Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7 HCSB

If you are like I used to be then you probably read that title and thought, “You have no idea what is going on with me right now!” You are right, I don’t. And even if I did, if it is something I have never experienced, I could not honestly say I understand. But right now I want you to do something for me. I want you to analyze your current condition. Are you worried about something? If so, what are you worried about? And next I must ask, do you enjoy worrying? Are you one of those people that if you don’t have something to worry about, you will manufacture problems just so that you have something that you can fret over?

Now if you enjoy worrying, you can just stop reading here and I can save you a few minutes of your day. But, if you really don’t like to worry but find yourself doing it more and more these days, then give me just a few minutes to discuss this with you.

Let me begin by saying that if you are not in a right relationship with Jesus Christ, then you are right to worry. But that is something you can rectify. So, just stop worrying and fix it. James 4:8 tells us that if we draw near to God then He will draw near to us. That’s easy enough. In Vacation Bible School, they explain it as being as simple as ABC. You see, you must first admit that you are a sinner and accept Christ as your savior, you must then believe in Him, and then you confess your sins to Him and repent. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit because I am telling you that the devil will come against you when you turn to God. This angers the devil, but don’t worry because God will take care of you. When you turn to God, you are choosing to live in the shelter that He provides (Psalm 91:1-2).  So you need not worry about the devil and his tactics, but you do need to stay on guard.

Now, once you get into that right relationship with God, then you must understand the power that God has. I mean in all honesty it is hard for mere mortals to wrap our heads around the kind of power that God has, but trust me there is nothing He can’t do (Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:27).

So, again I ask you why do you worry? In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asks can anyone by worrying add a single day to their life? On the contrary, stress will kill you.

Now I used to be a big worrier, but now I’m a big warrior. I’m not boasting in what I can do, but I am boasting that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). If there is nothing that He can’t do and I have a direct line to Him through prayer then it’s all good, right?

You see I learned a long time ago that worrying does me no good. I learned that it just causes me problems like overeating, weight gain, migraine headaches, joint pain and a whole host of other issues. But when I let go and trust in God to handle it, I have no need to worry. It’s like thousands of pounds being lifted off of my shoulders.

We are going to go through times of grief and sadness like when relationships are severed or we lose a loved one. There are times when we will mourn and grieve (Ecclesiastes 3:4), but we should never worry.

In reality it is a sin to worry. Why? Because it shows a lack of faith in God. God holds our future. The real question is, do you trust Him with yours? Do you really believe the Bible? Do you believe that God has good plans for us and wants the best for us like it says in Jeremiah 29:11? Do you believe that God works all things out for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose as we are told in Romans 8:28? Do you believe that if God is for us then no one can stand against us as we are told in Romans 8:31? Do you believe that we are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37)? If you believe these things, then again I ask, why do you worry?

If you believe in God’s word, you can’t be a worrier, but you can be a warrior. If you are a worrier, then I am asking you to give that up. Exchange it for trusting in God, you will feel much better. Trust me, I did and I do.

Have a great day!