“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” ~ Philippians 4:6
REFERENCE:
Worrying is the sickness of this century. There is a rise in cases of depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. So much is happening worldwide: famines, plagues, inflation, food scarcity, economic difficulty, wars, unemployment, etc. Social media constantly reminds people of their failures and how others are faring better than them. All these have led to an increase in suicide rates in recent years. It is why we must declare war on worry.
Wikipedia says, “Since social media was introduced, some people have taken their lives as a result of cyberbullying. Furthermore, suicide rates among teenagers have increased from 2010 to 2022 as social media has become something that people interact with more throughout their day-to-day lives.” Worrying is taking a toll on people’s mental health and must be addressed.
To worry is to give way to anxiety or unease. It is to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere. Jesus said, “How many of you, by worrying, can add a cubit to his stature?” In other words, worry is unproductive; it never adds anything meaningful to you. One set of statistics shows that we can do nothing about 70% of things we worry about. Isn’t that interesting?
40% are things that will never happen, 30% are past events that we cannot change, 12% are about criticism by others that is primarily untrue, 10% are about our health (which gets worse with worrying), and 8% are about real problems that can be solved (by John Underhill and Jack Lewis). This is why our text charges us to be intentional about not allowing anxiety or worry.
Can you make that choice today? The choice to be anxious for nothing? That is the first step to declaring war on worry. You must understand that it is an unproductive venture and will only lead to more worry or anxiety. The moment you open the door to anxious thoughts, one thought will follow after another until you get depressed. Don’t factor God out of the equation of your life; place your worries side by side with God, and be assured of peace.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Proverbs 12:25, I Peter 5:6-7, Matthew 11:28-30
PRAYER:
+ Lord, I declare war on worry today as I decide to cast all my cares, anxieties, and burdens on You. I choose to factor You into the equation of the circumstances of my life. I trust that You will cause all things to work together for my good as I relinquish control to Your Holy Spirit from today: I surrender my life, marriage, children, business, career, job, etc., to You. Have your way, Lord, in Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.
