The Worry War

The worried cow would have lived 'til now

If she had saved her breath.

But she feared her hay wouldn't last all day

So she mooed herself to death.

(author unknown)

If I had to personally pick one of my worst flaws, it would be worry! It is something that I have struggled with forever. The problem is as a child of God, worry is not just a flaw, it is a sin. That is right, a sin! What exactly is worry? The dictionary describes it as, to torment with cares and/or anxieties. Torment seems like such a harsh word, but as a matter of fact when I am truly worried, I do feel tormented! The Bible commands us in Matthew chapter 6 that we are not to worry. Once we received Jesus as Lord of our life, we are made a new creation, to be modeled after the likeness of the character of Jesus. No where in scripture is Jesus stated as being a worrier, so neither are we to be. We are to trust on the life giving character of God.

Why is the war of worry so hard to overcome? We have the Spirit of God living within us, yet we still stumble and fall. We are a new creation with new thoughts and attitudes, yet the sinful nature of our flesh still exists. It does not control us per say, but we still have to choose not to walk in it's destructive path. I see worry as stemming from a desire to be in control. The things we tend to worry about are usually the unknowns, or out of our controls. For most, dwelling on the what ifs, or going through every possible scenario makes us feel prepared for whatever may come our way. How much time gets wasted on stewing over the possibilities instead of resting in the truth that God only wants the best for us! We are given the power of Christ within us to overcome the worry in us. We are responsible to choose to loose the power of God in our lives. It is a decision to choose God's voice, over the lies of Satan. Satan does not want us to rest in the peace that only God can bring. Isaiah 12:2 says, "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation". Notice that first the writer states that the God IS my salvation, then the He has BECOME my salvation....first was knowledge, then came believing and acting upon that knowledge.

How are we to win the war with worry? Let's take worry at face value, and see it as a sin. Then we should proceed to deal with it accordingly. Bring it to the cross, where it was abolished once and for all, and lay it Jesus' feet. Seek forgiveness, and truly despise the sin and the effects it has on our lives. Turn and walk away. Next time worry comes knocking at our door, let's decide to choose to loose the power of God within us, and pick the way of truth and peace instead of worry. "Lord, when I start to worry, please give me the strength to choose your way, instead of the way of the flesh. Amen."

"Worry is not our 'bag', so we don't pick it up."

Janice Wise