Gary Zimak's Blog, page 7

Give Up Worry for Good Week 1, Day 6

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

When I begin to get beaten down by the struggles of life, this is my “go-to” verse. This message reminds me that this life is temporary. More importantly, it reassures me that the life Christ has planned for me in heaven provides all the happiness I can imagine and then some.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

Are you suffering now? This may not make you feel better, but I will say it anyway. Jesus is calling you to draw near to him. He wants you to run into his arms and let him comfort you. It’s very hard to see suffering as a gift, but that’s what it is. Suffering gives us the opportunity to grow close to the Lord and share in his redemptive mission. He always meets us in our suffering. The difficulties you are facing will not last forever, but eternal happiness in heaven will. Jesus loves you so much that he would do anything to allow you to live with him there—even if it meant suffering an agonizing death on the Cross.

The suffering you’re experiencing right now will come to an end either in this life or the next. It may not feel like it, but it is temporary. Keeping that in mind can bring you peace in the middle of the storm.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

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Give Up Worry for Good Week 1, Day 5

At the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising out of the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” (1 Kings 18:44)

It’s way too easy to conclude that God is not hearing or answering our prayers. I can’t even begin to estimate how many times I have done this. But, as can be seen in this Bible verse, God doesn’t always come through with jaw-dropping miracles. Sometimes, He answers our prayers gradually, in ways that can be easily overlooked.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

Unfortunately, we sometimes fail to see the Lord working miraculously in our lives. This may happen because we’re skeptical or it may occur because the miracles are rather ordinary. We sometimes attribute them to luck or happenstance, instead of divine intervention. The prophet Elijah knew better. When he prayed for rain in the midst of a three-and-a-half-year drought, the smallest fist-shaped cloud was all he needed to see. He knew that the dry spell was over and acted accordingly. The rain was on its way!

As I suggest in the book, take some time today and look for a sign that God is responding to your prayers. It might be a very small sign, so be sure to ask the Holy Spirit to help you. When you find even the tiniest, tiny sign, thank God and keep on praying. He always hears and answers our prayers, but not always in the way we expect.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

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Give Up Worry for Good Week 1, Day 4

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

While this is a VERY popular Bible verse, it can be easily misinterpreted. God is not saying that all of our problems will disappear once we start trusting in Him. What He is saying, however, is that He desires what’s best for us. Ultimately, that includes living with Him in Heaven one day. He is also telling us that only He knows what’s in our future.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

The vast majority of my worries can be summed up by a two-word question: What if? And even though I never kept score, I can state with absolute certainty that most of these potentially catastrophic problems either never took place or turned out much better than I expected. That still didn’t stop me from wasting hundreds of hours playing the “What if?” game. Even sadder than the wasted time was the needless suffering. Why was it “needless”? Simple: There was Someone who never left my side, who knew all along that I was worrying for no reason, and who would have been happy to help if I had turned to him.

In order to give up worrying and find peace we must learn to believe three facts – God loves us, God is all powerful and God is with us. Therefore, if He allows something unpleasant to happen to us, it’s only because it can help us grow closer to Him and reach our heavenly home.

Why waste time speculating about the “what if’s” which may never happen? Instead of focusing on “what IF”, let’s concentrate on “what IS” – God loves us, God is all powerful and God is with us. Furthermore, He only wants what’s best for us. Together, let’s keep working on trusting Him more.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

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Give Up Worry for Good Week 1, Day 3

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)

Once we make the decision to give up worry, our next step is to make the commitment to focus more on Jesus than on our problems. Congratulations! By choosing to be a part of this Give Up Worry For Good program, you’re doing just that. Does this mean that we should ignore our problems? No! It means that we should ask the Lord to help us with them.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

This does not mean you should ignore the problems in your life. It means you should let God help you to handle them. Most of us who are anxious by nature like to be in control. When we face a situation that is beyond our control, we often begin to worry. How can we overcome this? We begin by recognizing that the Lord, who truly is in control, wants to be part of our lives and help us. He doesn’t expect us to handle the challenges of life alone. Rather, he wants us to do what we can and ask for his assistance with the heavy lifting.

As we continue our journey, let’s try to remember that God is totally in control of our lives. Even though we can’t see Him with our eyes, we can “see” Him with the eyes of our faith. Today, let’s do our best and trust God to do the rest.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

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Give Up Worry for Good Week 1, Day 2

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

With these words, Jesus is telling us that it’s time to get started on our journey to give up worrying by growing closer to Him. We may have thought about doing it for years, but now it’s time to actually begin!

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

Ready or not, now is the time to begin your effort to give up worry. Yesterday is a memory, and tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone; I have only today to do all those things I should be doing to grow spiritually. This verse gives me a sense of urgency about getting my spiritual life in order today.

The time is now. The kingdom is near. Jesus is ready to help us. I’m ready. How about you?

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

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Give Up Worry for Good Week 1, Day 1

I want you to be free from anxieties. (1 Corinthians 7:32)

Welcome to Day 1 of our Give Up Worry For Good online program! Here are a few key points to remember as we begin. 

