Overcoming Worry

Overcoming Worry

Read | Psalm 37

Once we comprehend how worry undermines trust in our Father and how willing He is to remove it from us, we need to seek out ways to cooperate with Him. So let’s look at some common sources of worry that we can avoid.

One thing we can do is learn not to pay attention to the wrong people. There are many purveyors of doom and gloom all around us. I’m sure we all can think of various sources of such negative thinking, and steps we can take to avoid them, whether it’s a neighbor or newscast that plunges us into despair. We don’t have to listen to something evil just because it is making a lot of noise.

Storing up treasures on earth is another thing to avoid. The more we stockpile worldly goods, the more we are tempted to worry about what might happen to our possessions.

We will be mastered by either the material or the spiritual. The Lord put it this way: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24). To avoid serving the wrong master, we must deliberately choose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33). This means we must willingly pursue obedience and submission to God’s ways as He conforms us to the image of Christ.

Anxiety can be overcome. Our loving heavenly Father understands the human propensity to worry. And He has promised that putting His interests first will always result in our needs being met. The more we prioritize Him, the less apprehension will have a foothold in our lives.