The Debilitating Power of Worrying
“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.”–Proverbs 12:25 New Living Translation
“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.”–Proverbs 12:25 New Living Translation
Worrying can become rather debilitating over time. It leads to depression, which acts like a sinkhole in our lives. It doesn’t have to be this way. The believer who allows negativism to warp their perception of things needs to reflect on scripture instead to pull themselves out of their funk. Consider Psalm 94:19, which says, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Things are not always going to go your way, but if you focus on the Lord and not your situation you will be victorious.
That’s really all worrying is … negative thought. Being concerned about things that may happen or will happen and what the consequences might be is a tremendous waste of energy. And I can say that because I’ve worried about plenty of things throughout my life. Nothing positive or helpful ever comes from it. It just upsets our stomach and creates stress. I call that ‘manufactured stress’. It’s not natural, but unnatural. Something we’ve conjured up in our own minds that will probably never come to pass. That’s nothing more than a lack of trust in God’s ability to remove us or see us through any given difficulty and that’s a sin.
Matthew 6:33-34 tells us how to overcome worrying. Jesus said in verse 33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Now we’re probably all familiar with that portion of scripture, but did you know that the very next verse says? “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries.” As a matter of fact Matthew 6:25-34 deals with concern for our needs being met in association with worry. Take the time to look it up and read it. You’ll be glad you did.
If you want to be a blessing to others cultivate, with the Holy Spirit’s help, a ministry of encouragement. The spoken word is an important part of caring for one another. What you say to them just might be exactly what they need to hear at that very moment. Encourage and edify the brethren first, but those outside God’s grace as well so they might see Christ in us through our words and behavior.
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