Focus: Don't Worry!

Text: Phil.4:6

"Be careful for nothing…"

We love comfort and convenience. We love to be in charge and perfectly in control. We love to feel and enjoy our security. Anything that threatens all of that is really cause for worry. When resources deplete and needs increase we worry, and worry makes us lose heart, mental poise, and emotional balance.

Worry is a word of German origin known as 'wurgen.' It means 'to choke or strangle; to seize by the throat and tear; to harass or cause anxiety to.'

In the Parable of the Sower as told by the Lord Jesus Christ, we find the word 'choke.' The word in the Greek is 'sumpingo,' which means "to strangle completely, to drown or to crowd out." Putting all this together we find that worry chokes. It causes us to suffocate. It causes us severe mental anguish and emotional distress. It begins as mild tension and then moves to advanced trauma. It makes us lose the very control we seek or seem to have. Worry saps us of joy, peace of mind, and drains us of energy.

In the form of acronym, WORRY:

*Weakens mentality

*Opens doors for demons

*Relegates God

*Ruins health

*Yields to pressure

Worry is pointless. It solves no problems, but rather worsens situations. Worry wearies the soul and crowds out inner peace. Worry is unhealthy. It stifles our creativity, intensifies our fears, and increases our stress. The worst of all is that "worry," according to a sage, "is worship given to a wrong god." And it's time for you to banish the god of worry from your life. A man of antiquity said, "O ye gods, if you can't improve my lot, leave me the way you met me." You don't need a god that amplifies troubles and anxieties, and diminishes your tranquility.

Take Paul's plea seriously. Be anxious for nothing. One paraphrase says, "Worry about nothing. Pray about everything." Kill worry before it kills you. God will not let what is under His feet to be above your head. I preached a message a long time ago, in which I said, "The Odds Are In My Favor." Receive it now as a personal word from God to you. Don't worry; you'll soon look back and testify that it came to pass. Yes! This too shall pass. You will not rust if you trust God. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter