5 Steps to Overcome Worry

“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)



Though I don't like to admit the truth of this statement, it is nonetheless true: Faith and worry can't live together. When one moves in, the other moves out.



We either trust or we worry. We can't do both simultaneously.



As a lifelong worry-wart, I often have to remind myself of the words of Jesus found in Matthew 6.  If I keep these truths buried in my heart, I can defeat the worry habit. Hopefully the following five steps will help us all break the chains of worry.



Worry Doesn't Accomplish Anything

If worry brought about change, my life would be perfect. Unfortunately, worry doesn't accomplish anything. In fact, it only makes things worse by wasting our spiritual reserves and keeping our thoughts and actions from going after more worthwhile pursuits. I don't know who said it, but the following quote goes right along with this point: "Worry does not relieve tomorrow of its stress; it merely empties today of its strength."



Trust God

When will I truly learn the trustworthiness of God? Oh, I say I trust Him, but my thoughts and actions often betray me by revealing my true level of trust. He has proven Himself faithful. Unfortunately, the enemy still plants seeds of doubt and fear in my brain. I'm convinced that one of the best ways to overcome those minutes of worry is to rehearse the goodness of God and simply turn my worries over to Him in complete trust. There's not a need that we have that He doesn't already know (Matthew 6:8), and He will provide.



Put God First

When I give in to thoughts of worry, I am in effect giving those things I'm worried about a higher priority than God. In my humble opinion, that's why Jesus included verse 33 in His words about worry. We need to avoid divided loyalties at all cost. We should give Him first place in our lives and allow Him access to every part of us. He has promised to meet our needs. (See Philippians 4:19.)



Live in the Present

The past is over and done with, and we have no control over the future. Most of what we worry about has either already happened or something we fear might happen tomorrow. Today is a gift from God. All the time I spend worrying ignores the beautiful moments God has given me right now in this moment.



Turn Your Cares Into Prayers

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ~Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)



Prayer is key to overcoming worry. When we take our worries to the Lord, we are putting things in the right order and trusting that God will take care of it. He'll either remove the item of concern or give us the strength we need to deal with it. And the final result will be hearts and minds guarded by His unfathomable peace.



Father, thank You for Your provision and care. Forgive us for those times that we allow worry to sneak in the back door. When the enemy tempts us to worry, help us to recognize it quickly and turn to You in prayer. Grant us the ability to live in the present instead of harboring thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow. Remind us that worry can't change a thing. Most importantly, may each of us allow You Your rightful place in our lives. Amen.