UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WORRY
INTRODUCTION: Jesus came to earth not only to die for our sins, but also to help us with our problems. God offers us new life in Christ, and with his power we can change.
So how do we deal with the problem of worry? And what you need to understand. The truth is you can’t outsource worry, but with God’s help you can overcome it. So how does God help you with the problem of worry? Please follow
I. The problem of worry Ecle 11:10, psalm 139:23-24.
We need to understand why worrying is such a problem. We just read from Psalm 139 where the psalmist tells God, “Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me.” and in the book of Ecclesiastes, God tells us to “banish anxiety from your heart." In other words, God recognizes that our worrying is a problem, and he wants us to overcome it. So do you nerd to understand about worry?
- Worry robs us of our joy
Worrying is a problem because it robs us of our joy. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13. God wants to fill you with his joy and peace as you trust in him, but worry robs you of your joy. And more so, Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength – meaning "carrying two days at once " It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Dear Reader. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Worry robs us of our joy.
- Worry makes us unfruitful Matthew 13:22. Worry makes us unfruitful.
Jesus told the parable about the seed that was sown among the thorns which grew up and choked the plants. Later when his disciples asked him the meaning of the parable, he said: “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” God wants to use you to serve him and other people, but worry can get a stranglehold on your life and make you unfruitful for the kingdom of God.
That’s why Jesus warned us in Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” The day Jesus was talking about is the day of his return. God has put us to work in his kingdom, and we are to be fruitful servants. But if you allow yourself to be weighed down with the anxieties of life, you will not be fruitful for God, and that day will catch you unawares which is dangerous for your soul.
- Worry doesn’t accomplish anything Matth 7:27, Psalm 127:2. Another reason why worrying is a problem is because it does not accomplish anything. Psalm 127:2 says, “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.” The Scriptural passage is the picture of the person who is so worried about the basics of life that he spends his whole day working and his whole night worrying. Do know the most common time people report that they worry? The most common time for worrying is between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m and 7am. It’s when the lights go out, activity ceases, or you’re lying in bed, all those worries come flooding into your mind, and you just can’t seem to turn it off. God says all that worrying is in vain. It doesn’t accomplish anything. He wants to take those worries away and give you sleep.
Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Take something you’re worried about right now, whatever it is. If it’s something you can change, there is no need to worry. Start working on changing it. If it’s something you can’t change, there is no use to worry. Because worry is not going to change it either. Jesus said in Matthew 6:27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” The answer is, “No one!” so Why? Because worrying doesn’t accomplish anything.
- Worry shows a lack of trust in God. Isaiah 26:3-4
Dear Readers, worry is a problem because it shows a lack of trust in God. The above scriptural passage says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” . Meaning that You can’t trust God and worry at the same time. The two are mutually exclusive. And this is where we discover that worry is not simply a problem in our lives but can actually be a sin too. Worry indicates a lack of faith, and as Romans 14:23 says, “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” When you trust God, you don’t need to worry about worrying. Worry shows a lack of trust in God.
In another Coin, Sometimes worry comes in the form of panic attacks, or nervous breakdowns, various phobias,post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and other issues. There can be physical reasons for worry, and there can even be medicine-related reasons for worry. In these cases your worry may not be sin so much as a condition that needs help. You may need counseling or medical attention. However, if you follow the biblical instructions for worry that we will be sharing in this message, I believe it will help you even with these more extreme cases of worry.
II. Understanding worry
So we’ve talked about the problem of worry in our lives. Let’s dig a little deeper now and see what we can understand about worry from a biblical perspective.
1. Worry vs. godly concern. 1 for 7:32-34, 2nd Cor 11:28, Philip 2:20.
First, we need to understand the difference between worry and godly concern. Believers in Christ should know that there is such a thing as godly concern.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about marriage and singleness, he shared with them some examples of godly concern. He wrote: “An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife … An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband.” 1st Cor 7:32 . The word translated “concern” in these verses is the exact same word that is translated “worry” elsewhere in the New Testament. But in each of these cases the married or unmarried believer is demonstrating a godly concern, whether for the Lord or for their spouse.
One more example. In 2nd Cor11:28, apostel Paul writes, “I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” Now in this verse we have a different word in the Greek for “concern.” This word speaks of “care or responsibility” for another.
Godly concern = “a genuine, attentive care that results in positive, responsible action.”
So what is godly concern, and how is it different from worrying?
I would define godly concern more in terms of responsibility. It is “a genuine, attentive care that results in positive, responsible action,” rather than the useless spinning of our wheels that takes place when we worry. We need to care for people. Apathy is no better than worry. We need to exercise a godly concern for our lives and for the lives of those around us.
2. What do we worry about? matt 6:25-34. So what things do we worry about when we worry?
The top four things people worried about were relationships, work, finances, and health.
