Worrying is easy. You worry about how the need is going to be met. You just worry about it. And you worry some more. That’s easy! But it’s also wrong, because it means you have no faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Worry indicates a state of heart, that you are not trusting. Instead, you are doing the exact opposite of what Jesus commanded us to do, which is to have faith. Jesus put it this way:

“Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?

“Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

I’ve seen the terror that worry can, and does, have on people, and it is terrible. Worry causes ulcers, arguments, division, shouting, cursing, and stress. Worry is like a sword ready to strike a blow. Worry is from the devil! There is just no point to worrying!

Let me tell you the chief problem with worrying. The act of worrying is the opposite of having faith! Instead of thinking about the good things that could happen if you trusted in God, you are focusing on the negative things that might happen if you simply forsook your trust in God. You are empowering the devil (and his demons) and not God (and his angels), when you exercise this “negative faith.”

Or, put it another way. If faith pleases God (see Hebrews 11:6) and enables you to do great things, then worrying pleases the devil (the opposite of Hebrews 11:6) and causes you to slide down a slippery slope of ineffectiveness — or much worse (it may plummet you into disaster).

Did not Job say,

“For the thing which I fear comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to me”? (Job 3:25)

He did.

On the other hand, if you have faith (instead of fear, anxiety, and worry), you will stand up and agree with God’s declaration over your life as a child of God:

“No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of Yahweh’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh. (Isaiah 54:17)

But it’s not going to happen if you don’t believe it. Hence, the need for faith!

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.” (1 John 5:4)

Which will it be — fear, leading to the thing that you feared, or faith, leading to the abolishing of your enemies?

Did not David write,

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”? (See Psalm 23:5)

Did he not write that having full confidence in God? Or was he filled with fear when he wrote that? No, but he had confidence, for immediately prior to that, he wrote,

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Therefore, David chose not to be afraid. How then could David not be afraid? He spent time alone with God, and learned to cast all of his cares upon him.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

On this note, you should have enough faith to even move mountains!

“For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (See Matthew 17:20)

Perpetual Worriers

Think of those hundreds of thousands of people in the wilderness during the time of Moses. God says he was not pleased with them. Only two people from that generation, namely Joshua and Caleb, were permitted to enter into the promised land, because the others were always grumbling and complaining. They were perpetual worriers! For God says,

Forty long years I was grieved with that generation, and said, “It is a people that errs in their heart. They have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They won’t enter into my rest.” (Psalm 95:10-11)

Worry is both a spirit and an attitude. When you worry, you are allowing the destroyer into your life, your family, your job situation, your home, the life of your children, your friends, and anything else you come into contact with.

Is then the answer to simply sit back and relax, and God will take care of the need? This, too, is another fallacy that needs to be put to rest. In the Bible, we read,

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:26)

Therefore, you are not going to gain much relief from anxiety, worrying about your provision, if you just sit at home and do nothing. You are going to have to get out and look for that job (or start by looking for it on the internet, as the case may be).

Or, if you are worried about your son or your daughter, or your spouse, or a friend, pray for them. Or, if you need help with a complex matter, seek help. But do not sit there are worry about it. God will grant you the help you need if you will seek him, have faith, and do something.

Cast your boat into the sea, and let God guide you. Cast your net into the ocean, and see what you might catch. But don’t just sit there, do nothing, and worry about it! That is fatal!

There are people who do not have spouses. They may be anxious about not having a spouse, but what good will it do if you just sit at home all day and do nothing? Therefore, you will need to get out of the house and mingle with some good Christian company, otherwise you will never find that spouse that God has for you!

Therefore, there are some prerequisites for finding peace in the midst of your storm, and it is putting your faith into action. It is called “works.”

The apostle Paul wrote,

The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9)

Do you notice the “doing” part of that verse?

Serve the Lord

Here is something else you should do, if you do not want to have any worries or concerns: you should serve the Lord.

There was a woman who had nothing. She was destitute. Yet she and her husband had faithfully served the Lord. Now the creditors were coming to take her two sons away, to make them slaves, in order to pay the bills. She had nothing! This woman appealed to God, and to Elisha, the servant of God, on the basis of their commitment to God.

Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. You know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take for himself my two children to be slaves.” (2 Kings 4:1)

Notice the key part of this passage?

“… your servant feared Yahweh.”

This woman appealed to Elisha (the prophet) to help her on the basis of her and her husband’s commitment to God. And she was heard. God answered this woman’s plea. And, you know, God also provides for people who are not even his children, who do not even know him, and who do not even serve him (see Matthew 5:45). How much more should he provide for you?

The Importance of Attitude

What else can hinder us in our walk with God? We may be hindered if we have the wrong attitude. Therefore, we are to be merciful, even as God himself is merciful. We are to be loving, even as God himself is loving. We are not to hold grudges against others, even as God commands us to be forgiving. All of these things can cause problems.

Therefore, Jesus says,

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

And again, Jesus said,

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

Therefore, if we are worried about our own provision, are we being judgmental towards others in theirs?

If we are worried about our own need for a spouse, are we being judgmental towards others in theirs?

Therefore, God calls us to lay down our heart judgments towards others, and to have a gracious, loving, and entirely giving attitude, even as Jesus had.

Do not worry! You are precious and valued in God’s sight. He has great plans for you, if you will but trust him!

“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)