How Christians Can Finally Break Free from Anxiety — Carol McLeod Ministries
A Note from Carol: I’m so excited to introduce you to Heather O’Brien—a prophetic healing coach, minister, author, and host of the Heal with God podcast. Heather helps Christians overcome trauma, anxiety, and depression by learning to hear God’s voice. Her story of freedom from fear and addiction is a powerful reminder that God still speaks, heals, and restores. You’re going to love her heart and her passion for helping others experience true healing in His presence.
If you’ve been a Christian long enough, you’ve probably prayed every prayer you know to get free from anxiety.
You’ve quoted Scripture, listened to sermons, fasted, and asked for prayer after prayer. You’ve told yourself to “just trust God.” And yet… the anxiety is still there.
I know that place. I’ve been there. And I’ve sat across from countless women who have too.
Anxiety Is Exhausting
It interrupts our peace, steals our joy in worship, and slips into our thoughts even when we’re doing all the right things. It makes our chest tight before a conversation, robs us of sleep at night, and clouds our thinking when we need clarity most.
And as Christians, we often feel extra guilty for still feeling anxious, because we know what the Bible says about peace.
Managing Anxiety Isn’t the Same as Freedom
Most of us have tried managing anxiety instead of breaking free from it.
We’ve distracted ourselves with busyness.
We’ve replaced anxious thoughts with “positive” ones.
We’ve white-knuckled our way through, telling ourselves it’s just part of life.
But if those things worked, wouldn’t we be free by now?
The Permission We’ve Quietly Given Anxiety
For years, I quietly accepted anxiety as a permanent part of my personality—something I would just “deal with” until Heaven.
And because of that belief, I never fully confronted it.
What If God Wants to Remove Anxiety Completely?
What if anxiety isn’t just something to manage?
What if God intends to remove it from your life entirely?
That was the question that changed everything for me.
In prayer, God showed me that anxiety wasn’t neutral. It was a thief. It was stealing my peace, joy, clarity, and confidence. And anything that steals those things isn’t from Him.
Then came the harder truth: to truly walk free, I had to stop making room for it in my life. I had to see anxiety the way God sees it. It’s not a personality quirk or life sentence, but it’s an intruder to reject.
The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). That’s not a suggestion. It’s a command. And the moment I began to treat anxiety like something I hated, rather than something I managed, I began to fight it differently.
When we hate the sin of fear, we stop tolerating it. We stop letting it linger in the background of our lives. We run from it like we’d run from a burning house.
Calling Sin What It Is
When we name fear and anxiety for what they are, everything changes.
We stop managing them and start resisting them.
We stop excusing them and start fleeing from them.
The truth is, fear is rooted in pride. It makes everything about me:
What if I’m not good enough?
What will people think?
Who am I to start this?
It’s a trap the enemy loves because it keeps our eyes on ourselves instead of on God.
The Fear of the Lord Brings Freedom
If we’re honest, “hate” isn’t a word we’re comfortable using as Christians. We’re taught to love, to forgive, to extend grace. But there is one thing the Bible is clear we should hate: sin.
And here’s why, you can’t run from something you secretly tolerate. You’ll never fight what you’ve learned to live with.
When we see anxiety as just “part of life,” we lose the urgency to get rid of it. But when we begin to see it as God sees it — as something that steals, kills, and destroys — our response changes.
Hating sin isn’t about condemning ourselves. It’s about aligning our hearts with God’s heart so that anything that opposes Him feels foreign, unwelcome, and intolerable in our lives.
That kind of hatred doesn’t come from willpower. It comes from the fear of the Lord. This is an awe-filled awareness of His holiness that makes sin unthinkable.
When His holiness comes into focus, our tolerance for sin evaporates.
When we fear the Lord, we stop asking, “Is this permissible?” and start declaring, “I don’t want anything to separate me from His presence.”
That’s when freedom begins.
A Prayer for Repentance and Release
If you’re ready to be free, here’s a prayer you can pray right now:
Father, I repent for making it all about me. I repent for not seeing anxiety, imposter syndrome, and all fear of man as sin. Impart to me the fear of the Lord so I can see these the way You do. I break agreement with every thought that says I’m not enough, not smart enough, or that people won’t accept me. I renounce the lie whispering, “Who am I?” I declare and come into agreement that I am Your child who is capable, confident, and guided by You in every step. Amen.
Your Freedom from Fear & Anxiety Is Possible
Anxiety isn’t your identity. It’s an intruder. And you don’t have to tolerate it anymore.
You are an heir to the Kingdom of God, confident in your calling, and fully equipped for the work He’s set before you.
When you hate the sin of fear, you won’t settle for managing it, you’ll be free of it.
If this blog stirred something in you, my book No Fear Allowed and its companion workbook will walk you step-by-step through hearing God’s voice, breaking free from fear and anxiety, and stepping into lasting peace.
It’s not just about coping. It’s about freedom. And that’s exactly what God wants for you.
In this episode of the Significant Women podcast, Carol McLeod welcomes Heather O’Brien for a conversation about faith, motherhood, and the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Heather shares the joys and struggles of raising three boys, the freedom she found in her baptism in the Spirit, and how God’s voice and His Word bring peace in seasons of fear and anxiety. With honesty and warmth, she encourages listeners to trust God, lean into prayer and community, and embrace the Spirit’s power to live with boldness and joy.
