The Agita Giant

Agita

Usually when I think of agita it brings back memories of spicy food. Agita is the way my stomach lets me know I’ve over done it. But agita is also a synonym for another form of “heart burn” – anxiety. You might think of anxiety as mental and emotional agita. Sometimes anxiety does have physical symptoms. Most have heard the term “nervous stomach”.

What does agita have to do with taking your Mountain for Christ? A lot! Taking new territory, whether on a physical mountain or one of influence always involves facing the unknown. And the unknown brings with it the sense of uncertainty. A function of anxiety is to cause you to dwell on the unknown, making it increasingly more formidable and foreboding. Agita is a tool of the enemy to keep God’s people from achieving the extraordinary results He has for us. One might say this kind of agita was the tool the devil used to defeat ten Hebrew spies in Numbers 13. Once they became anxious they saw themselves smaller than God saw them. Were there giants in the land? Yes. There are always giants to be faced whenever there is new territory to be conquered. But, God, not the giants always has the last word.

Why is anxiety such a problem?

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad”
Prov. 12:25

Anxiety affects not just my mind, but my heart, the very core of my being. Worry, uncertainty, anxiousness, apprehension, fear, dread… there is an escalation of anxiety’s depth that can build quickly if not interrupted. As that happens it becomes more difficult to think straight and emotional analysis paralysis sets in. Unchecked anxiety paralyzes the heart – mind, will and emotions. It becomes harder to hear God’s voice and to obey. Disobedience born of anxiety cost a whole generation of Israelites their lives. Anxiety is a killer, on many levels. It kills joy, initiative, creativity, courage, opportunity, and in rare cases, like with those spies, destiny.

However, the giant of anxiety can be slain! And like with Goliath, one little stone will fell him! Anxious thoughts weigh the heart down and a good word lifts it up again! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17. Just one faith releasing word is all that is needed. How many nights have I laid awake wrestling with the anxiety giant, until the Lord spoke a single word to my soul that put my heart at rest! Better still, with the word of the Lord comes faith to obey.

Have a great week on your Mountain. And remember, agita is no match for a good word from the Lord!