byCould it be true that your fears are growing each time your faith is dying? There are times when it seems like your anxiety is growing just as your faith also grows. Is this true, or is it a hoax? Well, faith and anxiety are correlated. Some people literally freak out when they have every reason to remain calm. Why? How are those reasons possible? What if those reasons do not work? What would I do? These are some of the questions that feed their anxiety. You cannot blame them entirely. When people put their faith in something, they weigh the balance and check whether it is possible. Where it doesn’t feel entirely possible, they start to fret. Why is this the case? This article will answer these questions and more. Let’s delve right in.
What faith do I speak of?
If a person believes in something because they have seen it, that is not faith. They are just accepting what they see. The world says, “Seeing is believing”, but Christ says, “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29, KJV). Jesus made this statement after Thomas demonstrated carnal faith in Him by believing in Christ’s resurrection only after he had seen Jesus and felt Him. Jesus condemned Thomas’s act of seeing before believing. Why? Thomas had excluded himself from being blessed.
The reason why those who have faith are blessed is that they are the offspring of Abraham. Galatians 3:7 mentions that “they which are of faith are the offspring of Abraham”. Why? Because they belong to Christ. You can only accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour by putting your faith in Him as such. It is only after this that you become an offspring of Abraham and a true heir to all his blessings (see Galatians 3:29). God blessed Abraham, and the effect of this blessing was that, through him, all the nations of the world would be blessed. We form the nations of the world. And how did this happen? It was through Abraham’s faith (in God) that he had offspring with Sarah, and through that offspring, our Saviour emerged.
When this Saviour emerged and finished his work here, He left the earth to prepare a place for us (see John 14:3) and promised to send the Holy Spirit. Those who had faith received the Spirit to date. That is also one of the blessings we receive through faith. By this time, you have come to the realisation that the “faith” spoken of (in this article) is the one in Jesus Christ. Faith is a substance, a currency for acquiring the things we hope for from the Spirit realm. A man who wants something from God must have faith in Him that He is more than able. Only then would he receive from God (see James 1:7).
What is this ugly anxiety?
Do you know about the writings on the wall written in the fifth book of Daniel? What about Pharaoh’s dream about the 14 cows and the 14 ears of corn, as written in Genesis 41:17-41? In those two events, the kings were anxious. King Belshazzar was anxious to know the meaning of the writing, just as Pharaoh was anxious to know the meaning of his dream, so much so that they promised huge rewards to those who could help them. Why? Because anxiety is not a fun feeling. What, then, is anxiety?
The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of Academic English gives two main definitions. First, anxiety is “the state of feeling nervous that something bad is going to happen; a fear about something”. Second, anxiety about doing something is “a strong feeling of wanting to do something or of wanting something to happen”. Also, in the realm of medicine, there is something called anxiety disorder. According to the Cleveland Clinic website, anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions that cause fear, dread and other symptoms that are out of proportion to the situation.
The first definition shows that anxiety kicks in when we fear something bad is going to happen or when we fear something. In the event of the writings on the wall, the king feared how the writing appeared and that it meant something which needed to be explained immediately. Same with Pharaoh’s dream. Both kings feared that danger was imminent. Anxiety can also affect your mental health if care is not taken. I am sure that you would agree with me that anxiety is not a good thing. No wonder it is written that
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
What is the correlation?
Faith and anxiety are spiritual opposites in dynamic tension. Anxiety rears its ugly head when the substance of faith quivers—when unseen outcomes trigger asymmetric fear. This correlation is seen in biblical narratives like Pharaoh’s anxiousness as he was hell-bent on finding an interpretation of his dream (see Genesis 41:17-41) and King Belshazzar’s dread at the mysterious writing on the wall (Daniel 5). Both kings exemplified how anxiety thrives where faith fluctuates. Their desperation varies sharply with how calm and at peace Abraham was when God promised him an heir, a nation as numerous as the stars of the sky, and that through him, every nation of the earth will be blessed (see Genesis 22:4, Galatians 3:6-9).
Anxiety may arise when a person fears something like “Abraham’s promise” would not come to pass. However, faith in God prevents this from happening because we know He can bring His promises to pass. Philippians 4:6-7 provides a remedy for the anxious. Replace anxiety with prayerful trust in God, and the peace which surpasses all understanding will be activated. In essence, faith works as both a shield against anxiety and a currency for accessing divine reassurance here on earth.
Conclusion
When you are anxious, remember that it is because you have put faith at the bottom of your preference scale and your doubts and fears at the top. Where you have faith, you do not have anxiety, but where you do not have faith, anxiety coils like a snake—an instinctive reaction, tightening when you’re vulnerable. The choice is yours. As Scripture reminds us, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). By anchoring our hearts in Christ’s promises (Hebrews 11:1) and surrendering our worries through prayer (Philippians 4:6-7), we exchange anxiety’s paralysis for faith’s freedom. In a world of visible crises and invisible battles, cultivating faith isn’t merely spiritual—it’s the soul’s antidote to anxiety’s grip.
