NOVEMBER 2023
DO NOT WORRY
Worry can be defined as, a feeling or a cause, to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems. It could also be mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated.
It results in your thinking about unpleasant things that might happen or about problems that you have or could have!
It is said that clinically, excessive worry is the primary symptom of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).
Luke 12 v 22 – 26 says …Then He said to His disciples " Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and your body is more than clothing.
Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barns, and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you, O ye of little faith.
And which of you by worrying, can add one cubit to his statue.
If ye then are not able to do the least of this, why are you anxious for the rest?"
To paraphrase (Matthew 6 v 25- 34), here, we are told not to worry about tomorrow, cos tomorrow will worry about its own troubles. Sufficient for each day, is its own troubles.
Jesus spoke in the Bible about worry. One of such places is the story of Martha (Luke 10 v 40-42). He showed that there is always an alternative to worry, so we can decide what we prefer to do. Some people say worry is natural, but this is not true.
Also, Jesus taught us that worry is unproductive.
It keeps us from fulfilling Kingdom purposes and destiny to which we have been called and uniquely designed for. We have no second chance at doing life, so if we don't accomplish Kingdom purposes this time, we have left a space that no other one may fill.
God uses all situations and our experiences to accomplish His purposes. He desires that we trust in Him and join Him in what He desires to do.
Worry and worship can not exist together in the same heart. Neither can fear and faith.
So many things can cause us to worry, but Jesus says, do not worry. He does not ignore the fact there are problems and issues, but He says trust Him above all, then He tells us what we should keep ourselves busy doing while we learn to trust Him fully.
I would like to emphasize a couple of points. These are;
1. God Almighty is giving us a Command here, that we MUST NOT worry. It is not a suggestion. It is a command. It is important to obey God's commands.
2. Almighty God is our Creator, and He must know how He made us. He must know that our bodies were not made to carry worry. It is too great a burden for us. In fact we are told that the daily trouble of one day is enough, so don't add that of another day. There are those who worry so much and add a whole month's worry and trouble to a body system that was only designed to carry one day.
It's important to follow the owners manual so you use a product well, and in this case, the Bible is best suited to give advice about our bodies.
Also, in a similar vein, Jesus tells us to come to exchange our heavy burden for His light load (Matthew 11 v 28 to 30).
3. Following in the previous trend, it's possible that we inflict all sorts of ailments on our body when we worry. Worry is close to stress.
Constant worrying , negative thinking and always expecting the worst can take a toll on your emotional and physical stress. It can sap your emotional strength, leaving you feeling restless, jumpy, cause insomnia, headaches, stomach problems and muscle tension, making it difficult to concentrate at school and at work. There are other conditions like high blood pressure that could occur, or pre-existing conditions that are made worse sometimes due to worry e.g. high blood pressure or diabetes.
You can imagine how much we then spend on drugs, at a time when we shouldn't have too, if we stopped worrying.
4. Some are so good at worrying that their brain is sometimes in worry mode, even if they are at church or on a beach supposedly relaxing. They worry even when there isn't anything to worry about. Also some are so good at hiding the fact that they are worrying, and this doesn't help matters. I always say that you can only address a problem, with the help of the Holy Spirit, when you own up to it.
5. The time we spend worrying, is time taken from our time which should be spent with Father God who desires that we use it to seek His Kingdom. In other words we have been given an assignment by God, but we would rather put that away, and invest the time in worry for which the only reward is negative. Imagine all the harm we cause our bodies.
Also it's time we ought to spend on our relationship and intimacy with our Heavenly Father, and listen to His voice, but rather we fill our mind with negative thoughts and worry.
6. Worry and anxiety are ultimately grounded in a lack of trust in God and His purposes. This implies a lack of belief in what He has told us.
7. Papa has given us the remedy for worry in His word. The whole Bible encourages us NOT to worry, so it must be a big deal for our God. Psalm 55 v 22 says "Cast your care upon the Lord and He will sustain you. " Also we read " He will never let the righteous be shaken" (Isaiah 35: 4)
PRAYER…
May the Holy Spirit help us address this issue, so we don't take it into the new year 2024. Help us to come before you and hand you our cares and worries. Help us to trust you, and believe in all You tell us. Teach us to learn to love You well, so our trust will come from that place of loving You.
In Jesus's Name, I pray, Amen.
