Joel Osteen Podcast - The Antidote For Anxiety | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: July 6, 2025

When anxiety comes, stay in peace knowing God is fighting your battles. Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.Your life is marked for distinction. Our July offer will help you silence doubt, shake off rejection, and reach the destiny God has already prepared for you. Request the new Chosen devotional and step forward with confidence—you’ve been chosen for more, https://bit.ly/4dVacnV! Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media.

And you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. But I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this mother. One Sunday morning, she went to her son's bedroom and said, son, wake up, it's time to go to church. He said, no, mom, I'm not going to church today. She said, why not? He said, I'll give you two good reasons.

Number one, I don't like the people. And number two, they don't like me. She said, all right, I'll give you two better reasons to go. Number one, you're 49 years old. And number two, you're the pastor. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am.

I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. God bless you.

I want to talk to you today about the antidote for anxiety. We all have opportunities to live anxious. and worried about the future and wondering what's going to happen with our children, our finances, our health. There's always something trying to steal our peace. If you watch the news, you hear about inflation, violence, wars, division. A recent article talked about how we're in an epidemic of anxiety. There's never been so much coming against our mental health.

But that's not the way we were created to live. The scripture says, cast all your anxieties on him. One antidote for anxiety is you have to give it to God. You can't go around carrying everything, trying to figure it all out, living in tomorrow, wondering how it's going to work out. What if my health doesn't improve? What if my company has layoffs? And this family member did me wrong.

I got to fix that. You're weighing yourself down, carrying things you were never meant to carry. That's why you can feel worn out and not able to sleep at night. Do yourself a favor and start casting those anxieties. They're going to come, but if you're 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're fishing, you cast the rod.

It's not a complacent underhand. Let me just toss it out there. No, you forcefully swing your arm and aggressively flick your wrist. There's action and energy. in the same way, anxiety is not going to just fall off you. Worry is not going to go away on its own. You can't just sit back and hope that things will change. You have to do some casting.

When thoughts come, what's going to happen with your children? There are so many distractions these days. They're going to probably get in trouble. You can dwell on those thoughts, let them weigh you down, cause them to live anxious. Or you can say, no thanks. My children are in God's sense. hands. Father, thank you that you're protecting them, causing them to make good decisions that as for me

in my house, we will serve the Lord. You know what you did? You just cast those anxieties on him. Have you seen the news about the economy, inflation, gas prices? What if things keep going up? What if your business doesn't make it? What if you can't pay your bills? The enemy would love for you to worry about things that are never going to happen. He'd love for you to worry about things that are never going to happen. He'd love for you to miss the beauty of this day because you're so anxious about tomorrow. Don't fall into that trap. God has not failed you in the past and he's not going to fail you now. My father used to say when I was growing up, 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. Let me tell you, if prices go up, the good news is God's provision is going to go. up. God is not up in heaven. Saying, man, I didn't see this coming. I didn't know inflation was going to 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're not anticipating is the goodness of God. David said, I was young, now I'm old. I have never once seen the righteous forsaken. Instead of carrying that anxiety, do yourself a favor, start casting it. I read where the largest increase in anxiety is among young people. There's so much pressure these days with social media. There's the comparison. Am I good enough? Pretty enough.

Smart enough. Do I have enough followers? Am I popular? If you fall into that trap, you'll never feel good about yourself because you'll always see someone that's more talented, more beautiful, more successful. And there will be this point. pressure to outperform, outdress, have more friends, more talents, more compliments. That's a never-ending cycle. That's not only going to wear you out and take your joy, your peace, but you'll miss who you were created to be trying to keep up with everyone else. Take that pressure off yourself. That's what's causing anxiety. How can I keep up? You don't have to keep up. You're not competing with them. Run your race. Be who

God made you to be. Well, I can't do what they can do. They can't do what you can do. You're talented. You're gifted. They're so beautiful. You're so beautiful. You're a masterpiece. You're made in the image of God. Well, they're more popular. Popularity is fleeting. It can change in a minute. Psalm 55, David was dealing with anxiety. He said, I'm overwhelmed with trouble. My enemies are making loud threats. My heart is anxious. With so much fear and trembling, I can't stop shaking. That's some serious anxiety. Now, David was a warrior. He had defeated Goliath, conquered cities, led the Israelites into great victories. But now he's overwhelmed, so anxious that he can't move forward. Dealing with anxiety doesn't mean that you're weak. You don't have enough faith. You must have done something wrong.

the enemy wouldn't be trying to stop you if he didn't know there was a calling on your life. He knows there's greatness in you that you're on the verge of seeing a new level. That's why I'll try to make you feel overwhelmed, worried about the future, thinking it's not going to work out. Thoughts will tell you, it's never going to change. You'll always have to deal with this anxiety. Don't believe those lies. The anxiety is not permanent. It's not going to last forever.

