Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere
In this sermon, I am going to define what worrying is and also give you 4 practical ways to stop worrying.
What is worrying?
Worrying is a form of thinking about the future events in a way that leaves you feeling anxious or apprehensive. The word worry means to be torn in two; it tears us apart. Our bodies might obediently go in one direction, but our minds are somewhere else. When we feel that things are out of our control, we tend to worry.
We should understand that worrying never helps a situation to get better. It sends a message to us and those around us that we are helpless and have nowhere to turn to. As a Christian, we believe and know that God has everything in His control. He said “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
We only need to trust that God will take care of everything according to His plans. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us to 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? (Matthew 6:26).
Practical steps to stop worrying
Put God first
To seek something is to earnestly look for it with the expectation of finding it. It is unfortunate that some people often do not seek God first. They seek everything else before they seek God. Our heavenly father says, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
The word "seek" in Matthew 6:33 is a present imperative verb that means one is to pursue something and keep on pursuing it without stopping. In other words, we should depend on God for our provisions instead of worrying about them. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34).
Pray
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms (James 5:13). When we find ourselves in trying circumstances, often the temptation is to strike out at the person who helped bring those circumstances upon us. Or, we want to blame someone for our state of affairs. We may even become mad at God for allowing this in our lives. Or, we might wallow in self-pity.
But when we are afflicted, when we are suffering, or when we are in trouble, God tells us what we should do: pray. Why? For one thing, it just may be that God might remove that problem because of our prayers. That is not to say that God always will take our afflictions, suffering, or troubles away. But sometimes He will.
The bible says “Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6:7). The word of God commands us no to be anxious; which means every time we are anxious about life, we are actually going against God’s word.
At times our problems look so big because we have taken our focus off God and put all the focus on our problem. He is so much bigger than our problem. The Bible says Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7).
Meditate on the word of God
One of the best ways to increase your faith and decrease anxiety is to meditate on the word of God. Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
According to those verses, when you “attend” to God’s words they become “sayings.” The Scriptures start talking to you. The Holy Spirit speaks them to you on the inside so you can not only see but hear the thoughts of God.
If you will make the decision to take those thoughts by saying them on purpose over and over again, the less you will worry about things you cannot control.
Be thankful
Be thankful for the things you have and be thankful that you are alive to see another day; for what Jesus did for you on the cross, the people around you and for the gift of life.
Expressing thankfulness to God brings contentment, and contentment brings peace. Showing thankfulness to God means that we are happy and grateful for the things he has done and the things he is doing in our lives. If we aren’t grateful for what God has done for us, getting more will not satisfy us either. Being grateful is the key to contentment.
Conclusion
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. It does no good to worry about tomorrow. We may not have a tomorrow. If you are worrying about the problems of tomorrow, you will miss out on the blessings of today.
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