Are you a worrier? What do you worry about? Do you worry that you won’t be able to pay your bills or buy food? Do you worry about your children? Do you worry about your job; do you worry because you cannot find a job? Do you worry about money? Do you feel anxious about your marriage; worry about your husband or wife? Do you worry about your health? Are you worried about the future? Do you worry about your ageing parents, having a new addition to your family? Or maybe you just worry because you are a worrier.
Worry means to be uneasy in the mind, to feel anxiety about something, to fret. Interestingly, it comes from an Old English word that means “to strangle.” This is an appropriate origin because worry strangles our peace of mind and our enjoyment of life. There is a direct connection between fear and worry and sometimes they may be interchangeable. Worry affects us mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Medically. “Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system, and because of that it profoundly affects the health.”
Satan and his demons love to make us worry and they know everything that is going on in our lives so they know what buttons to push to make it happen. Intense warfare is constantly being waged in the spirit world but like Elisha we have angels protecting us. This is the main reason we should not worry.
Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
We have guardian angels—spirit beings whose job it is to serve us, protect us and direct us. God has also given us the armor and the weapons necessary to defeat Satan and his cohorts.
Ephesians 6:11-17 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Do you notice that every piece of that armor is defensive except one. The only offensive weapon we have is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. God’s Word combined with prayer defeats Satan. That’s why we do not have to fear or worry, God is on our side. He’s given us what we need for peace of mind. Sometimes He allows things to happen in our lives to test if we truly trust Him or if we’ll be consumed with worry. If we trust and do not waver in the end He will work things out for our good. God is our Father, and we are His responsibility, just as earthly parents are responsible for their children. So worry happens when we assume responsibility God never intended us to have.
Some people excuse their worry by calling it their motivator; that is only an excuse, worry is not a motivator, it is a debilitator. We also need to distinguish between worry and concern. While it’s healthy to be concerned about something, it’s unhealthy to worry about it. That is because concern is what motivates us to do something to solve problems or plan helpful ways to cope with them, but worry keeps us stuck on problems and distracts us from planning any helpful ways of dealing with them.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Messiah Yeshua.
So we should not be looking to worry as a motivator because God’s our motivator. The ultimate solution to anxiety and worry is to take the things that cause it—doubts and fears—to God. He is eager to help us deal with these emotions in the right way so that we can experience true peace in our hearts and minds. He cares for us, and He wants us to cast our cares on Him. Prayer is a key to a stronger relationship with God and to dealing with worry. Pray more, worry less!
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us…
Paul understood that God is the only true source of help. He faced many anxious situations in his ministry and travels, but he consistently trusted that God would provide deliverance from them all because many were beyond his human ability. Worry and anxiety are often the result of our being overly focused on our physical capabilities and limitations—what we or others can do humanly—rather than on the awesome and limitless capabilities of God, and what He can do for us and through us. Yeshua gives us a parable on worrying about life, clothing and food, the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and He ends the parable saying:
Luke 12:29-31 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
Yeshua’s point is clear: Worry accomplishes nothing. It cannot supply the very least of our needs or wants, so we should strive to eliminate worry from our thinking, from our minds and from our lives. Our energy is much better spent focusing on God’s way of life which has real, tangible benefits and on His soon-coming Kingdom which will ultimately satisfy our every need.