Warriors, Not Worriers
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. - Psalms 121:1-2
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. - 1 John 4:18
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. - John 14:27
I know it is hard to fathom good news right now, but with God, there is always good news through hope, peace, love, forgiveness and more. Now, more than ever, we need to pray to find these things within us!
We need to take all that energy we are using to worry about the uncertainty of the world right now and turn it into prayer time. Getting alone with God in prayer is the ultimate way to reset your thought process and get rid of some of that anxiety we have all been feeling.
In Philippians 4:6-7, we’re told not to be anxious or worried but to pray instead. Easier said than done, isn’t it? Author Max Lucado said, “No one can pray and worry at the same time.” I want you to really stop and think about that. If we are praying more, then we will be worrying less. I challenge us all to try that today and in the days to come.
Since we don’t know what lies ahead, we must choose to walk in faith and trust the God we have come to know. When we remind ourselves of what He has done in the past, we can rest in the present and have hope for the future. There is so much we can remember about God, His ability and His character. Here are just a few things:
He is everlasting, never becoming tired or growing weary while simultaneously depositing new strength in us (Isaiah 40:28).
He is our Provider of help, never sleeping but instead, watching over us (Psalm 121:2-4).
He grants overwhelming victory to us and never allows anything to separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).
He holds our concerns because He cares so deeply for us (1 Peter 5:7).
This God, our God, is the One whom we can trust. There’s no one like Him anywhere, ever. He’s all-powerful, all-knowing and present all the time. There’s never a place where we’ll be that He’s not already there. He guides, comforts, supplies, strengthens and provides for us because we are His children. He adores us. Reminding ourselves of this and living it out every day should help us eradicate the symptom of worry from our lives.
We weren’t born to be worriers. We were born to be warriors. The same power that raised our Savior from the dead is available to us through our Heavenly Father. Here is what God says about us:
He says that we are His children and co-heirs with Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:17)
He calls us more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)
He created us as His masterpiece and His workmanship, to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
He has chosen us, and we are His very own possession. (1 Peter 2:9)
He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
Finding freedom from worry takes time. We’ve created the habit of worry, so let’s un-create it by employing these ideas. Even though this takes time, it doesn’t mean you won’t find success. When you stop worry in its tracks and pray instead, that’s success! If you fail on the next thought and worry then just show yourself some grace. Simply start over.
The more honest we are about how much we worry, the more we can eradicate it from being a normal part of our lives. Worrying is normal, so let’s strive to go against the norm. Let’s choose to pray instead, entertain healthy thoughts and give God thanks for the blessings in our lives. Even in the very scary, uncertain times we are currently living in. God Bless all of us!
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
- Romans 8:31