It steals your sleep. It drains your energy. It dominates your thoughts. It chokes your faith. Worry is a thief which we must kick out of our lives.
Matthew 6:25 in the Amplified says, “Stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious & worried) about your life…” Worried means concerned, troubled, disquieted, or uneasy. In the literal Greek it means split because it divides our attention. By definition, it is hard to overcome worry but it is vital. Phil 4:6 (NLT) says, “Don’t worry about anything…” Anything means anything. So how do we kick worry out of our lives?
1. STOP THE ROBBER
Phil 4:6 (NLT) continues: “Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything…” All too often we think certain things are too trivial to bring to God. But if it warrants your worry it’s not too petty for prayer!
Recently, I asked a leader for feedback about my new book, The Many Faces of Shame. He asked if we could speak the following day. Immediately, I started to worry! Why would he want to wait until we were face to face? What was he going to say? I realised I was worrying! It might seem like a silly thing to pray about but I’d rather pray than disobey! (Phil 4:6). I went to God and let the angst go. (And the minister’s feedback the following morning turned out to be phenomenal!)
If anything is troubling you, talk about it to your Heavenly Father. Matthew 6:34 (NLT) says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow… Today’s trouble is enough for today.” This means that anything after today is off limits. Troubling about tomorrow is trespassing!
2. DISARM HIS WEAPON
Matthew 6:31-34 says, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ When we worry, we are always saying something to ourselves. We believe our concern is legitimate. Earlier this year, the weight of signing financial contracts to secure venues for Healed for Life became too much. I started to get anxious and heard myself saying, “But I should be worried, this is serious!”
I was stunned. I realised that the devil was telling me that I had a legitimate reason to worry. This is never true! If I believe God, then I have no reason to worry. But it does not stop there. If this ministry is His ministry then it’s His responsibility. So if I belong to God, I have no right to worry! The same is true for you. If your children are the Lord’s, if your business is His business, if your ministry is His, then you have no right to worry either.
3. GIVE IT TO GOD
1 Pet 5:7 (AMP) says, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once & for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately & cares about you watchfully.” Give every concern to Him. Hand all your worries over one by one in prayer. And keep doing that until you feel completely free.
I want to invite you to join me and my team at an event near you! We are in Miami on June 29th, and in London on July 6th. God will do an awesome work in you as you open your heart in His precious presence. I hope to see you soon.