It's a season. This too shall pass. Now sometimes God will bring you out quickly. Other times he'll take you little by little. Don't be discouraged if you don't see anything changing. God is working. Every day you need to declare, I'm 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 and attacked by his son Absalom, attacked in the city of Ziglag. He handled those attacks well. He went out and defeated and recovered and was victorious. But when anxiety attacked, it was a different story. He didn't think he could go on. The most powerful attacks are not physical, but mental. That's why the enemy works overtime in the mind. Anxiety, fear, worry. It's not going to work out. You'll never get well.

you'll always be alone. What are you going to do? David was sitting there overwhelmed, shaking, believing the lies of the enemy. 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. 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 name of the, the Lord and he will rescue me. He will keep me safe from the battle raised against me. When anxiety attacks, often we call our friends, call our neighbor, call our parents. That's all fine, but you need to make sure you call on the name of the Lord. 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 that's trying to stop you. He said in Psalms, call under me in the day of trouble, and I will strengthen you, and I will deliver you. If you'll call under him, he'll give you the strength you need until the deliverance comes. 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. Don't be complacent. Don't just accept it. Oh man, my anxiety is acting up today. My depression is really bad. Don't take ownership of it. It doesn't belong to you. The moment you say my, you're giving it permission to stay. It's like you're 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 anxiety attack. We don't know how long it was.

whether it's weeks, whether it's months. But when it was 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. He was saying,

I went through this terrible anxiety. Thought my life was over. I lived worried, overwhelmed. But now that I'm out, having lived through it, here's what I'm going to do differently next day. time. Here's 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're not supposed to carry.

Turn it over to God. Trust him into trouble. Trust him when you don't see a way. Trust him when you don't understand and he will sustain you and bring you safely through. Are you holding on to worries, anxiety? What's going to happen with my child? This situation at work is stressing me out, Joel, and my health is not getting better. If David were here, he would tell you, I was where you were. I did the same thing, so much so that I couldn't function. I was shaking. Don't do like I did.

Release the weight of it. Cast that burden on the Lord. As long as you hold on to it, it's going to hold you down. You're holding on to what's holding you back. and we wonder when God is going to do something, but God's waiting for us to release it. Releasing it is an act of faith. God, I don't see how it's going to work out, but I know you have a way. God, my child is not making good decisions, but I know he's in the palm of your hand.

God, my business is slow, but I thank you that you're supplying all of my needs. During the pandemic, when 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. 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. But with all this disruption and all the 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's not right.

Be going through the day out of nowhere, this sense of gloom and wake up in the middle of the night, these worrisome thoughts, something I had never experienced. But when anxiety attacks, you can't just be passive and hope that it goes away. There's something that we have to do. Paul said in Philippians 4, be anxious for nothing. That's a bold statement. Come on, Paul. You mean we can not be anxious over the uncertainty in our future during a pandemic,

not be anxious over this medical report, 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 request be known under God. Paul was saying when anxiety attacks, don't try to do it on your own. Go to God in prayer.

Ask him for his health. 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 can't do this on my own. I don't see how my child's going to get back on course.

The medical report's not. good. God, my finances are low. I'm depending on your goodness, your mercy, your favor. That's praying with supplication. Then it says with Thanksgiving. Once you pray, once you cast it on God, you need to shift into a different mindset. No more, God, I'm so worried. I don't see how I'm going to make it. No, don't go to God from a place of anxiety. Go to him from a place of faith, a place of Thanksgiving. giving. That's showing God that you trust in. God, I thank you that you are working in my life. I know you're bigger than this trouble, bigger than this sickness, bigger than this problem at work. You can stay in peace knowing that God is fighting your battles. He's working out his plan for your life.

