103. Feeling stressed and lonely? Why God's Answer to Anxiety Is the Church

Are you feeling lonely, anxious, spiritually stuck—or like you’re carrying more than God ever intended you to?

In today’s episode, we explore the truth that you were never meant to do life alone. God designed the Church not as a building, but as a living, breathing family—the Body of Christ. When we step out of community, we become more vulnerable to spiritual attack, isolation, and discouragement.

We talk about:

• Why regular church involvement matters for your emotional and spiritual health
• What the Bible says the Church is—and what it’s not
• How to find a church where you can grow and be known
• My personal story from last Sunday when God met me in the middle of anxiety
• And how to start again if you’ve been hurt, overwhelmed, or disconnected

 Scripture References:

• 1 Corinthians 12:27 – You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
• Hebrews 10:24–25 – Let us not give up meeting together… but encouraging one another.
• Ephesians 4:11–13 – To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
• Acts 2:42 – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.
• 1 Peter 5:8 – Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
• Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 – Two are better than one… pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
• John 13:34–35 – By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.

 Key Takeaways:

• God places the lonely in families—and that starts with the Church.
• Disconnection from church can increase feelings of anxiety, stress, and spiritual confusion.
• The Church is not optional for spiritual growth—it is God’s design for healing, truth, and transformation.
• Even if you’ve been hurt or feel unsure where to begin, there is a place for you.
• Obedience often starts with simply showing up—again and again.

 Download the Free Devotional

Want to go deeper?

Download the free devotional:

“The Church Is Not a Building: A 1-Page Study on God’s Design for His People”

This study includes Scriptures, reflection questions, and practical steps to help you discern and commit to a church that strengthens your walk with Christ.

 Also Recommended:

If you’re navigating church hurt and want to explore healing through God’s perspective, listen to:

• Episode 88 – Healing Church Hurt
• Episode 86 – Healing is Spiritual

 Stay Connected:

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others discover the message.

Join the Curious for Christ Community

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→ Curious for Christ Community

Until next time—keep asking, keep seeking, keep walking in faith. 

He is with you.

Amen!

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Want to go deeper? Let's connect—set up a FREE Discovery Call today. See you next time!

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hi.
Welcome back to Curious forChrist.
I'm Alexandra, and I'm so gladyou're here.
If you've been wrestling withloneliness, chronic anxiety, or
just feel stuck in your faithwalk, this episode is for you
because God didn't design you todo life alone.
He places the lonely infamilies, and that family
begins.

(00:21):
In the church.
So let me ask, are you part of achurch, not just going
sporadically or listeningfaithfully online, but truly
part of a spiritual family?
Do people know you?
Are you praying for them andthey for you?
Are you worshiping, fasting, andserving together?

(00:42):
Today's episode is about thechurch, what it is and what it
is not according to God's word,and how understanding that truth
can help you stop wandering andstart growing again.
Welcome to Curious for Christ.

(01:03):
Do you ever find yourself lying,awake at night wondering about
God's plan for your life?
Maybe you wake up with bigdreams, but feel unsure where to
start or what your next stepshould be.
If you're curious aboutexploring your faith and finding
purpose, then you've come to theright place.
Hi, I'm Alexandra.
I too felt lost and sure of thedirection my life was taking.

(01:26):
I yearned to understand mypurpose and have someone guide
me, but I kept telling myself Iwas too busy.
The timing wasn't right, and mylack of clarity prevented me
from being consistent until Ifound Christ.
He brought peace into my lifeand revealed the way to find
purpose by anchoring myself.

(01:48):
In him.
In this podcast, we'll journeytogether exploring the Bible to
gain a deeper understanding ofhim and cultivate your own
personal relationship withChrist.
So open up your Bible, put inthose earbuds and listen up
because God is speaking to you.
He's making everything new andyou don't wanna miss it.

(02:08):
Let's get started.
But first, let's talk aboutsomething real.
Stress, anxiety, and isolation.
Recent studies show that nearlyfour in 10 Americans who've
walked away from church say theynow struggle with chronic

(02:30):
loneliness.
And among young adults, anxietyand isolation are higher than
ever.
In fact, the US Surgeon Generalhas called loneliness.
A public health crisis.
But here's what's interesting.
Those who attend church weeklyreport lower levels of
loneliness and greater emotionalresilience.
And yet, for the first time inAmerican history, less than half

(02:52):
of US adults belong to a localchurch.
Why?
Well, maybe you've been hurt.
Maybe church felt shallow,performative, or like it didn't
reflect Jesus.
Maybe you are just overwhelmedand don't know where to start.
And I get it.
Actually, just last Sunday, Ifelt it.
Everyone was back from summercamp in my house.

(03:13):
We were running late to church,and I could feel the weight of
the morning pressing down on me.
Would everyone show up on time?
Would they feel connected toeveryone after being away?
Was I carrying the spiritualwellbeing of my family alone?
I felt the anxiety rise like itoften does, and instead of

(03:34):
making decisions based on beingstressed in my mind I knew that
worry doesn't help, but in myheart, I still carried the
weight like it was mine to.
Hold.
But then we got to church.
We walked through the churchdoors, we sat down and something
began to shift.
The worship started.

(03:54):
The lyrics reminded me, God isgoing to bring the victory, and
something in my spirit, tiredand overwhelmed just moments
before was strengthened.
It was like the Holy Spiritbreathed life back into me.
And then the sermon, it wasabout the Israelites wandering
in the desert, how quickly theyforgot what God had done, how
they grumbled, how they wantedcontrol, and it hit me.

(04:18):
That's me.
Sometimes I forget.
I complain.
I tried to control, yes, yes,yes.
But the message didn't leave mein guilt.
It lifted me into grace becauseI was exactly where I needed to
be.
I was there at church doingGod's will and listening to his
message, and it reminded me I ama sinner, but I'm not alone.

