So many people today are living a life of constant worry, anxiety or fear. They are deeply troubled – even depressed – about many areas of their life. They have no joy or peace, and their insides are all knotted up due to the stress, anxiety and apprehension they continually feel.
Does this describe you? Are you worried or fearful concerning a circumstance or situation you are facing? Are you in the midst of a test or trial that seems impossible to make it through?
If so, listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25, 31 (AMP). He says, Stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life…do not worry and be anxious…
The Lord Jesus Himself has said to stop worrying.
“What?!? How can I stop worrying???”
I’m so glad you asked!
Remember, Jesus wouldn’t tell us to do something that He knew we couldn’t do. With His help, we can be obedient to His words in this scripture.
The first step to living a life free from worries, cares and anxieties is to know the character and the nature of God. Let’s look at several verses that reveal that nature:
1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. And throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches us that we are of great worth and value to the Father – more so than the wildflowers or the birds of the air. God even has the very hairs of our head numbered. (Mt. 6:25-34; 7:7-11; Lk. 11:9-13; 12:7, 22-32)
And Hebrews 13:5 (AMP) tells us, For God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not! According to this scripture, we can be assured that the Lord will never fail us or let us down.
Psalm 37:23 (NLT) assures us that, The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. This shows a loving, compassionate Father who loves us so much that He cares about anything and everything that concerns us!
In Exodus 15:26, the Lord declares, I am the Lord that heals you. And in Psalm 91:16, He says, With long life will I satisfy you and show you My salvation. These verses reveal a Father who cares for our physical health and well-being, and wants to give us a long, satisfying life.
In Philippians 4:19, the Apostle Paul tells us, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. So, here we see that the Lord is concerned about any and all of our needs. He has promised to supply whatever it is that we need.
When you truly understand the character and the nature of God – how much He loves you, how He has healed you, provided for your every need, directs your steps, and delights in every detail of your life, then you can cease from worry, because you are trusting in Him to take care of every one of your needs.
The Apostle Peter, who was part of Jesus’ inner circle, understood the Lord’s love, care and affection for His children. That is why he wrote: Cast all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully, (1 Peter 5:7 AMP).
The second step to living a life free from worry is to cast (throw) your cares – once and for all – on the Lord. That means you give them to Him AND leave them with Him. Once you give your cares, anxieties, worries and concerns to the Lord, you trust Him to take care of them. How can you trust Him to do that? Because you know that He “cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” You must trust in His love, faithfulness, and ability.
The third step in living a life with no worries is found in Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP):
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours…and that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
After you understand God’s love and concern for you, and after you have cast your cares upon Him, you must refuse to fret or worry about the circumstance or situation anymore. You have prayed and asked the Lord for His help and He will answer you.
When you think about the problem, remind yourself of the scriptures concerning what you’re believing for. Also remind yourself that you’ve given the situation over to the Lord and that He is handling it for you. Then continue to thank Him for taking care of the situation – thank Him for healing your body, thank Him for meeting your needs – whatever it is, thank Him that He’s got it all under control. Then you can begin to receive His peace that surpasses all understanding!
I would trade worry, fear and anxiety for the peace of God any day! Wouldn’t you?
Remind yourself of the Father’s great love and concern for you. Then cast all of your cares, worries and anxieties on Him – once and for all. Refuse to fret. Refuse to be anxious. Refuse to worry. Instead, thank the Lord for taking good care of you, and receive His peace that passes all understanding.
He is faithful. He will never fail you, forsake you, or let you down!
Prayer:
Father, I thank You that You love me and that You care about everything that concerns me. Today, I cast the care of _________________ on You, knowing that You will take care of me. With Your help, I refuse to fret or have any anxiety about it. Instead, I thank You in advance for meeting all my needs and working out this situation for Your glory. I trust in Your faithfulness and provision. I receive Your peace. In Jesus’ Name.
I came over from lowercase letters, really good post. We need to remember who God is and that he will take care of us. Thank you for posting.
Yes, you are right! Thank you for visiting! Blessings, Alisha
Great post.
Thank you! 🙂
I always tell my clients (and myself) to turn their worry into prayer. Every time you worry, pray. He’s the one who can take care of it. I think I’ll add to consider the character of God. You are so right that when we really know and believe who He is, we just can’t help but trust Him.
