Can anyone tell me where the Worry-Free Zone is?
Everyday we worry about a number of things. How do you stop worrying so much. If God's word speaks so much about it, then why is it so hard not to. God does tell us 365 times in His Word not to worry, so why do we do it? Well, it's partly because we often times forget what worry is. There is a difference between being concerned about something and worrying about the same thing. Being concerned means you will take action to solve the problem. Worry means you do nothing but spin your mental wheels. If you sit around and worry about.....whatever, you will waste a lot of time. However, if you listen, prepare, and act, things tend to take care of themselves.
Often when we worry, our problems seem bigger than they really are. Focus on Jesus instead of your problem. Do your best and let God take care of the rest. Instead of worrying, realize and know that God has a better plan. It's really simple, pray. Paul wrote to the church of Philippi and told them "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."(Philippians 4:6) Paul was in prison when he wrote this. He had plenty to worry about. But instead he chose to take them all to God in prayer. He didn't allow himself to focus on the bad, clouding everything....he chose to focus on the good. It wasn't a self pep-talk. Paul just realized at the end of his rope that the only way to overcome worry was to rely on the power that was shared with him through Jesus.
When you worry, it's just satan working in and through you. When you worry, nothing gets accomplished. When you worry, its shows you doubt God can take care of it. In Matthew 6:27 Jesus says "Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?" Later he reminds us to take care of today by living one day at a time. A lot of people worry about the future and don't take care of today's problems, this of course only makes things worse.
Not worrying doesn't mean your a slacker or unconcerned. It's the opposite in fact! It's faith IN action. It's realizing that the God who created the universe can handle your measly little problems. Try this: Make a list of things that conern you. Now, change that list to a prayer list. Keep it until God has worked in all those areas and see how He takes care of your problems.