Paul goes on to say, if you'll go to God with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, then here's the promise. the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind. Notice, it's the peace of God. It's not normal peace. It's something you can't explain. It's peace in the midst of the storm. It's peace when you're taking the treatment. It's peace when you're going through a breakup.

It's peace when you lost your loved one. It's peace when that person did you wrong. People will look at you. aren't you depressed, worried, anxious? How could you be so happy, so grateful? Just tell them, the peace I have didn't come from this world. It's not ordinary. It's peace from my heavenly father.

It's peace that passes understanding. It's the peace that three Hebrew teenagers felt. They wouldn't bow down 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. But 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. I'm sure they felt anxiety. They went to God. They asked for his health. They prayed with supplication. They thanked him. What happened? Peace that passed his understanding showed up.

They weren't worried. Complicated. complaining, God, where are you? They weren't 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. When you learn to cast the worries and cast the anxieties, you'll not only have supernatural peace, but you'll see God do supernatural things. This king was so furious, he told the officials to turn up the fire seven times hotter than normal. These teenagers said in effect, King, you don't control our destiny.

God does. If it's not our time to go, this fire is not going to harm us. I can hear him laughing. Yeah, right. We'll see. They bound their hands and feet, threw them into the fire.

In a few minutes, the king came and looked through the furnace window. He said, didn't we throw three men inbound? I see four men loose, and one looks like the son of God. They went into the furnace. in peace and the God of peace join them just to make sure everything turned out right. If you'll stay in peace and go into the fire, the trouble, the sickness, not upset, anxious,

what's going to happen, then the God of peace will join you in the fire. Like them, you'll come out without the smell of smoke. God will fight for you. You may be in that fire now and you're tempted to panic, live uptight, No, it's time to start casting. Cast the care. Cast the anxiety. Cast the worry.

God has you in the palm of his hand. He didn't bring you this far to leave you. He's done it in the past and he's going to do it this time. But defeating anxiety requires trust. You may not know all the answers. You don't see how it can work out, but God has it all figured out. His ways are not our ways. we think natural, but God is supernatural. He's 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've imagined. Trust him when you don't understand. Sometimes we're anxious over the future, over what might happen. Other times we're anxious over the past, mistakes we've made, regrets, things that could come back to haunt us. I love when God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea, he didn't just make a way for them to escape, but he drowned all of their enemies. If he would have just brought them out, they would have always lived with the threat that the Pharaoh and those powerful warriors could come find them. The Israelites would have lived in fear, always thinking in

the back of their mind that they could be coming, looking over their shoulder. There would have been this lingering worry, lingering anxiety they'd always be dealing with. But when God drowned their enemies, he put an end to what could harm them. In other words, 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 light. Can I tell you, the threat has been taken care of. God has put an end to what you're worried about. You don't have to live worried, afraid, anxious. He didn't just part your Red Sea, didn't just bring you through the difficulties, but he's drowned those enemies. He's drowned the guilt, the shame, the opposition. What was

trying to harm you has already been defeated. But here's the whole key. The enemy would love for you to live anxious over a threat that's already taken care of. He'll make a lot of noise in your thoughts. What if they come back? What if they make you look bad? What if this taints your future? David said the threats from his enemies were tormenting him. The threats were causing him to have anxiety.

Threats can be 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 you're not. your past has been taken care of. When those threats come back to your mind, telling

you to worry, something's wrong, you feel that anxiety rising up, don't take the bait. Go get your fishing rod and let out a big cast. No thanks. Pharaoh is defeated. My past is forgiven. My enemies have been taken care of. I'm

going to live my life in victory. Acts chapter 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 and chains, with 16 soldiers guarding him. The next day, he was going to be brought to trial. Peter knew his life could be just over in 24 hours. He knew what they had done to James. Now he was next in line. You would think he would be so worried, pacing the floor, complaining.

But in the middle of the night, an angel came to rescue Peter. 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's the peace that passes understanding. That's peace that doesn't make sense. That's what happens when you learn to turn it over to God. I'd love to think that I have that much faith,

but I'd probably be calling the prayer line, pacing the floor. Somebody pray for me, God do something. But here's the key. When you rest, God goes to work. When you work, you're uptight, worried God. There's a deadline. This doesn't look good. He killed James.

