Faith and Anxiety – Part 1
Stephen Walters, M.Div., M.A.
A few years ago, I was listening to sermon by a pastor I have a lot of respect for. This church has a strong focus on healing and they were doing a few messages on mental health. As a former pastor and current therapist, the intersection of faith and mental health is of interest to me. The previous week was a great message where the preacher (who was not the senior pastor, he was a campus pastor) talked about mental health concerns and how God can heal us along with other forms of help like medicine and counseling. I loved it. Then, the senior pastor of the church preached his message on mental health. I’ll never forget a line where he said, “show me someone that has anxiety and I will show you someone that is lacking in their prayer life.”
This was painful for me. I pray daily. I have often fasted for extended periods of time, and I read my Bible daily. I also struggle with high levels of anxiety. Part of my passion for being a counselor comes from helping people find freedom from anxiety. Hearing this very dismissive and judgmental statement was cutting to me and caused me to feel separated from a preacher that I really do respect.
So, in 2026, I want to focus on the concept of faith, anxiety, healing, and sin. If you are a person of faith, you may have been taught that anxiety (or depression, anger, worry, stress, etc.) is a sin. You may have been taught that you just need to “prayer more” or “read the Bible more” and everything will be better. If that has caused any conflict with you, explore this season with me and let’s work at getting healed.
Anxiety Is Not a Sin. As a therapist who works with many clients who identify as Christian, I often hear a quiet but heavy question: “Is my anxiety a sign that my faith is weak?”
Sometimes it’s asked directly. More often, it shows up in shame, self-criticism, or the feeling that something is spiritually “wrong.” Let me say this again, both clearly and compassionately: having anxiety is not a sin. Anxiety is part of being human. It is a natural response designed to protect us—alerting us to danger, helping us prepare, and motivating us to act. Our bodies and brains are wired this way. From a clinical perspective, anxiety involves the nervous system, thought patterns, past experiences, and sometimes genetics. It is not a reflection of your character or your worth. And it is certainly not, in itself, a moral failure.
So, come back soon and we can explore causes of anxiety, struggles with how to reconcile that with trust in an All-powerful God, and how we can use our faith to reduce anxiety. We’ll do this judgement free and with the hope of healing.