Letting Go Of Worry And Anxiousness!

God wants us to be so secure in Him and have such a confident trust in Him, that it leaves no room for being anxious or in worry.  Prayer and requests with a heart of thanksgiving will bring you His Peace and give your heart a reassurance that nothing else can give. This is how we turn around worry and anxiousness around into a solid, confident faith in His love and provision for us.

Philippians 4:6-7 AMP –  Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

Here, we have the Word of God unveiling to us the problem and the ANSWER, Praise The Lord!  So what does anxious mean? 

Anxious =

• To be troubled with cares
• To take thought
• To be anxious about, or looking for a thing
• To be disturbed

Matthew 6:27 – AMP And who of you by worrying can add one ^[a]hour to [the length of] his life?

Matthew 6:27 TPT – So, which one of you by worrying could add anything to your life?

Both these words – Anxious and Worry are the exact same word.  Most people think these have different meanings.  A little bit of worrying is not the same as having anxiety, but Jesus says it means the same thing. 

What usually happens, is we are thinking about something that has not happened yet and we are allowing worry and anxiousness to bring us into fear!   When my daughters were teenagers and had a curfew to be home, I was already beginning to think that something could be wrong.  This is one of the tactics the enemy uses to keep us doing the opposite of faith.  We could be using our thoughts to believe what the Word of God says about our situation.  I could have used my thoughts to believe that God was big enough to bring my children home safe and sound. 

I wasted many nights and days with worrying and anxiety about things that never happened. These things also cause so much stress in our minds and our bodies.  But, if we will do what God says in verse 6 & 7, things will turn around and you will learn how to live in His Peace!  

V.6b – but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition (supplication) with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.

What does He mean when He says “by prayer and supplication”:

Prayer is addressing God in a conversation, it is worship,  it is asking, believing and receiving, it’s just talking to God!  Supplicationis an entreaty, a request, a seeking or a petition.   It is the hearts conversation with God! 

Look at Matthew 21:22 – And whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.” And Mark 11:24 – For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God’s will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you.  

We’re being told to ask God for help in whatever we need and if we believe, we will receive and will have no reason to worry or to be anxious.  When we follow His instructions, we will have His peace, and it will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus! 

Colossians 3:2 – Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].

Let me end with this; the phrase “ set your mind”  means to exercise your mind, to entertain, to be mentally disposed, to set your affections on.  If we will train our minds to fill our thoughts with heavenly realities, we will leave no room for worry and anxiousness to steal the peace of God from us!

Remember, you are Loved, you are Righteous, and you are His!