“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4–7
Addictions are habits that hold us in bondage. Worry is a habit that can be broken with some practice and help from the Lord.
Why should we break up with worry? Worry is a thief! It steals from us but gives nothing back–.ever! Our English word “worry” comes from the German word “wurgen,” which means “to strangle; to choke.”
As believers, when we repeatedly choose to give in to worry, not only are we miserable, but we aren’t able to bear fruit. We become “spiritually strangled.” Worry forces us to focus on the wrong things. Instead of focusing on God’s provision for today, we worry about the unknowns of tomorrow. We will never be able to habitually walk in our promised abundant life until we come to terms with our “worry addiction.”
It’s normal to worry. It isn’t normal to stay in worry. God offers a guaranteed cure summed up in six words.
Worry about nothing; pray about everything (Philippians 4:6).
The way we begin to break the habit of worry is to practice, practice, practice the habit of giving each worry to God. One by one, we switch our worry list to our prayer list. Worry is a wasteful use of our days. As we break free of it, we will experience some extra time and energy. What should we do with those gifts?
Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
This command won’t be difficult if you first practice the six words. In fact, joy will flow out of you.
Relax! (Philippians 4:5)
“Let your gentle spirit be known– ” This is a sweet reasonableness. It’s the idea of having a relaxed, easygoing manner. Worry makes you uptight and tense. When you practice the six words, you will find yourself loosening up and will not only have more joy, but you will be a joy to those around you.
Rest! (Philippians 4:7)
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds–” This is the idea of a military guard all around you. As you transfer your worries to God in prayer, His very own peace will fill you. You will have a quietness in your spirit and a calmness in your mind. Let’s practice the six words and watch how God frees us from worry.