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March 9, 2026

Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, March 9, 2026, and this is episode #6 in Series 2026. This episode is titled, “How to Be Free of Anxiety.”

Before we get into our message, let me share a resource that will give you practical tools for getting free of anxiety once and for all. It’s my life-changing book titled Breaking the Mind Barrier, and it is Book 2 in my series titled The Winner’s Library.
 

Breaking the Mind Barrier is available in both print and ebook formats at the links below or in the show notes.

BREAKING THE MIND BARRIER (Print)

BREAKING THE MIND BARRIER (eBook)

And now let’s dive right into this week’s message: How to Be Free of Anxiety.

Anxiety has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and, I would dare say, pandemic proportions throughout the world. People everywhere are complaining of feeling constant anxiety about their finances, their health, their families, their jobs, and their safety in this increasingly dangerous world. Many admit a strong undercurrent of anxiety continually present in their lives but don’t know what to do about it.

If this describes you, then you are in the right place at the right time.

Let’s take a look at anxiety: what it is, how it enters our lives, and what to do to get rid of it.


WHAT IS ANXIETY?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, anxiety is defined as “apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated misfortune.” Medically, Webster defines anxiety as “an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.”

Sadly, many people today fit these descriptions. Perhaps you are one of them. If so, pay close attention because, by the power of God, you can be free of anxiety once and for all.


HOW ANXIETY ENTERS OUR LIVES

How do we become anxious? Anxiety has its ultimate roots in the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When sin entered the world, anxiety and fear entered with it.

As descendants of Adam and Eve, we are born inheriting their sin nature. Just as parents give to their children their physical genetic makeup, so did Adam and Eve give the entire human race their spiritual genetic makeup. Hence, as Scripture says in Romans 3: 23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And all of us, therefore, experience the effects of sin.

In an individual’s life, anxiety enters through fearful experiences, like childhood trauma, death of a loved one, especially a parent, sexual abuse, and verbal abuse. Anxiety enters from stressful family situations over an extended period of time. Anxiety can be triggered by adverse health conditions, adverse financial issues, or adverse relationship challenges.

Regardless of the cause, anxiety wreaks havoc in a person’s life. If not confronted, it can lead to serious forms of physical illness—like digestive and cardiac disorders—and mental illness—like agoraphobia, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other phobias.

Anxiety is closely linked to fear. In fact, they have the same root. According to the Bible, that root is a demonic spirit called “the spirit of fear.” In 2 Timothy 1: 7, the Bible tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear does not come from God. It comes from Satan.

And fear is always based on a lie because Satan is the “father of lies” (John 8: 44).

Later, we will take a look at some of the lies that cause anxiety in our lives. But now, I want to explore the natural fear response in humans in the face of danger.

God created man with a natural response to danger. This is normal and alerts us to protect ourselves when necessary. It is called the brain’s natural fear response.

For example, we don’t cross the street when the a car is fast approaching. We wait until it passes or until the light turns green. Why? Because we have a built-in knowing that being hit by a car could kill us or seriously injure us. This is a healthful type of fear and is prompted by wisdom.

But when the brain’s normal response becomes overly active, anxiety sets in. Anxiety has been called “an over-activity of the brain’s fear response.”


LIES THAT CAUSE ANXIETY

Anxiety is based on a lie. Discovering what those lies are in your own life is key to overcoming anxiety.

Lies feed anxiety, especially lies relating to danger. For example, lies that deceive the brain into perceiving danger cause anxiety. Lies such as “bad things are going to happen to you,” or “you can’t handle this.” Believing these lies creates tremendous stress.

Notice I said, BELIEVING the lies creates stress. It is not the lie that causes the stress. It is believing the lie that causes stress.

Likewise, lies relating to your significance and worth can create anxiety. When we doubt that we are loved, we doubt that we are cared for and protected. When we doubt that we are cared for and protected, we grow anxious. Deep down, all of us not only want but need to know that someone loves us and cares about what happens to us.

