Do Not Worry.

I started a new devotional by Tony Evans recently called “Stop It! No More Worry” and it was so good I wanted to share it here for those I know who struggle with the same thing I do.

“There are struggles in life that can become emotional strongholds-things that hold you hostage and keep you from wholeheartedly serving and trusting God and experiencing the abundant life He has promised. One of the most damaging strongholds is worry. It is available for every age and is an obstacle to moving forward. When it is a stronghold in your life, it is a way of life.”

Let me just stop right there and recap:

• emotional strongholds hold you hostage and keep you from wholeheartedly serving and trusting God and experiencing the abundant life He has promised
• worry is an obstacle to moving forward
• when it is a stronghold in your life, it is a way of life

Maybe you need to hear this like I needed to hear this: strongholds hold you hostage. For me, my captor has been fear and worry.

“In Matthew 3:25: 31-34, Jesus stated three times, ‘Do not worry!’ The Greek word used for ‘worry’ is the concept of being strangled or choked. It leaves you frustrated when you ought to be free and if you are His disciple, then you should stop it.”

I’ve sought refuge from my worry in scripture many times. The Greek is so much more succinct than “worry”. I often have felt strangled or choked by my anxiety. I have absolutely been frustrated when I ought to have been free. And I need to stop it.

“Jesus said, ‘For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink nor for you body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?’(Matthew 6:25-26)

The reason we worry is that we are focusing on the wrong authority. If our Father feeds birds that have no soul, how much more will He take care of us since we are worth even more to Him? Remember His promise that He will never leave you nor forsake you as the first antidote to worry.”

The reason we worry is that we are focusing on the wrong authority. Take that in for a minute. Does it resonate with you as it did for me? So what do we do about it?

There are a few things I’ve felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to do in the past when my worry and fear and anxiety are overwhelming me:

• Hold my thoughts captive. Just because it suddenly popped into my brain doesn’t mean I need to unpack it and spend time with it. There are specific thoughts I know I need to hold captive. I can’t control what pops into my head, but I can control what I do when it happens. When I’m intentional about acknowledging the thought but refusing to entertain it, I find my anxiety diminishes.
• Keep my focus on Jesus. My husband gave a great message recently about the new year and keeping our focus on Jesus. This applies to so much more than dealing with worry. Every single aspect of my life is better when I keep my focus on Jesus where it belongs-my faith is stronger, my marriage is better, my home is peaceful.
• Read the Bible. Seriously, get into the Word. Not just as a thing to check off the to-do list,really dig into it. Meditate on it. Underline. Write things down. We have time for the things we make time for. We have no excuse for not being faithful in this.
• Pray, pray, pray.

I know this list may seem simple, but give it a shot. It’s the small changes we make in our daily habits that have lasting impact.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”-Philippians 4:6-7