“So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life.” Matthew 6:25 NLT.
Unbelievable peace will envelop your heart and mind when you remove worry.
My thoughts and comments today are about “fretful and worried.”
Being told, “Don’t worry,” though usually well intended, is not normally very productive. There are things and times everyday that invite you to feel anxious. Feeling anxious is unsettling, even distressing. Sometimes such feelings are rooted in things that have already happened. At other times, being anxious is about a present situation that is concerning to you; then, sometimes anxiety attaches itself to a future, undesirable possibility. The corner of “fretful and worried” is not a good place to live.
Whatever the origin or focus of your concerns, God’s Word is clear, “Don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough . . Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not . . Your Heavenly Father already knows your needs and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Read Matthew 6:25-34 NLT. Feeling anxious is a warning that you are failing to see God in the moment and, in some measure small or large, considering your future apart from Him.
Worry is never beneficial. Worry adds nothing good to your well-being and relationships, while taking from you much that is good; worry changes nothing, except to diminish your confidence and distort expectation. “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength – carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie ten Boom. Worry offers a false promise of solutions it never delivers.
(1) There are options to being fretful and worried. “Do not be anxious about anything . .” Read Philippians 4:6-8 NIV. By itself, that would be good advice, but it gets better. (2) A healthy, positive action that God rewards can fill the emotional void you previously occupied with anxious worry. Paul continues, “. . but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“ When you refuse to indulge your anxious feelings, prayer and thanksgiving replace your previous anxiety.
(3) Unbelievable peace will envelop your heart and mind in ways you cannot foresee. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (4) The victory over worry and the anxiety it causes begins in your heart and mind; submit your emotions and thoughts to Christ. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true . . noble . . right . . pure . . lovely . . admirable . . excellent . . praiseworthy. Think about such things.”
Conquering emotional anxiety and mental apprehension requires vigilance and Godly strategy. “We do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have the power to demolish strongholds. We demolish every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV. The Word of God is stronger than worry.
My prayer for you today is that you are free from anxious thoughts and troubling worries.