Have you been under alot of stress lately? Do you find yourself worrying alot about the future? I corresponded with a friend recently about worry and thought this might give you some encouragement today.
When you worry...
1) Don't forget who is in control.
When you worry remember that God is in control of everything. Nothing happens in my life that caught Him offguard or has Him wringing His hands. Psalm 139:16 says, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be..." He knows what's happening in your life and He wants you to trust Him. I've realized that I can categorize everything that happens to me in life under 2 categories: "Things I Can Control" and "Things I Cannot Control." Most of the things I worry about usually fall under the "Things I Cannot Control" list. When you think about it rationally, it really does no good to worry about things I cannot control because I cannot control them! Jesus talked about this in Matthew 6:24-35. We really do worry about stuff that we can't do a thing about!
2) Choose to pray instead of worrying.
The next time you feel yourself paralyzed by worry turn that moment into a prayer. I think that Worry and Prayer are actually the same mental exercise. In both instances I'm thinking about a particular situation and wondering how it's going to turn out. In both instances, I'm focused on the issue and am blocking out other things around me. The difference between Worry and Prayer is that when I worry I'm asking how am I going to solve the problem...and when I pray I'm asking God how is He going to solve the probelm. That's a HUGE difference!
Here are some great verses when you feel paralyzed by worry:
Matthew 6:25-27 in particular
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 139
Proverbs 3:5-6
I Peter 5:7
Phillipians 4:6-8
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