Devil’s Dart: Anxiety

We’ve all experienced that three A.M. wake up with thoughts and fears of the last day or the day to come. Your chest begins to tighten, and your brain begins to race. Take a deep breath. Satan often uses anxiety as a tool to undermine faith, distort truth, and distract believers from God’s presence and promises.

Satan sows doubt about God’s goodness, sovereignty, and provision. In Genesis 3, he made Eve question God’s motives. “Did God really say…?” Anxiety focuses attention on problems instead of God’s promises. How often does Satan whisper in your ear? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways lean on Him and He will make your path straight.”

Satan also uses anxiety to consume mental and emotional energy, making it hard to focus on prayer, worship, and obedience. The story of Martha is a perfect example of this. Martha was “worried and upset about many things,” missing Jesus’ presence (Luke 10:38-42). The impact of anxiety pulls believers into fear-based thinking rather than mission-focused living. Mathew 6:33 tells us “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Anxiety is often used by Satan to make people withdraw, believing they are alone or a burden. In the Bible, Elijah ran and isolated himself in fear after Jezebel’s threats (I Kings 19). Satan exploits isolation to increase hopelessness and depression. However, scripture tells us otherwise. “Carry each other’s burdens. In this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galations 2:6

Anxiety can also paralyze us with fear. Satan magnifies the “what ifs” to create fear of failure, rejection, or the future. We know the Isrealites experienced this in Numbers 13-14 when they were too afraid to enter the Promised Land. Fear leads to inaction, missed opportunities, and spiritual stagnation. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but gives us power, love, and self discipline.” 2 Timothy 1-7

Satan's goal with anxiety is to twist our identity and diminish our worth. Anxiety can lead us to lies like, "I am not enough," "I'll never get better," or "God's disappointed in me." These lies erode the believer's identity in Christ and lead to shame. God tells us otherwise: "You are fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14) and "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ" (Romans 8:1).

Once anxiety fully grips us, Satan tempts us toward sin as a “quick fix” - addiction, escapism, control, or anger. These temporary reliefs lead to deeper bondage. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4) but he responded with scripture.  “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Lastly, Satan uses anxiety to discredit God’s faithfulness. He highlights past pain or unanswered prayers to suggest God isn’t trustworthy. This breeds cynicism and weakens faith. God’s word tells us to “remember the deeds of the Lord…” Psalm 77:11. Satan uses anxiety to shake our faith, but God uses trials to strengthen it. The enemy’s goal is bondage; God’s goal is freedom through faith (John 8:32).  When anxiety strikes, believers are called to stand firm, pray, trust, and renew their minds in God’s Word.