Has anyone ever said to you “Don’t worry!?” or perhaps you’ve said it to others?
The thing is, in this world, as human beings we do tend to worry. Some more than others and some say it’s in their nature or part of who they are. Where this may be true to some extent, it doesn’t actually have to be that way. Honestly!
Now, I’m not just going to say to you. “Don’t Worry!” and then you’ll stop. I do know that it’s not as simple as that! It took me years and years! Well, I’m not saying I have it 100% percent sussed and that I NEVER worry anymore, that would be a lie. BUT I have learnt to recognise when a thought and/or worries begin to creep in and I have learnt how to deal with those.
The main antidote to worry is faith and trust.
WAIT! DON’T STOP READING!
I know what you’re thinking. “Oh this again” or “I’ve heard it all before” and perhaps you’re just wanting to know HOW. TO. ACTUALLY. STOP. WORRYING!
Am I right?
You’re fed up with the excessive thoughts and overthinking. Perhaps a word or sentence that one person said to you all those years ago haunts you still today and no matter how many times your family and friends have said to you “don’t worry” you simply can’t shake it.Â
Can you relate?
I’m not talking about severe anxiety, thats different, for help with that check out Dealing With Anxiety.
OK. Well, we will check out what scripture says on the topic. The Holy Bible is FULL of verses on why we shouldn’t worry it literally tells you “don’t worry!” In fact it tells us 365 times in scripture ‘not to fear’, ‘don’t worry’, ‘do not be afraid.’
That is one for every day of the year!
See, God knows as humans we worry, but it is important to Him for us not to worry.
Why do you think this is?
Because He wants us to trust Him!
He wants you to turn to Him, speak to Him, give Him your worries, thoughts, stresses and He doesn’t want you overthinking these either. Why? Because He cares about you!
Then, in Proverbs, you are shown how to negate the worry. If you are thinking positive, nice, happy things and exercise gratitude, you don’t have much room left in your thoughts and mind for the worry. Therefore REPLACE those worrying thoughts with the positive ones as just described. We can literally grab hold of them and change them.
Ask yourself: “are my thoughts helping or hindering me?”
Then change or replace them accordingly.
You can:
- Write a daily gratitude list
- Write on post- it notes: everything you have been provided for & blessed with and past answered prayers. Put them all on separate pieces, fold them and put them in a jar. Then if/ when those negative thoughts & worries come about pick out a few and remind yourself of the positive in your life.
Worry weighs a person down;
    an encouraging word cheers a person up.
Proverbs 12:25, 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.
Philippians 4:6-7
“Don’t worry!” God WILL strengthen you and help you whenever you need it. This was the verse I hung onto when I was ill. By meditating on the following scriptures I started to truly believe it. Taking it from head knowledge to heart knowledge. Meditation can help to affirm and build that trust and belief in what God is saying to you through scripture.
Relevant Resource: ‘How To Practice Biblical Meditation’ Guide
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By doing so you will discover the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength that He does provide for you, even when you yourself are feeling weak, low and perhaps vulnerable. You see it’s not by our own strength, it’s tuning into to His strength. Which is just one of the many of the gifts that He has for you.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
For I can do everything through Christ,who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
Don’t worry, lean in to Him, align with him and trust what He is repeatedly telling you. But looking towards and loving God first and foremost and practice what you are being taught through His word He will give you all you need. Just focus on one day at a time. I know, with this current recession we’re in with war and poverty, worry is inevitable, according to the world. But that there is the key!
Are you of the world?
We can live in it but we don’t have to live the way in which the world lives. We have been saved by grace and when Jesus died on the cross for you, He took all your sin and worry to death with Him and so it is finished, it is done, you need not to worry anymore, Jesus took that on His shoulders for you. The best bit is He then overcame death, leaving all that sin and worry behind. And now you can live in new life, with Jesus, with God and with the Holy Spirit as your comfort, protector and guide.Â
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.
Matthew 6:33-34
Therefore, Trust that! Trust Him and please don’t worry anymore. That, my friend, is not part of you anymore. Meditate on the Word and the truth. And that means for you to not worry about today, not to worry about now. What’s the point? Especially if there is nothing you can do about it. If there is something you can do then do it (as long as it aligns with the what God says). If there isn’t anything you can do then that’s the time to turn your focus around, let go of those worries, give them to God and let Him deal with it. Chances are He already has or at least He has them in hand. He has a plan for you so trust that promise and trust the process.
Instead of asking “why?” or “why me?”
Ask instead: “what?” “What is the point in this situation?” “Lord, what can I learn from this?”
There is a message or reason for everything. So ask Him and listen to His response. By practicing this, again, you’re turning your worries and focus around.
He looks after the sparrows each day and you are so much more important to Him than they are!
It’s not easy to begin with but with prayer, practice & repetition you can learn to turn your worries around.
It’s like a muscle; with exercise and practice you can become stronger in that trust (not forgetting that is the antidote to worry) the more you practice it, the more you use the pointers in this post today, the less you will worry and by doing so you will be able to help and encourage your family and friends and you will be the one to say “Don’t worry” and with that you will be able to explain why too.
But, if you feel as though you need additional help with this then please do book your free call with me now and we can pray together and chat and see if and how I could help you. Feel free to use the calender link (below) and choose a time that suits you.
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