Worry - where does it come from?:

Definition - to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret...an uneasiness or anxiety.

It doesn’t come from God:

II Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Worry or Fear (synonyms) comes from the pit of hell. Proverbs 12:25 says “Worry weighs a person down...” It affects us mentally and physically. It can be so overwhelming that we’re paralyzed.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Satan’s #1 tool is to get us to do his work for him. Isn’t us tormenting ourselves a great way to do that?

Worry affects us so negatively that it can only be the opposite of what God designed in us.

Ephesians 3:18 “¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

·         May you know that which is seemingly unknowable - but possible!

When I believe in God, but still worry all the time, my mind is redirected off track. Directed away from the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Worry is the opposite of trusting in God. It is the opposite of Faith. It is the opposite of the fullness of life Jesus promised and Paul wrote about in Ephesians.

Yeah, but worry is a reality. Worry steals this “fullness of life” -  It’s something that can easily trap me. So, how can I handle it?

 Worry: How do I handle it?:

Let’s call it for what it is: When I worry, I am trying to control something, which I have no ability to control.

When I try to control something, which I have no ability to control, all I do is torment myself.

In order to understand how to handle worry, let’s explore the opposite of worry.

The opposite of worry is:

·         Certainty

·         Assurance

·         NOT a FALSE assurance (money, power, success, etc)

Hebrews 6:13-19

For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:

 ¹⁴ “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.”^[a]

 ¹⁵ Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

 ¹⁶ Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. ¹⁷ God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. ¹⁸ So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. ¹⁹ This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

Not worrying requires me to be certain (or have assurance) in God’s promises. Heb. 6 describes assurance as “great confidence.”

Great confidence in what?

 Confidence in God - Hebrews 6

Matthew 11:28-30 “²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Why torment ourselves with worry when Jesus says “Come to me...and I will give you rest.”

Worry is a burden - it chokes us, strangles us, and starves us. Jesus was serious when He said, “my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” -- that is the opposite of what worry gives.

When I believe in God, but still worry all the time. I am straying away from God’s promises. I experience torment instead of rest.

For this reason, Paul makes it clear what we should do: “⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Phil 4:6

By praying about everything, we acknowledge who is really in control.When we thank God for all He has done, it helps us redirect our minds/thoughts towards Him. (Remember how worry gets us off track)

Worry: My Response to It:

A lie believed as truth will affect your life as if it were true. The lie about worry is that somehow I can control the outcome of a situation. I don’t know the outcome, which causes me to want to control it even more. -- We believe this lie or else we wouldn’t worry.

Don’t let what you don’t know (unknown outcome) overshadow what you are certain of as Truth. (we are certain that God did not give us the spirit of fear. We are also certain that He desires us to be complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from Him.) This is the Truth. And isn’t it Truth that will set you free?