Thanks for linking up and adding me to your blog roll!
Mary Beth @newlifesteward
Amen, Mary Beth! Btw, you’re on my blogroll & your button is also on my “Blog Link Ups” page. 🙂 Blessings, Alisha!
Well thanks for spreading the word!! 🙂
I’m one such person – constantly worrying and generally discontent. I needed to read this post this morning. Thank you! 🙂
I’m so glad it could minister to you, Jocelyn. I love the name of your blog. It’s so important to remember that our Father holds us in the palm of His hand & in His heart! Blessings, Alisha
What a beautiful post! I needed to read that this morning. Thank you so much for linking up with me!
Thank you, Sarah. Blessings to you & your family!
What a wonderful reminder of His love for us Alisha! That He would take all our worries like He takes everything else. And He doesn’t just take them…He replaces our worry with His peace. What a gift! I remember listening to a pastor’s message not too long ago and he said that the beginning of worry is actually a reminder to begin to pray. I loved the picture of that exchange both in his sermon and your sweet words here today. Thanks for sharing! Blessings!
Amen, Wendy! Thank you for your kind words. Blessings, Alisha
What a helpful and encouraging post. It is a great example of taking thoughts captive with the truth of God’s Word.
Thank God for His Word — the ultimate Truth! Blessings, Alisha
What a great reminder. I love all the scripture you chose, especially Ex 15:26 because I am believing for a healing on my husband’s back.
I will be believing with you for your husband’s healing. Blessings to you & your family No(dot dot)el! 🙂
What a lovely blog!! This was a timely post. Thank you!!
This post brought me such peace. I loved how you layed out the steps of letting go of our anxiety and thanking Him for the outcomes. Thanks for your wisdom. Thank you also for linking up.
Blessings~
Shari
Thank you Shari. God’s Word is so beautiful! He gives us perfect peace when we keep our minds “stayed” on Him & trust in Him (Is. 26:3). Thank you for providing a lovely place to link up! Blessings, Alisha
I got so involved with reading your post that I forgot to thank you for linking up with WholeHearted-Home Wednesdays (duh!!) I have probably spent the last hour reading some of the pages on your drop-down tabs at the top of your blog. I wish I knew how to do that for my blog!! It has such a clean and attractive look. Your whole blog has such an attractive appearance.
I look forward to reading your information on health and fitness. I exercise each day. I have to!!
That is so funny! 😀 Thank you for your kind words & for providing a place to link up! God bless you!
Thank you. I needed to read this right at this moment!!
Praise God! Blessings to you!
Stopping by from Friday Favorites and what a blessing! Such truth that we need to hear and read over and over as we journey through life. Blessings to you!
Thank you for visiting, Lea. God bless you!
Worries have a way of creeping up on us don’t they. Thanks for the reminder and prayer. That would be a great prayer to send up at least daily! Thanks for linking this up today!
Thank you for visiting! Blessings, Alisha
“Refuse to fret of worry…” Wow! This is sure easier to write than to put into practice, but I try because I know the God I serve is so much bigger than the thing I worry/fret about. Great post!
Yes He is MUCH bigger than anything we worry or fret about! Blessings, Alisha
What a wonderful lesson!
Worrying over things we have no control of is pointless, yet we all struggle with it. Thanks for sharing this at the Thrive @ Home link up!
No worries! Got to remember that especially now that I’m in a siuation that’s more than I can handle.
Nikki, His grace is sufficient. (2 Cor. 12:9) Blessings to you, Alisha
I am so glad to have found this blog. I am going through a difficult phase in my life right now and I really need words of encouragement.
His Word is the best encouragement there is! I trust you will feel His presence with you during this difficult time. He is so faithful! God bless you, Alisha
There is much in our world today that would cause one to worry. Thank you for sharing all these great tips on being worry free.
Blessings,
Charlotte
Thank you so much for this post. I always need encouragement in this area. I’m bookmarking it to read again tomorrow. I’m enjoying exploring your blog.
Thank you for visiting, Kristel. I pray the rest of the blog is an encouragement to you. I’ll have to come over and check out your blog soon — love the name! Have a blessed day! Alisha
Alisha, God has blessed you with wisdom , grace and a love for His word. Love your blog.
Thank you for your kind words, Shirley. God is so good & faithful. I do love His Word so much! Blessings to you, Alisha