On Sunday, my husband and I watched a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley on the temptation of Jesus. This was a great message that really convicted my heart several times.
One of the things the sermon challenged me to do was to specifically pray that the Holy Spirit reveal areas of my life where I succumb to temptation without even being aware of it… I’m still praying on this one and studying my own personal habits and tendencies, but one thing I know with certainty, the sin of worry is at the top of my list.
I’ve never had a panic attack or anxiety attack. However, I can out-worry about anyone, especially in regards to my son and loved ones.
Today, I was thinking about the message and a nugget of truth hit me so hard, I had to stop everything I was doing and write myself this note… “Worry and anxiety is insulting to God. It doesn’t matter how much I say I trust God and have faith in His plan, when I worry – I completely contradict myself and insult my Creator in the process.”
I know the Bible tells us not to worry. I’ve even written on the topic a couple of times since I started this blog. But still, it is among my chief struggles.
And I’m mad at myself over it!!!! Scripture tells us OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again to put our trust in the Lord. And yet, when the troubles of life get in my way, I tend to slip back into my old ways and worry.
Yet, the Bible specifically tells us that worrying doesn’t accomplish anything. Consider this verse in Matthew 6:27:
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
I admire David’s faith in God. When he wrote Psalm, he penned this beautiful verse about trust in God:
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him. ~Psalm 28:7
“My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped.” Nine simple words with a very powerful truth. When our hearts trust God, He helps us.
After all, God not only knows our past and present, He knows our future.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11
Since God knows His plans for us, why isn’t that sufficient? Why is trust so hard? Why is it so hard NOT to worry?
I had never given this much thought until I listened to Dr. Stanley’s sermon. When I think of temptation, I’m thinking of the devil whispering things like “tell a lie,” “gossip about that person,” or more “sinful” things (I put “sinful” in quotes because I know that a sin is a sin is a sin… I’m referring to “more sinful” by the world’s standards, not God’s).
However, Satan is a master at subtle. And what a clever way to tempt me (or anyone who struggles with the sin of worry)…to tempt me to worry.
When I stop considering “worry” as “human nature,” and begin to look at “worry” as a temptation to NOT trust God, it gives me a different perspective on how to fight it.
God put all of this on my heart today and I’ve been thinking about it… Worry and anxiety are tools Satan uses to tempt us from following God’s plan for our lives.
Now that I’ve thought about this in a new way, I’m going to be fighting this temptation in a new way. When worry creeps up on me, I can CHOOSE how to react. Will I choose to succumb to the temptation to worry? Or will I choose to trust in God? I want to choose the latter.
I will be praying for God’s guidance and for reminders from the Holy Spirit as I fight this battle. I would appreciate your prayers as well.
More verses to ponder about the sin of worry and the importance of trusting God:
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~Matthew 6:34
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” ~John 14:1
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; ~Proverbs 3:5
Dear Heavenly Father, Since You created the world, You have repeatedly told people of faith to trust in You. You have reminded us over and over throughout scripture not to worry; that You have everything under control. Thank You for teaching me that worry isn’t just human nature, but it’s a choice — a sinful choice and I do have the power to say, “No, I won’t worry. I will trust in You.” That is the motto I want to live by… You always keep Your promises; it’s demonstrated time and again in Scripture how trustworthy You are. Knowing full well that Your plans for me are good, and not harmful, then I need to trust You, even in situations I don’t understand. Thank You for loving me. When I’m tempted to worry, please remind me to pray… “To let go, and let God.” You are much better at Your job than I am and worry certainly doesn’t make my situation any better.
5 Responses
I really enjoyed this article. You did a great job talking about worry and how being anxious doesn’t help matters at hand. But that God has everything in his hands. God is in control. He knows the plans for us and knows where we are meant to be. Which I totally needed. Applying for a child life internship is very stressful and very, very worrisome. I feel like even though I give my anxiousness and worries to God, I still worry and I try not to, but it is really hard not to worry. Is it bad to give up my worries to God and still worry about them? Because I do, and I have tried to just let this go, but it’s hard. Thanks for these articles. They come just when I need them 🙂
Thank you, Ashley! This note means a lot to me. I will keep you in my prayers. It’s much easier to tell someone else not to worry and much harder to convince ourselves. At least we understand how to pray for each other, right??? ?
Appreciate your outright honesty Denise! Yes it is easily said than done…But as you said…Let us not insult God by worry and anxiety… Also Exodus 14:14 exhorts us to remain still and let God fight our battles…Let us give him the control and enjoy the peace of Christ!
Thank you so much for this. Such an important message and reminder.
Oh praise God!
Another forgotten sin, now I know.
Thank you very much for sharing, it will really help me to stop worrying and and Trust God.
May God continue to reveal you His hidden treasures in His Holy Word.