“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with
today’s strength – carrying two days at once. It
is moving into tomorrow ahead of time.
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its
sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” – Corrie
Ten Boom
While the Bible is full of instances of God telling us
not to fear (he says it in various ways more than
350 times), most of us struggle at one time or other
with fear or anxiety. What is it about worry that
means it affects us even after we profess that we
trust in God and are seeking to serve him and look to him for all our needs?
It is reassuring that God knew that the human heart
has a tendency to fall prey to worry. That’s why, I
think, he reminds us so often not to fear!
In a country like ours, We can worry about so many
things, especially how we are going to pay our
house rent/mortgage, fuel scarcity, road traffic, our
work, dealing with teenage children’s hormones
our aged parents, getting enough sleep… So why is
such a ‘natural’, everyday thing as worry so deadly for us?
Scientistifically, there is research that shows
worry can weaken our immune systems, cause
depression, heart disease, muscle tension,
memory loss, respiratory disorders and
digestive conditions.
But worry does more than that, it also affects us
spiritually. When we allow fear to overtake us
it also pushes out faith and, as a result, we start
to feel cut off from God’s presence.
“Worry is allowing problems and distress to come
between us and the heart of God. It is the view that
God has somehow lost control of the situation and
we cannot trust him. A legitimate concern presses
us closer to the heart of God and causes us to lean
and trust on him all the more.”
1. Be honest with yourself – and God
Look at what it is that you are worrying about and
decide: is this a legitimate concern or an irrational
worry? Then take it to God and ask for his help. If
you feel you are really struggling with a particular
worry then it can be helpful to share it with a close
friend who can pray with you and keep you accountable on the subject too.
2. Spend time each day focusing on God
Remind yourself of who he is and what he is
capable of. With a different perspective, our
problems and worries can seem to literally shrink
before our eyes.
3. Remind yourself of God’s promises
Look at the particular thing that is causing worry
and ask yourself: what can I do and what should I
simply leave up to God?
If you are struggling with a particular area then it
could be beneficial to do a study on God’s promises
specifically about that. So, for example, if you worry
about finances look at what the Bible says about
God providing for us.
4. Learn to ‘pray continually’
If we get into the habit of talking to God
throughout our day – bringing him the big and little
things – then it is much harder for worries to
overtake us and blow us off course away from him.
“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is
too small to be made into a burden.” If you know your thoughts are mainly made up of worries, try
turning those thoughts into prayers.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ
Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
5. Learn to be thankful
This is where a journal can be so helpful. If we
record all the ways that God is faithful and how he
has worked in our lives, we have a constant supply
of practical reminders of how he does look after us
and how he “will meet all your needs according to
the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:9)
There are a few of us in our book group who have
spent time either writing in a thankfulness journal
every day or tweeting three good things about our
day each evening. Each one of us commented on
how it has made us more aware of those little
details that made our day special, but which are so easy to overlook without such a discipline (as our
minds have a tendency to focus on the difficulties).
If you know you find it hard to be thankful or
recollect positives, why don’t you try writing down
three things you are thankful to God for each
evening?
6. Activeley ‘take captive every thought’ (2
Corinthians 10:5)
We can so easily let thoughts come and go in our
minds, feeling that we have no control over them,
but the Bible is very clear that we have a part to
play in ensuring that what we think about is
beneficial and edifying to us:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:
Have you ever stopped and reflected on what your
mind has lingered on in the previous 10 minutes? It
can be really revealing – and challenging!
7. Change what you meditate on
We can think that reading and meditating on the
Bible is far too difficult a practise to do daily, but we
are often very well versed in meditating on our
problems and worries! We simply need to re-
educate our minds to focus on those things that will
help us rather than hinder us.
Why not try replacing a specific worry with a
scripture that speaks directly to it? Each time the
worry pops into your head, speak the scripture to
it.
Worry is one of those things that we know the Bible
tells us not to do, but we can so often struggle to be
free of. Putting some of the above simple ideas into
action can help us form new habits. Because worry
is a habit in itself – and a toxic one at that. Learning
to recognise when a worry rears its ugly head, and being equipped with some simple ways of
replacing or dealing with it, can be so helpful.
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