“Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” Corrie Ten Boom
I have learned the hard way exactly what Corrie Ten Boom said. So much has been lost because of worry and anxiety.
Today is the day to decide “no more”! Again…
Recent research suggests that at least 1 out of 20 people reported being depressed or anxious. The numbers have increased during and after the pandemic. High levels of stress and worry lead to several devastating diseases, including heart attacks, ulcers, depression, and nervous breakdowns. Many doctors have even connected some cancers directly to worry and anxiety.
If you’re worried today, I’m sorry. I wish it were an easy fix. You’re facing a fundamental difficulty that stirs us this devastating emotion that, if fed, can run wild in our minds and hearts, doing significant damage to our souls.
You’re not a bad person because you’re worried, concerned, or anxious. You’re a normal person who Jesus loves deeply. His desire for you is deliverance from fear into faith.
The Bible has much to say about fear and worry. So much so that we find some help, some cures to apply in our time of need. Pastor Ray Bentley once taught, “Once we are honest about our feelings, they can be submitted to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, who desires for our emotions to be rooted in His love, reflecting the fruits of His Spirit in healthy, healing ways.” That’s so good! Let’s do that.
How do we deal with worry?
CURE #1 – ABIDE IN JESUS
Your relationship with Jesus is far more powerful than you currently realize. Jesus points us to the birds and the flowers and our Heavenly Father’s faithfulness to teach us that He will take care of us even better! Learn to trust by abiding in Christ, drawing your strength and help from Him daily, moment by moment. You’ve made it this far, and you’ll make it all the way!
Matthew 6:24–34 (NLT) ““No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
CURE #2 – STOP WORRYING
Don’t read this as if God doesn’t understand your weakness. He does. It’s not merely a command but a lifeline! A cure for worrying is the choice to enjoy an ongoing life of stopping and praying in times of great anxiety. It’s not a decision you can make in your own power and strength. Because if you could, you would have by now. Yet you have God living inside of you! You can set aside worry moment by moment in His strength. You will immediately reap the benefits promised to you in His Word when you do.
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT) “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
CURE #3 – LIVE YOUR LIFE
Live your life because things may not change, may not get better, and may even get worse. There is no good reason to waste the life God has given you, cowering in fear. Step out and live life. Enjoy the many parts of living that you can! The life of the Christian is intricately connected to Jesus Christ. He leads, and we follow. As we choose to follow Him in the life of a disciple, we learn to die to ourselves and live to Christ. We know that God is with us, will help us, and we can confidently live our lives no matter how we feel.
John 10:11–16 (NKJV) ““I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Let’s listen to the wisdom of our Heavenly Father and choose to trust Him right here, right now. May He bless you greatly in Jesus’ name!
