Is freedom from worry actually possible? I have often found myself in seasons of intense worry. Through seeking out God for help and answers this is what He showed me.
““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV
One day during my devotional time, I looked down and saw a beetle on its back. It was thrusting, thrashing, twisting, turning, and waving it’s limbs all about. The beetle did this until pure exhaustion set in and then it laid still. The beetle was trying all the works of the flesh to change his circumstances, but at the end of all his doing, he didn’t make any progress. The beetle did so much but honestly didn’t accomplish anything. He was in the same circumstance where he started, but now he was exhausted and defeated. After some rest, the beetle started again and the cycle continued. In reality, if the beetle just slowed down and used help from other objects, he could have easily flipped himself over.
I then received a revelation that this has to be what we look like to God when we worry! We frantically do all kinds of fleshly works to fix our problems. We also worry about things that are potentially a problem that never even become a problem. We do this until we are utterly exhausted and surrender. Then, just like the beetle, we feel rejuvenated and are ready to take our worry right back even after giving it to God! All for what? What does worry accomplish? Worry doesn’t do anything productive. It only takes away. Jesus said in Matthew that worry doesn’t add a single hour to your life. Worry only accomplishes self-torment!
The road from worry to faith begins with the recognition that worry is a sin. “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23 NIV. Worrying is you trying to control what is out of your control because you lack the faith that God’s got the situation. This was such a hard pill for me to swallow when God revealed this to me. It stung because I finally realized I was trying to do what only God could do and I had such little faith. God does call us to action, however, we cannot do what only God can do, and God will not do what we can do.
You become the slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can’t have worry and faith. You can’t serve two masters (Matthew 6:24) . Faith comes from God alone and worry comes from the enemy who only comes to kill, steal, and destroy. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV
Oftentimes we get so comfortable with our wrong thinking and self-torment that we choose to stay in that because it is familiar. Even though through change and the unknown there is a life of freedom on the other side. A life free of the bondage of worry.
The truth is, worry is the result of us making God so little in our lives and the lack of trust that God‘s got you!
When you accept God as your Lord and Savior, through Jesus Christ all of God’s promises are yours yes and amen (See 2 Corinthians 1:20). These promises start out like a seed and need to be watered. The bible is Gods living water that makes these seeds(promises) grow. God has already given us peace through Jesus Christ. We have to do our part and grab ahold of peace instead of grabbing ahold to our own reasoning. God’s peace surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and His ways our higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
God never asked you to fix your life alone, that is His job. Your job is to seek/ask God to help you have more faith and trust in him. Start making a conscious effort to get into God’s presence; read the bible in areas you are struggling with, read books pertaining to what you are struggling in, meditate on God’s word not your problems, and pray. You have time I promise! You could cut out some TV time, social media time, or even your bathroom time and pour goodness into your heart that you so desperately need. Make the commitment! One of God’s greatest gifts to us is peace that surpasses understanding but you have to choose to let go of worry and grow peace inside of you. Can you imagine a life without worry? You won’t be perfect and you will pick up worry from time to time just as I do but you have the tools to recognize it now and give it back to God.
Don’t be a beetle
Below are verses and books that have helped us during this journey to freedom from worry!
Matthew 6: 25-34
Philippians 4: 4-9
Battlefield Of The Mind: by Joyce Meyer
Anxious For Nothing: by Max Lucado