Winning Against Worry

God is a God who sends. He is constantly sending His children into new and wonderful lands—better places, better marriages, better lives. What God wants for us is bigger and better than we can imagine BUT standing between us and IT are Giants that look pretty BIG too.

I’ve got my giants and you’ve got yours--things that loom over us and stand between what we have and what God wants us to have. That GIANT has knocked us down so many times we wonder if we should even try to get back up. HE has eaten our lunch so many times we’ve just been taking him one—feeding the very fear that immobilizes us.

Which Giant is giving you grief? Can you name him? Can you describe him? What’s worrying you? Worry itself might be your Giant—That wouldn’t surprise me—Jesus knew worry was a real issue that’s why He spent time talking about it!

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) "Therefore I tell you, 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? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 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. 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."

Jesus’ point is that to worry is to be just like everybody else. To worry is to live as if God does not exist or, at minimum, doesn’t care (neither of which are true!). The message of the Bible is that God is the biggest Giant of them all—so whatever is worrying you is really not even close to the size of the God that cares about you.

LOADING YOUR SLINGSHOT
1.Reorder your priorities.
Matt 6:33 (NIV) “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

2. Readjust your focus.
Matt 6:34 (NIV) “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

3. Recast your anxiety.
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Phil 4:6-7 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God is really big--BIGGER than you need Him to be!

Don't worry be happy. :)