Worrying is one of the things that sets us back in life. Worry affects us both physically and emotionally. It affects our relationship with God and others. But it is so difficult to stop. Yet, Jesus gives us direction on how to overcome worry.
Matthew 6:25 That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
A lot of our worries come because we are unclear about what is truly valuable. The clearer we understand what is truly valuable, the less our worries should overwhelm us. Consider this three point recipe for eliminating worry, or at least holding it at bay.
#1 Change your perspective
Matt 6:26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
Remember how valuable you are to God. We are far more valuable to God than the birds and yet he takes care of them. We worry over things that God has easily under control. So, look at the birds. They don’t seem to worry, and neither should you. Also, consider the ways that God has taken care of you throughout your life and allow that to give you courage to trust God with your future.
#2 Stop chasing the wrong things
Matt 6:31-32 So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
Don’t run after the same things that unbelievers chase after. God knows what you need in this life. Stop chasing the things you shouldn’t be running after. Many times we worry because we are chasing the wrong things. We hope to find our happiness in money or stuff, but these things will never bring us joy. Instead, true joy comes from prioritizing our relationships: our relationships with God and our relationships with people.
#3 Prioritize God
Matt 6:34 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Make sure you have your priorities straight. Seek God first and his righteousness. Living righteously means to live in a way that is honoring to God. When we focus on worry it becomes very hard to focus on God. As we’ve been alluding to throughout this article, it’s really hard to make God central in your life when you are worried about all these other things. Therefore, focus on following God, and allow God to take care of the rest of your life.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- What do you find yourself worrying about most often?
- Do you think it is a sin to worry? Why or why not?
- Read Matthew 6:27. From this verse we see that worry cannot add a single day to our lives, but what can it take away? What does worry keep you from doing?
- Read Philippians 4:6. What are we directed to do rather than worry? What do you think is the significance of being thankful in this context?
- Read Matthew 11:28-30. How do these verse apply to worry?
- Read John 14:27. What is the gift that Jesus has for a believer? Do you think you experience this on a daily basis? If not what keeps you from experiencing it?
- Name some specific things you could do this week when you are tempted to start worrying.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