It is very True that we all worry about relationships a lot. Eg: If you’re married, you worry about your spouse. If you’re single and dating, you worry about relationships that you either may or may not have. If you’re a parent, you worry about your children. As you get older, you worry about your own parents. We should care about the people in our lives, that’s the godly concern we looked at earlier, but we need to stop worrying about the people in our lives. God is in control. You can trust him?
Second thing We all worry about work a lot. We worry when we have work, and we really worry when we don’t. We worry about tasks and projects and deadlines and bosses and co-workers, and it can all become overwhelming at times.
Third is about finances – a lot! And that’s true whether you’re rich or poor. The amazing part is that even the wealthy worry about their wealth . Eg: how can I make it grow, and what happens if I lose it all? While the poor just worry about having enough for tomorrow to avoid some serious embarrassment or shame. And people in between? We worry about making the finances stretch to the end of the month or year.
Also about health, we worry a lot. Sometimes we worry about actual health problems, sometimes we worry about potential health problems, and sometimes we worry about imaginary health problems. But we all know how important health is to our well-being, and so we worry about health.
Of course we worry about other things as well. We worry about the world, we worry about our safety, we worry about death and dying. Basically, we just want to know that everything is going to be all right with us. Jesus summed up all these things in Matthew 6 when he spoke of how we worry about our physical needs. Matthew 6:25,31-32...He said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? … 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.”
In conclusion. Why do we worry?
Number one, Because we don’t know the future. We don’t know what is going to happen. We don’t know how things will turn out, and we don’t know what will or will not work. And too often we imagine the worst rather than hope for the best.
Second reason we worry is because we can’t solve all our problems. If it were something we could fix or change, we could get busy fixing or changing it. But we often face problems that are bigger than we are. We don’t have the necessary skills or resources, and so we worry. Now our worrying doesn’t make things any better.
The third reason we worry is because we can’t be everywhere at once. Our children are away and we can’t be there with them, so we worry. Our spouse is late coming home; we haven’t heard from them, and we don’t know where they are, so we worry. Or here’s a big one. We worry about what will happen to our loved ones if we die. Why? Because if we’re dead, we can no longer be there with them.
Let us Deal with worry.
We have looked at the problem of worry. We have looked at understanding worry. Finally, let’s talk about dealing with worry. Let me share with you six things that will help you deal with the problem of worry in your life.
1) Know that you have a heavenly Father. Matt 6:26 .
First of all, know that you have a heavenly Father. When you trust Jesus as your Savior, God adopts you into his family. Jesus said in Matthew 6, “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?” God is not just a God who is way up there. He is your heavenly Father who loves you and takes care of you. He takes care of the birds of the air. Are you not much more valuable than they?
2) Trust in His Word. John 24 :1,27. Psalm 139:16, 1 Pet 5:7 There is no way to Enjoy God id you don't trust in Him. 1 Peter 5 tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me … Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Trusting God also means trusting God’s sovereignty, trusting that God is in control, especially when life gets hard. That’s when you need to remember “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Please pray the following prayer:
“Lord, this circumstance is part of your plan for my life today. Help me to respond in faith and in a God-honoring way to your providential will. And then please give me wisdom to know how to address the situation.”
Know for sure tgat God is in control, and we need to trust Him with our circumstances. Dear Readers “It takes pride to be anxious. You are not powerful enough to know how your day will go. Trust God and commit all unto Him, He cares. Remember, the reason you worry is because you are finite. But God is infinite.
3) Learn to live in the present. Matt 6:33-34.Thirdly, learn to live in the present. Jesus said in Matthew 6: “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.” When you seek God’s kingdom first, God promises to take care of everything else. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow. God has it all under control.
Dear Readers, “Worry will not empty tomorrow of its trials, but it will empty today of its triumphs!” so learn to live in the present. Don’t let the worries of tomorrow rob you of your joy in Christ today.
4) Pray about everything. Phil 4:6-7
Until you know how to pray about everything, you will continue to doubt God. Philippians 4 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.” That’s a pretty good trade. You give God your requests, and He will give you his peace. Prayer makes all the difference.
There’s an old song that goes, “Why worry, when you can pray?” That’s a good question! Pray about everything and God’s peace will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
5) Fill your mind with good thoughts. Phill4:8. Your thoughts will either break you or make you so, fill your mind with good thoughts. apostel Paul wrote in Philip 4 :8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Instead of filling your mind with anxious thoughts about all sorts of things that probably won’t even happen, read the Bible, listen to good Christian songs, fill your mind with good thoughts.
6) Grow in the fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5:22-23, Psalm 94:19. Finally, One of the ways to enjoy God's promises is when you are growing in the fruit of the Spirit. It will simplify your life and guide your path. Holy Spirit changes your character from within and we will finally have victory over worry.
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