church—if you were somewhere else on Sunday morning, you were going to hell.
That Gnawing Uneasiness
But with all the disruption and all these changes, like a lot of people, I felt this uneasiness, this anxiety, like something was wrong. Everything was great in my life, but deep down there was this gnawing, «Something is not right.» Be going through the day, out of nowhere a sense of gloom. Wake up in the night, these worrisome thoughts—something I had never experienced. But when anxiety attacks, you cannot be passive and just hope that it goes away. There is something we have to do.
Paul’s Bold Command: Be Anxious for Nothing
Paul said in Philippians 4:6, «Be anxious for nothing.» That is a bold statement. «Come on, Paul, you mean we can not be anxious over the uncertainty in our future, over a pandemic? We cannot be anxious over this medical report, over this trouble at work? That seems too good to be true.» He goes on to tell us how it can happen. He said, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
Pray with Humble Dependence
Paul was saying, «When anxiety attacks, do not try to do it on your own. Go to God in prayer; ask him for his help.» It says to pray with supplication—that means to lower yourself, to go in humility, admitting your dependence on him. «God, I need you. I cannot do this on my own. I do not see how my child is going to get back on course. This medical report is not good. My finances are low. God, I am depending on your goodness, your mercy, your favor.» That is praying with supplication.
Shift to Thanksgiving Mode
Then it says thanksgiving. Once you pray, once you cast it on God, you need to shift into a different mindset. No more, «God, I am so worried, I do not see how I am going to make it.» No, do not go to God from a place of anxiety; go to him from a place of faith, a place of thanksgiving. That is showing God that you trust him. «God, I thank you that you are working in my life. I know you are bigger than this problem, bigger than this sickness, bigger than this trouble at work.»
Supernatural Peace Guards You
You can be in peace, knowing that God is fighting your battles. He is working out his plan for your life. Paul goes on to say: if you go to God with prayer, with supplication, with thanksgiving, then here comes the promise, «The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind.» Notice, it is the peace of God. It is not normal peace. It is not something you can explain. It is peace in the midst of the storm.
Peace When Everything Says Panic
It is peace when you are taking the treatment. It is peace when you are going through the breakup. It is peace when you lost a loved one. It is peace when that person did you wrong. People will look at you and think, «Are you not depressed, worried, anxious? How could you be so happy, so grateful?» Just tell them, «The peace I have did not come from this world. It is not ordinary; it is peace from my Heavenly Father. Peace that passes understanding.»
The Hebrew Teens' Fiery Peace
It is the peace that three Hebrew teenagers felt. They would not bow to the king’s golden idol; he was going to have them thrown into a fiery furnace. They had a great opportunity to be anxious. They were facing an impossible situation. They understood this principle that God is in control, that nothing can happen to you without his permission. They made this decision to be anxious for nothing.
God Joins You in the Fire
I am sure they felt anxiety, but they went to God, they asked for his help, they prayed with supplication, they thanked him for his goodness. What happened? Peace that passes understanding showed up. They were not worried, complaining, «God, where are you?» They were not fighting with the guards trying to throw them into the furnace. They had peace when they should have been panicked. They were calm in the midst of chaos.
Come Out Without the Smell of Smoke
When you learn to cast the worries, cast the anxieties, you will not only have supernatural peace, but you will see God do supernatural things. This king was so furious, he had the officials turn up the fire seven times hotter than normal. The teenagers said in effect, «King, you do not control our destiny; God does. If it is not our time to go, this fire is not going to harm us.» They bound their hands and feet and threw them into the fire.
The Fourth Man in the Flames
In a few minutes the king came and looked through the furnace window. He said, «Did we not throw three men in bound? I see four men loosed, and one looks like the Son of God.» They went into the furnace in peace, and the God of peace joined them, just to make sure everything turned out all right. If you will stay in peace and go into the fire, the trouble, the sickness—not upset, anxious, «What is going to happen?"—then the God of peace will join you in the fire. You will come out without the smell of smoke. God will fight for you.
Defeating Anxiety Takes Trust
You may be in the fire now, and you are tempted to panic, live uptight. No, it is time to start casting. Cast the care, cast the anxiety, cast the worry. God has you in the palm of his hand. He did not bring you this far to leave you. He has done it in the past; he is going to do it this time. But defeating anxiety requires trust. You may not know all the answers, you do not see how it can work out, but God has it all figured out.
God’s Supernatural Ways
His ways are not our ways. We think natural, but he is supernatural. He has already planned out your days for good. It may not be good right now because there are pieces missing. But when God brings it all together, it will be better than you have ever imagined. Trust him when you do not understand. Sometimes we are anxious over the future, wondering what might happen. Other times we are anxious over the past—mistakes we have made, regrets, what could come back to haunt us.
Your Past Enemies Are Drowned
When God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea, he did not just make a way for them to escape, but he drowned all their enemies. If he would have just brought them out, they would have always lived with the threat that Pharaoh and all those powerful warriors could come find them. The Israelites would have lived in fear, always thinking in the back of their mind, «They could come looking,» and they had to look over their shoulder. There would have been this lingering worry, lingering anxiety they would always be dealing with.
God Ended the Threat Forever
But when God drowned their enemies, he put an end to what could harm them. He freed them from their past. You may have that lingering anxiety always trying to remind you of what might happen, those mistakes catching up to you, those regrets coming to life. Can I tell you? The threat has already been taken care of. God has put an end to what you are worried about. You do not have to live afraid, anxious, worried.
