Are you consumed with worry?

Are you experiencing physical and emotional symptoms that are robbing you of spiritual maturity?

One of the most destructive habits ensnaring human beings is also so common that many consider it as natural as breathing and as harmless as blinking. That habit is called worry. It is such a skilled and deceptive thief that its victims don’t even know they’ve been robbed . . . of peace, of time, of mental energy and of emotional well-being.

Worry is a like a thief in the night that steals your peace. God never intended you to live fearfully focused on the future… a hostage to an emotional heist. In fact, Philippians 4, says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

"Worry is like a thick braided headband that puts pressure on the mind—a confining cord interwoven with three strands—the distresses of yesterday, the trials of today and the fearful “what if’s” of tomorrow. This vice-like grip of worry tragically compresses your joy, cramps your peace and confines your freedom. But this constriction can be conquered!" — June Hunt

“Peace”! Who doesn’t want to live with a peaceful heart…with a peaceful mind? You can when your security is in the Lord. Worry is a joy killer, strangling your spirit and soul. By worrying, you choke the joys of today. Don’t worry about tomorrow, God is already there. 

Worry is a like a thief in the night that steals your peace.  

Truly, worrying is an exercise in futility.

Worry leads to fear and stress instead of faith and rest.

Realize, when Jesus talked about worry, He redirected our focus onto God. He wants us to understand that our worries don’t change the character of God. Ultimately, grasping God’s character changes how we handle our worries. Perhaps the most poignant phrase Jesus said to worriers is: “. . . your heavenly Father knows . . .” (Matthew 6:32).

Scripture commands you to cast your cares or worries upon the Lord . . . to commit and entrust yourself and your desires and concerns totally to Him. How do you do that?

In the Bible, God often describes His people as being like sheep. When a sheep falls and ends up on its back, it is said to be “cast.” A cast sheep is totally helpless and has no resources upon which it can draw to remedy the situation.

When we worry, we are like cast sheep. We have no resources within ourselves upon which to draw that will really affect our situation.  Jesus actually wants us to cast ourselves upon Him. He wants us to come to the end of our own resources so that we will depend upon Him for our very life.

When we cast ourselves upon Him, He gently picks us up and carries us in His arms. As Isaiah 40:11 says: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.” 

Worries become well rehearsed tapes in your mind. You know you shouldn’t worry and you can’t seem to turn the worry tape off … then you worry about your worrying. Fortunately God doesn’t simply say, “Stop worrying,” without telling you how to stop worrying. Although your thoughts and memories can’t be erased, the tapes can be replaced, and Philippians 4:6-9 tells you how.