Begging God doesn't necessarily get his attention. But when you're in peace, that's a place of power. When you cast those cares, not only do you get peace, not only can you sleep in the storm, but the creator of the universe goes to work. Supernatural things will happen. The chains fell off of Peter. The gates opened of their own accord. He was invisible to those 16 soldiers guarding him.

He walked out a free man. It's not a coincidence that Peter was the one that wrote, cast all your anxieties on him. He was saying, I know what it's like to face anxiety. I've been there. to have things come against you where you don't see a way out? Thoughts of worry and fear bombard your mind. If Peter were here today, he would tell you the antidote to anxiety is to turn it over to God.

Don't carry it, cast it. Don't go around dwelling on all the negative. Trying to figure it out, focused on the what-ifs. Put it all in God's hands. That's when you'll 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? You can walk out of here today lighter, freer with more joy.

Don't wait for things to change and then you're going to quit worrying. Joel, when my health turns around, when my child straightens up, when this situation at work resolved, then I'll be able to sleep at night. No, if you'll start casting those cares, you can have peace while you're waiting. waiting for things to improve. Peter was not just in prison, he was in peace. He wasn't just locked in chains. He was locked in peace.

He wasn't just guarded by those soldiers. He was guarded by peace. The outside circumstances don't determine your peace. It's what's happening on the inside. When you're connected to your creator, when you've learned to pray with supplication, admitting your dependence on God, with thanksgiving, instead of worrying, thanking him that he's working,

then when difficulties come, you can say like Peter, I'm not just in trouble, I'm in peace. I'm not just in the hospital, I'm in peace. I'm not just in debt. Business is struggling. I'm in peace. I know God is fighting this battle. I know he has the final say.

That's when you'll experience peace that passes understanding. Peace where you can sleep in the struggle. storm. Peace when the battle is raging around you. Peace when the medical report wasn't good. When you're in peace, you're showing God that you trust him. That's your faith at work. That's what activates his power. You'll see him show out in your life. My prayer for you is what Paul declared is that you will be anxious for nothing, that you'll learn to cast those cares, releasing the way to them. No more live in worry. letting threats hold you back, that underlying feeling that something is wrong.

Yes, you may have struggled with anxiety a long time. Those thoughts tell you that it's 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're doing the right thing, but the wrong thing has happened. He knows it's not easy.

He knows forces have come against your mental health. But look at you. You could be defeated, worried, but you're still trusting him. 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're coming out. It is not permanent. I believe and declare right now that spirit of anxiety is being broken.

in the name of Jesus. I speak peace to you. I speak healing to your mind, your emotions, your body. I speak a calm, undisturbed spirit. The tide is changing in your favor right now. God is strengthening you. You'll come in into new levels of joy, peace, freedom, and fulfillment. I declare it. And if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some information on your new walk with the Lord. You can go to the website or text the number on the screen, but I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place.

Sometimes in life, people don't choose us. We've all felt overlooked and like we're not good enough. It's easy to live inferior thinking we don't measure up. People may have left you out. The good news is God has chosen you. He's the one that matters. And in my new book, Chosen, Your Life is marked for distinction. You'll discover, before you were born,

God not only knew you, but he handpicked you and placed a calling on your life. You are equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny. When you understand that you're chosen, fear and doubt can't stay, you'll live with a boldness to step into the greatness God put in you. I love to send you my new book, Chosen, plus the Chosen t-shirt from our friends at Copperfield. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's book, Chosen.

Your life is marked for distinction. scriptures, Jesus encouraged us by saying, you didn't choose me, I chose you. This powerful guide will help you discover the abundant life you were designed to live. As a child of God, you have a calling, a purpose, a destiny still to be fulfilled. When you request your copy, we also want to send you our exclusive chosen t-shirt from CopperFit that will remind you that you've been chosen by Almighty God every time you wear it. Please request these gifts today and discover that God is moving on your behalf. Your next days are going to be your best days.

You're not average. You're not ordinary. You've been chosen by Almighty God. Victoria and I want you to know how much we love you. We pray for you and your family every day. Thanks so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is helping people all over the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online live every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube, the new Joel Osteen Network, social media, listen on SiriusXM.

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