Worry imagines the worst.
Toilet paper flew off the shelves when we heard “pandemic.” Basic items became scarce, causing many to selfishly hoard. When we’re afraid, self-preservation kicks in and anxiety rules. Feeling powerless, many of us experience sleepless nights. I’ve worried about my family, the pandemic, division, hatred, increasing violence, and the upcoming election. I find fear robs me of peace.
Worry comes naturally. Why resist? Jesus gives us the answer, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest” (Luke 12:25-26).
Jesus says we have nothing to worry about. When we grasp the truth of who God is and trust His plan, we find freedom from anxiety.
Here are 10 reasons why you have nothing to worry about:
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Our all-knowing God controls the universe. He spoke to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, “I am God, and there is no other... there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning... I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Isaiah 46:9-11).
God’s desires will prevail. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).
While we have freedom to choose, God will use all events to fulfill His aim to glorify His name. God’s intentions for the universe can’t be hindered.
Believers in Jesus are secure forever. Writing to encourage early Roman believers, Paul wrote, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38-39).
Jesus taught, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28). We’re guaranteed His love for eternity.
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Moments before Jesus Christ’s death, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). By dying in our place and taking our punishment for sin, He fulfilled His purpose set before the creation of the world to redeem mankind. There’s no other price to be paid. We can rejoice knowing Jesus has won the victory over sin and death.
The Apostle Paul, a man with great faith who’d seen many prayers answered, suffered from an unknown aliment. He begged God three times to take it away. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then declared, “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). If God can turn Paul’s weakness into strength, then He’ll do the same for you.
Joni Eareckson Tada is a great example of relying on God’s strength. When interviewed by the Christian Post, Joni said, “My weakness, that is, my quadriplegia, is my greatest asset because it forces me into the arms of Christ every single morning when I get up.” If God allows persistent struggles, we can trust His grace will be sufficient.
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We can face anything knowing He provides what we need to get through it. Peter, one of Jesus’s closest friends, wrote, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3a).
God gave us the Holy Spirit who empowers us, His inspired written word in Scripture for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (1 Timothy 3:16), and the privilege to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:12).
To reassure early believers in Rome who faced continual persecution, Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Paul endured torture and imprisonment for his faith. Yet, instead of being apprehensive, he focused on heaven. He continued to obey God, trusting the future to Him.
God gave these encouraging words to the prophet, Isaiah, “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17). When we enter His glory for eternity, earthly sorrows will fade.
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Anxiety attacks our minds. Taking back our thoughts with prayer loosens worry’s grip.
Paul exhorted, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Turn your concerns into prayers knowing God answers with what is best. Leave the results in His hands, and He’ll provide peace.
In Hebrews we learn about the faithful lives of early believers. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth... they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:13, 16).
Christians throughout history have remained faithful in the midst of wars, persecutions, poverty, and tragedy. They looked forward to their true home in heaven.
We can’t walk in faith and worry simultaneously. Worry wants to see. Faith trusts in the unseen.
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Pain, trouble, and sorrow are part of life in this fallen world. But in the beloved 23rd Psalm, King David wrote, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). In His last instructions, Jesus gave this encouragement, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus’s disciples learned about trusting Him while on a lake during a furious storm. Fearing for their lives while Jesus slept, “The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:25-26). When unexpected storms rage, He’s right beside us.
Great stories often end with an epic battle between good and evil. Evil seems to be winning--until good prevails. These all reflect the true battle, except in reality there’s no contest. Teaching how Jesus defeated Satan, our enemy, Paul wrote, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).
Some worry about the rise of the Anti-Christ yet Paul recorded, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
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These 10 truths can help you deal with anxiety. You’ll still be concerned about the problems you’re facing, but by steadily applying these simple truths you can begin today to worry less and trust God more.
I’ve too often lived in fear, wasting time worrying about potential trouble. In 67 years, most of my worries never happened. Corrie Ten Boom who lived a life of peace until her fifties, when she suffered atrocities in a Nazi concentration camp, wrote in her book Clippings from my Notebook, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.”
Instead of plotting how to avoid pain, try serving Him in freedom taking whatever comes with grace and peace. You’re His beloved child. He knows what you need and will take care of you. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
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