(04:38):
God is my deliverer.
And he walks with me still.
And then afterward we talk topeople.
Every one of us.
My son laughed with his church,friends, we lingered.
It really felt like family.
We're not walking alone.
This walk.
I left feeling like a child ofGod, nothing more, nothing less.
And in that identity alone, allwas well.

(05:00):
I could walk in faith againbecause he is with me.
So let's open the word and lookat what God says about the
church.
One Corinthians 1227 says, nowyou are the body of Christ and
each one of you is a part of it.
The church is not a building.
It is a body, a living,breathing, extension of Jesus on

(05:24):
Earth, and you, if you're inChrist, are meant to be a part
of it.
Hebrews 10, verses 24 through 25says, let us not give up meeting
together, but encouraging oneanother and all the more.
As you see the day approachingthe church isn't a performance.
It's a gathering of believerscommitted to helping each other

(05:46):
stay faithful.
Ephesians four, verses 11through 13 says, to equip the
saints for the work of ministry,for building up the body of
Christ.
The church isn't something toconsume.
It's where we are equipped togrow and to serve.
And in Acts two, verse 42, theydevoted themselves to the
apostles teachings and tofellowship, to the breaking of

(06:09):
bread and to prayer.
That's the picture of a biblicalchurch truth, community
communion, prayer, fellowship,discipleship.
So let's also be clear on whatthe church is not.
It's not a building.
It is not perfect.
It's full of imperfect peoplebeing shaped by grace, but

(06:30):
obedient to Christ, or at leastcommitted to abiding in Christ,
in obedience.
It's not a social club.
It's not a place to earn God'slove.
You already.
Have it, and it's not optionalfor a believer who wants to
grow.
When we walk away from thechurch, we often walk away from
the very pleased God designed tostrengthen, shape and restore

(06:53):
us.
If you're navigating church hurtand want to explore healing
through God's perspective,listen to episode 88 of Cures
for Christ and for a deeper diveinto personal healing, check out
episode 86.
Both will be in the show notes.
If you've been hurt by a churchor don't even know what to look
for, start here.
Ask yourself, is the teachinggrounded in scripture?

(07:16):
Not politics, not opinions, butthe living, breathing word of
God.
Two.
Is there spiritual fruit?
Do you see humility, love,service, and people being
changed?
Do they love one another?
Do they know each other?
It's easy to love someone youdon't know, but are they
committed to one another?
Is there real community?

(07:36):
Are people known, cared for andprayed for when they don't come?
Does anyone notice?
Number four, are you beingchallenged to grow, not just
comforted?
Truth and love, always leadingus toward Christ.
You don't need a perfect churchagain, but you need a faithful
one.
And as you search, pray, Lord,lead me to the people and the

(07:58):
place where you want me to grow.
Because let me tell you this.
This isn't just an invitation.
This is God's design for yourlife.
If you're not part of a localchurch, truly committed, you are
more vulnerable to the enemy'sattacks and lies, even if you
don't even realize it.
One Peter five, eight says, bealert and of sober mind.

(08:20):
Your enemy of the devil.
P prowls around like a roaringlion looking for someone to
devour and a lion.
Just like the enemy we talkabout in this scripture goes
after the isolated, the ones whotry to carry it all alone, even
if it feels like they're doinggreat, they may be wandering
away without even realizing it.
Ecclesiastes four verses ninethrough 10 reminds us two are

(08:43):
better than one.
If either of them falls, one canhelp the other up, but petty
anyone who falls and has no oneto help them up.
Up, maybe right now you feelstuck, confused, and spiritually
dry, but maybe you're also justtired, stressed out, anxious,
hurt because you're carryingmore than God ever intended you
to carry alone.

(09:04):
You keep pressing on, butsomething feels off.
You're doing all the things, butstill wondering why you feel so
tired, stressed, empty.
So here's the truth, thatrestlessness, that weight, that
anxiety, it could be a sign thatsomething in your spiritual life
is out of alignment.
And very often it's this, thisconnection from the body of

(09:26):
Christ.
When we step outside of God'sdesign for community, we end up
wandering and weakening andcompromising.
But when we return, when we sayyes to his design, we begin to
heal.
And we are back.
And there's something wonderfulthat comes with it because God
loves us and he is patient withus and he wants us to choose

(09:50):
life.
So Friend church is not aboutchecking a box or impressing
God.
It is abiding in Christ as thehead of the church.
So you can.
Have spiritual fruit and liveaccording to his will.
It's about becoming who you werealways meant to be through
Christ and with his people.
You were never meant to do thisalone.
And yes, it is vulnerable toshow up, but healing begins in

(10:13):
the showing up day by day, weekby week, year after year, not
just once.
You are loved.
You are needed.
And there is a place for you inGod's church.
Thank you for listening toCurious for Christ.
If this episode encouraged you,I'd love for you to share it
with a friend or leave a review.

(10:33):
It helps others discover themessage.
If you're ready to go deeper inone clarity on what to look for
in a church, check the link inthe show notes.
I've created a devotional filledwith scriptures that unpack what
the Bible says the church trulyis.
So you can determine whether thechurch you're going to or the
church in your neighborhood isone where you can truly grow to

(10:57):
become closer to Christ.
I am praying for you that Godleads you to the community.
He's prepared just for you.
Until next time, keep asking,keep seeking, keep walking in
Faith he is with you.
Bye for now.
Hi, I hope you enjoy today'sepisode.

(11:18):
If so, would you like to take 30seconds and share it with a
friend who may also strugglewith knowing God and his purpose
for their life?
Also, leave a review on ApplePodcast and let me know what
topics you'd like to hear aboutin the future.
Your voice matters.
I'll meet you back next Friday.
For another episode.