Knowing the negative effects of lies on our well-being emphasizes how important it is for us to believe the truth in order to be free of anxiety.

What are some lies that cause anxiety? Here are a few:

1__There is no God.

2__God doesn’t care about me.

3__No one loves me.

4__I’m not good enough.

5__I’ll never amount to anything.

6__Something terrible is going to happen to me.

7__I am alone in the world.

8__I’m the only one who feels this way.

9__I can handle things myself.

10__Unless I do it perfectly, I won’t succeed.

11__Conflict is dangerous.

12__If I’m not anxious, I’m not being responsible.


HOW TO GET RID OF ANXIETY

So, how do we get rid of anxiety? While the world offers many ways to be free of anxiety—all of which give only temporary relief—I am going to share with you Biblical principles for getting rid of anxiety—principles that I have applied effectively in my own life to get rid of anxiety.

I grew up in a fear-filled environment. Anxiety was the air I breathed and what I thought was normal. Yet, my entire perspective on anxiety changed when I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. In John 14: 6, Jesus defines Himself as the Truth. In John 8: 32, the Bible says that the truth sets us free.

Through Jesus, I learned the truth, and the truth set me free from anxiety.

What is the truth? The truth is what God says it is in the Bible. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Here are Bible verses that expose and refute the lies that I mentioned earlier in this podcast. I will repeat the lie first and then replace it with the truth:

THE LIE: God doesn’t care about me.
THE TRUTH: John 3: 16 – God says He loves you and cares about you, so much so that He paid the price for your sin so that you could spend forever with Him.

THE LIE: I’ll never amount to anything.
THE TRUTH: Jeremiah 29: 11 – God says that his plans for you are for good and not for evil, to give you a future filled with hope.

THE LIE: I’m not good enough.
THE TRUTH: Romans 5: 17 – God says that Jesus has made you good enough through His death and resurrection, good enough to qualify you to go to Heaven. And it is by His Blood alone and His grace alone that we become good enough.

THE LIE: I’m alone in the world.
THE TRUTH: Hebrews 13: 5 – There God says that you will never be alone because He will never leave you nor forsake you.

THE LIE: I’m the only one who feels this way.
THE TRUTH: 1 Corinthians 10: 13 – The Bible says that other people go through situations similar to yours. You are not the only one going through what you’re going through.

THE LIE: I can handle things myself.
THE TRUTH: John 15: 5 – God says that without Him you can do nothing.

Have you noticed the pattern here for getting free of anxiety? It is a three-step pattern:

Step 1) Identify the lie.
Step 2) Renounce the lie.
Step 3) Replace the lie with the truth.

But in order to replace the lie with the truth, you must know the truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth. He said so in John 14: 6 when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

My friend, anxiety does not have to be a part of your life if you have Jesus Christ in your life. If you have Truth in your life. God has freed you from anxiety and fear. He did so when He died on the Cross and rose from the dead for you.

But freedom from anxiety and fear is a gift available only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don’t have that personal relationship, you will never experience true freedom from anxiety. But if you do establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can be free of every evil thing. All it takes is faith in Him.

If you have been separated from Jesus Christ but want to start a relationship with Him now, let me introduce you to Him. Pray this simple prayer with me:

Lord Jesus, I want to establish a relationship with You. I want to get to know you so that I can experience the freedom from anxiety and from every evil thing that You died and rose from the dead to give me. I receive You now as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for saving me. Thank you for taking the punishment for my sin. Make me like You. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer from your heart, you are now a born-again child of God. Welcome to the Family of God! Write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com, and I will send you a free PDF e-booklet titled After You’re Born Again.

In closing, I want to remind you that my featured book for this week is titled Breaking the Mind Barrier: How to Think Like a Winner. Get your copy now and learn how to experience God’s will for your life by thinking according to His Word.

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Until next time, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are. But He doesn’t want you to stay there. As you walk with Him, He will help you to keep on winning with the Word.
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Copyright 2026 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.

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