Do you ever feel like there is an elephant sitting on your chest? Me too.
I have a confession. I am a worrier. It is not something of which I am proud, but it is true. My wife reminds me often that I worry too much.
Sound familiar?
It is my conviction that God gives us everything we need to know in the pages of Scripture. I would like to share some answers from God’s word with you, and I hope it helps you in your battle with worry.
1. The Dangers of Worry
The Bible reveals that worry can cause some serious problems.
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. – Proverbs 12:25
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. – Proverbs 17:22
It is said that 90% of our worries never come true. Most often, the real danger is in the worry itself, not what we are worrying about. Studies have shown that chronic worry can cause some or more of these issues:
- dizziness
- headaches
- irritability
- muscle tension
- digestive disorders
- heart attacks
We must find a way to be rid of the worry!
2. The Root of Worry
In our quest to be free of worry, we need to understand its cause.
Consider the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 6:
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. – Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus said that we should take no thought of tomorrow’s evils. How does one “take no thought”? That seems easier said than done! We learn to take no thought (worry) when we have faith in God!
When the Lord Jesus said, “O ye of little faith,” I believe He revealed that worry comes from not trusting God.
3. The Solutions of Worry
Please look at Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6-7. Those verses givethe answers to our worries.
- Choose each day to think of worry as sin – Matthew 6:25
- Choose each day to “take no thought” – Matthew 6:25
- Remind yourself that God truly does care about your needs – Matthew 6:30
- Make God’s priorities your own priorities – Matthew 6:33
- Live one day at a time – Matthew 6:34
- Pray about your problems – Philippians 4:6-7
- Be thankful for what you already have – Philippians 4:6-7
I realize it can be easy preaching and hard living, but I believe those principles will help us be free of the elephants on our chests.
Be free of worry. Know that God loves and cares for you. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ, and receive Him in faith. God is able to conquer your fears!
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