Live Free—Your Past Is Defeated
He did not just part your Red Sea, bring you through the difficulties, but he has drowned those enemies—he has drowned the guilt, the shame, the opposition. What was trying to harm you is already defeated. But here is the key: the enemy would love for you to live anxious over a threat that is already taken care of. He will make a lot of noise in your thoughts, «What if they come back? What if they try to make you look bad? What if this taints your future?»
Cast Away Those Old Threats
David said the threats from his enemies were tormenting him; the threats were causing him to have anxiety. Threats can be very powerful until you realize those enemies are no longer here. Those enemies have already been defeated. Now you can live free, you can live happy, you can move forward in faith, knowing that your past has been taken care of. When those threats come back to your mind telling you to worry, something is wrong, you feel that anxiety rising up—do not take the bait.
Peter’s Miraculous Prison Peace
Get your fishing rod out and let out a big cast: «No, thanks, Pharaoh is defeated. My past is forgiven, my enemies have been taken care of. I am going to live this day in victory.» Acts 12—Peter was put in prison for sharing his faith. King Agrippa had already had James, one of the apostles, killed. When he saw how that pleased the people, he had them arrest Peter. He was in the deepest part of the dungeon, his hands and feet in chains, with 16 soldiers guarding him. The next day he was going to be brought to trial.
Sleeping Soundly Before Execution?
Peter knew his life could be over in just twenty-four hours. He knew what they had done to James, and now he was next in line. You would think he would be worried, pacing the floor, complaining. No, Peter understood this principle: when all the odds were against him, when his future looked so bleak, he said, «God, I am casting these anxieties on you. Not going to live worried; I know my future is in your hands.»
When You Rest, God Works
An angel came in the middle of the night to rescue him. The scripture says something interesting: the angel had to wake Peter up. How could he be sleeping, knowing the next day he could lose his life? That is peace that passes understanding. That is peace that does not make sense. That is what happens when you learn to turn it over to God. I would like to think that I have that much faith, but I would probably be calling the prayer line, pacing the floor, «God, please do something.»
Peace Is Your Place of Power
But here is the key: when you rest, God goes to work. But when you work, you are uptight, «God, that is a deadline. It does not look good; he killed James.» Begging God does not necessarily get his attention, but when you are in peace, that is a place of power. When you cast those cares, not only do you get peace where you can sleep in the storm, but the Creator of the universe goes to work. Supernatural things will happen.
From Chains to Freedom Overnight
Those chains fell off of Peter’s hands and feet; he was invisible to the 16 soldiers guarding him, and he walked out a free man. It is not a coincidence that Peter was the one that wrote, «Cast all your anxieties on him.» He was saying, «I know what it is like to face anxiety. I have been there—to have things come against you where you do not see a way out, thoughts of worry and fear bombard your mind.»
Peter’s Personal Antidote
If Peter were here today, he would tell you, «The antidote to anxiety is to turn it over to God. Do not carry it—cast it. Do not go around dwelling on all the negative, trying to figure it out, focusing on the what-ifs. Put it all in God’s hands; that is when you will have peace that passes understanding.» Are you carrying things you need to be casting? Are you holding on to weights that you should be releasing?
Walk Out Lighter Today
You can walk out of here today lighter, freer, with more joy. Do not wait for things to change, then you are going to quit worrying. «Joel, when my health turns around, when my child straightens up, when this situation at work resolves, then I will be able to sleep.» No, if you will start casting those cares, you can have peace while you are waiting for things to improve.
Peter Was in Peace, Not Just Prison
Peter was not just in prison; he was in peace. He was not just locked in chains; he was locked in peace. He was not just guarded by those soldiers; he was guarded by peace. What am I saying? The outside circumstances do not determine your peace; it is what is happening on the inside. When you are connected to your Creator, you have learned to pray with supplication, admitting your dependence on God, with thanksgiving instead of worrying, thanking him that he is working.
Peace in Every Storm
Then when difficulties come, you can say like Peter, «I am not just in trouble; I am in peace. I am not just in the hospital; I am in peace. I am not just in debt, business is slow, but I am in peace. I know God is fighting this battle. I know he has the final say.» That is when you will experience peace that passes understanding—peace where you can sleep in the storm, peace when the battle is raging around you, peace when the medical report is not good.
Your Faith Activates God’s Power
When you are in peace, you are showing God that you trust him. That is your faith at work; that is what activates his power. You will see him show out in your life: supernatural doors open, supernatural healing, supernatural provision. My prayer for you is what Paul declared—that you will be anxious for nothing, that you will learn to cast those cares, releasing the weight of them. No more living worried, letting threats hold you back, having that underlying feeling that something is wrong.
Your Breakthrough Is Coming!
And yes, you may have struggled a long time with anxiety, and thoughts are telling you, «It is always going to be this way.» No, God is doing a new thing. He sees like David when you feel overwhelmed; he sees like Peter when the situation looks impossible; he sees like the teenagers when you are doing the right thing but the wrong thing is happening. He knows it is not easy. He knows those forces have come against your mental health, but look at you—you could be defeated, worried, but you are still here.
Can I encourage you? Your time is coming! That anxiety is not how your story ends. It may happen quickly, or God may take you little by little, but know this: you are coming out. It is not permanent. I believe and declare right now in the name of Jesus: that spirit of anxiety is being broken. I speak peace to you. I speak healing to your mind, your emotions, your body. I speak a calm and undisturbed spirit. The tide is changing in your favor right now. God is strengthening you. You are coming into new levels of peace, joy, freedom, and fulfillment. I declare it in Jesus' name. And if you received it, can you say amen? Amen!