Have you ever considered how often in a day you fall prey to the sin of worry?
Recently I read the following quote:
“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” Charles Spurgeon
These words of wisdom gave me pause to consider my opening question.
I realized that far too often, and far too easily, my thoughts can stray towards worry.
Then my thoughts stray further into trying to figure out ways to “fix” a situation before it may even happen.
Then I realized that I was attempting to “play God”, and that I have absolutely NO business taking on that role.
The bottom line, I realized that worry is sin, and it can wreak havoc in my heart and mind if I fail to take those thoughts to the Lord immediately for His help in turning my fear to faith, and even panic to praise and prayer.
As Spurgeon’s quote indicates, worry saps our strength (my paraphrase of his quote).
I don’t want to have my strength diminish. I want all the strength the Lord provides for me to be utilized for His kingdom’s goals.
Philippians 4:6-7 is well known when we consider our anxiety: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Please consider the commands and promises from God in the above verses.
God commands us to not be anxious.
God commands us to talk with Him about everything.
God commands us to have a grateful heart when we come to Him with all our requests.
God promises that His peace, not worldly peace, will guard our hearts and minds, because of Jesus.
I take all of this to be the antidote to worry.
When something happens in our lives that triggers worry or anxiety, we need to apply God’s antidote.
We need to remember that our failure to do this depletes us spiritually AND physically.
But God wants to help us have peace instead of fear.
So, when you think you are going to get that dreaded call, or that bad diagnosis, or you lose your job, or someone has hurt you, or whatever causes you fear and and anxiety, please remind yourself of who our great God is! This is what I’m determined to do more and more.
He is infinite, and that means He really does have everything in this world under control.
He is all-powerful, and that means He is the ultimate authority in every matter.
He is omniscient, and that means He knows what is best, and is never taken by surprise.
He is omnipresent, and that means He is in your home, and with those you love.
He is so much more than we can grasp, and that means we can have absolute confidence that there is nothing to worry about.
He cares for you and me [“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7]. He REALLY cares! He is interested in our well-being.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
God truly doesn’t want us to worry ourselves about anything! He gives us His peace so that we can rest in Him. His peace is part of the free gift we receive when Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
Do you have that peace with God through Jesus? If you are not reconciled to Him, what are you waiting for before you take that step?
2 Timothy 1:7 gives us further confidence that God wants us to have confidence in Him, so that we are not carried away with worry: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Please note what we have been given in Him: power, love, and self-control!
What we believe about God matters.
The more you know the character of God, as you study His word, and spend time getting to know Him, the swifter you will become in turning your anxiety to trust in Him.
As we are beginning a new year, I challenge you to spend time reading the Bible every day, and to observe, and even take notes, about the character of God. You will never regret making the effort to do this.
Now, as fear starts to creep into my heart and mind, I run through the truths of what I know about God from the Bible. As I do this, God settles my heart, and His peace rules. I am no longer paralyzed by fear, frantic over the “what ifs”, but am able to smile, and move through my day.
This is my antidote to worry and fear.
Some days this takes more effort on my part than on other days, but the more I work at it, the less frequent are my run ins with anxiety.
Praise God, from who all blessings flow!!
I’m available if you want to reach out to me to talk about God, and His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ: ButGodCares@gmail.com.
Living for Jesus, Donna
P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to share it with others!
Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you.
Copyright 2023 Donna Shappy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.