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With grateful hearts, we share our thoughts on redemption through Jesus Christ and His saving blood and what it looks like in our daily walk.

We gladly welcome your comments and input.
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AND since we hold our conservative values dear, we might have a thing or two to say about politics... and we can almost guarantee it won't be politically correct.



Sunday, March 29, 2009

Freedom From Worry

Those of you who know me, know I am a die-hard advocate of mental toughness. What we use our precious thought-life energy on is what we will likely begin to believe. So to change what we believe we have to change what we think about. What we think is what we eventually (if we haven't already) become.

I've chosen to share a daily writing (occasionally) from an email newsletter I receive.
The premise of each of these daily readings is to make us aware of what we are allowing ourselves to think and how that affects our relationship with God and others. Then it gives us some concise and easily understood steps of how to change wrong thinking. I hope they speak to you as much as they have me.

I've written some of my own thoughts at the end of each post. You didn't think I could just sit down and let someone else have my pulpit now did you?
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Today we’re fasting from the thought that says, “I can’t seem to stop worrying.”
Worry is the diseased child of fear and unbelief. Let's change this today:

1. Expect healing from the DISEASE of worry. (Worry is a disease that spreads to physical and mental disorders. Proverbs 12:25) 1 Peter 2:24—With His stripes you were healed.
2. USE worry as a SIGNAL to pray. When your mind is telling you to worry, your spirit is telling you to pray! Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace...”
3. Go deep with God. Worry will leave. In Matthew 6:33 the Message Translation: “Steep your life in God...Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday concerns will be met.
4. Meditate on Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me—That includes the ability to stop worrying.
5. Realize worry CAN’T add to your life. (Luke 12:25) When you KNOW something is taking from your life, rather than adding, you stop it.



THINK IT & SAY IT: I recognize worry as a disease that I AM healed from today! When worry comes to my mind, I will listen to my spirit telling me to pray. I steep my life deeply in God and I expect worry to leave. I refuse to let worry take from me another day in my life, in Jesus’ Name!
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Just to be clear... While I agree with this teaching ... Today I feel I need to give a bit of a clarification to some of the words used in this particular daily word. I like the way the writer put this: Worry is the diseased child of fear and unbelief. We know this is a metaphor and a good word picture because certainly worry is not a child. On the other hand, I wouldn't declare worry as a (medical) disease. Although ... I would say that the stronghold of worry in our minds and hearts DEFINITELY can lead to physical and mental disorders and possibly disease. With that said... I don't think we can really be "healed" from worry. I do believe in healing and that by Jesus stripes we WERE healed. But worry starts in the thought processes and to "heal" our thoughts we have to do more than just believe (or pray) we are healed. WE HAVE TO REPLACE worried thoughts with thoughts of TRUTH from the Bible. The author's points 2-5 are absolutely necessary to restructure our thought life... which will free us from worry.



I don't think we can worry AND trust God at the same time. The two forces are polar opposites.

3 comments:

marmee said...

another good one. i don't feel as if i worry, i have never seen the good in it. but i do have a close friend that does. this is a good post i will try to get her to read it.

Meems said...

I was born a natural worrier... I think it was in my DNA. Through God's grace I have made great strides in this area. Even though I feel as if it is a victory place for me... with all that's going on these days in our nation/world... I have felt it creeping back up on me. I'm having to go back to basics and read the same scriptures I've used in the past to help me get my focus on the right thing.

marmee said...

dear meems,


God's grace is always in the right supply when we need it. i many other areas in which i need mulitudes of His grace. i agree this is a wonderful time to get back to basics in the Lord. the truth is always the truth. i love that God's word is simplistic at the same time so completely layered chalk full of things to discover.
love you and so glad you are posting these truths.