As I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

1. Jesus tells us to stop worrying; therefore, it must be possible.

2. While it’s virtually impossible to stop yourself from being afraid, it is always possible to turn your thoughts to God.

3. When you invite Jesus Christ to enter your life and help you with your problems, he will not refuse.

4. Giving up worry is a daily process. We do it one day, one hour, or even one minute at a time.

5. No matter how I feel, I can choose to surrender my problems (and my life) to Jesus.

More than anything else, I want you to know that it IS POSSIBLE to break free from worry. With the Lord’s help, we will do it together…one day at a time.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

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Looking For A Stress-Free Summer?

How would you like to Give Up Worry For Good this summer? Well, we have good news for you! Beginning on June 14, 2021 Gary will be leading a daily online journey through his new book – Give Up Worry For Good!

Here’s what you need to do to participate…

Purchase the book HERE.Sign up for Gary’s daily email reflection HERE.Subscribe to Gary’s daily podcast HERE.

That’s all there is to it! Beginning on Monday, June 14th, Gary will lead you through the book by commenting on each day’s daily reflection in his email and on his daily podcast. For more information, listen to Gary’s podcast on June 2nd. Don’t miss this opportunity to walk through Give Up Worry For Good with the guy who knows the material better than anyone.

Please share this news with your friends. Let’s make Summer of 2021 the season when we Give Up Worry For Good!

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This Too Shall Pass (Turning Your Mountains Back Into Molehills)

For the world in its present form is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)

What are your greatest sources of worry or concern? Without knowing the specifics, I would be willing to bet that your answer will involve things of the world – people, circumstances, “what if’s”, etc. If that’s the case, Paul’s words should make you feel better.

Even though we need to deal with the problems of this world, we should take consolation in the fact that we’re not going to be here forever. We were created to live in heaven and will only live on earth for a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, all of our earthly problems (the ones that are keeping us up at night) are temporary. They will either be gone in this life or when your life on earth is over.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expressed some thoughts about this topic…

“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.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

Every minute spent focusing on things that won’t last is a minute not spent focusing on things that will. If we listen to Jesus (and Paul) and reorder our priorities, we will not only have greater peace, but we’ll ensure that we end up in the right place when our life on earth is over.

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5 Positive Things You Can Count On In 2021

It’s 2021, how are things going for you? For many people, leaving 2020 behind hasn’t produced the hoped for satisfaction. So many things went wrong in the past year that it was almost taken for granted that the current year had to be better. Now that we’re here, however, things don’t look all that different. In fact, a strong argument can even be made that things have gotten worse. Don’t panic. By shifting our focus, I believe that our hope can be restored and it will become clear that 2021 will be a great year.

With that in mind, here are 5 Positive Things You Can Count On In 2021:

1. Lent – It’s not always viewed as something positive, but Lent is a great opportunity to grow close to God. On Ash Wednesday, for the third year in a row, I’ll be kicking off my Give Up Worry For Lent movement. Based on my book, this daily program is designed to lead people from FEAR to FAITH. The response has been tremendous (the book has sold out for the past two years) and thousands of individuals are learning that it’s possible to leave worry behind as they run into the arms of a loving Father.

2. Easter – Much larger than a single day or even a season, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ represents the defeat of death. Think about that for a minute. Even death is no big deal for Jesus. How amazing is that? No COVID-19 pandemic, economic turmoil or political unrest will change the fact that Jesus has won the victory over death.

3. Heaven – Even though we’re only a few weeks into the new year, numerous people have already died and entered the Kingdom of Heaven. We may not know conclusively who they are, but we do know that heaven is open for business in 2021. Because the Savior has won the battle and unlocked the gates of heaven, it is now possible for us to go there as soon as we die.

4. Jesus – The Bible tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). That implies that He still heals, guides and works miracles in 2021. That will never change!

5. Hope – If you can read this, you are still alive. This is proof that God loves you and has provided for all your needs from the time you were conceived until the present. Furthermore, since your life isn’t over, there is hope that whatever you’re facing right now can turn around.

Not everything you wished for will come true in 2021, but you can count on these 5 things being written in stone. Because of that, you can be sure that this is going to be a great year!

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“Listen To Me!” (Jesus)

Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay 

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

It’s hard to misinterpret what Jesus is saying in this Bible passage. It really boils down to three things.

We WILL have storms in life.If we listen to His words and act on them, we will be able to withstand the storms.If we ignore His words, we will fall apart.

Jesus said many things, but let’s start with one of my favorites – “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Matthew 6:34) Note that He didn’t say “I hope you don’t worry” or “try not to worry”. He said “DO NOT worry about tomorrow”. That implies that we have some degree of control over our anxiety about what might happen tomorrow. And we do.

How will you respond to this command from Jesus? You can either ignore it or obey it. You can worry or you can pray. Two choices. Your decision. Choose wisely!

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