Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:6-7).
Worry is always based on fear. Worry solves no problems. Worry is a waste of time! Someone has said worry is always based on a lie; deal with the lie and the fear will die. And of course the acronym for FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Satan is the master of counterfeit.
Worry is a sin! It’s the sin of unbelief. When we worry, we choose to believe the voice of circumstance over the voice of the Word. My worry breaks the Father’s heart. He told us not to worry about the things of life. He said that if He takes care of birds and flowers, which have a short life span, He will most certainly take care of us. Fear not little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
The solution to the problem you face is already available. My former pastor, Bob Yandian, would say: If Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, then the answer to your problem existed before the problem ever came into being!
Here’s how I deal with worry. Years ago, the Father gave me Philippians 4:6, J.B. Phillips translation, as the answer to my worry. Don’t worry over anything whatever. Tell God every detail of your need in sincere and thankful prayer.
Instead of worrying, I am to tell the Father the exact details of what bothers me, the good, the bad, the ugly, etc. Tell it all. I really pour out my heart.
But, I don’t stop there! Pouring out my heart is only half of the process. Then, I pray the prayer of faith. The prayer of faith is the key to overcoming worry! I tell Him exactly what I want Him to do, and I ask Him to do it based on His Word.
With the prayer of faith, I believe I receive the answer the moment I pray. Then I must speak and act like I believe I receive the answer to my prayer, even if the problem seems to get worse! Faith takes the place of what I don’t have until it manifests! If I’m walking by faith, then my faith is the title deed so to speak that guarantees that the answer is already mine. And it’s only a matter of time before it shows up. The only thing between me and the answer is TIME! So I praise and thank the Father during that time until the manifestation comes.
Several years ago when we were renovating our current church building, a challenge arose suddenly that jarred my thought life to the core! I was sorely tempted to worry all day long, every day. An appraiser came to appraise our old property as well as the new building. The appraiser did not like churches, and told us so. As a result, the appraiser appraised both properties way below their value, which put our upcoming closing on a bank loan for the new property in jeopardy.
So every day, beginning when I woke up, I would hear in my mind, you’re not going to be able to get the loan on your new property and you’re going to lose it. These thoughts bombarded me all day and kept waking me up at night. I went to the Lord, and told Him how angry I was at the appraiser for not being fair to us, and I told Him that I choose to forgive the appraiser. And, I asked God to give us favor with the bank and work out the loan details so that we could close in spite of what the appraiser did.
Everyday, I was engaged with a battle in my thought life. Every time the thoughts came about how the appraiser valued the properties and how we were going to lose the new property, I took the thoughts to God, and said, Father, I refuse these thoughts, and I believe that I receive the loan we need for the new property. Thank you for working on our behalf and helping us secure the loan. And then I would praise God for hearing and answering my request. This went on for weeks. Everyday as the thoughts came I would cast my care about the situation on the Lord, and remind Him that I believe that I receive the loan and that I have favor with the bank.
Bottom line, we secured the loan anyway! And we’ve been in the property for almost 6 years now, and the value has increased greatly. God always answers when you trust Him!
Giving your worries to God works every time, and covers every problem. Worry evaporates when the prayer of faith is prayed. Don’t worry. Tell God what you need, and pray the prayer of faith over every negative thing you face in your life. God is faithful, and will make a way. Replace your worries with faith and praise for answers yet to come!