Philippians 4:6 KJV
‘be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God’.–
• DAILY READING       John 16:4-33; 2 Chronicles 24; Psalm 81
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness of this age. According to a recent report by the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders are on the increase globally. Indeed it seems the world is entering a new age of anxiety. As the economic situation worsens, fretting in the general population seems to be on the rise. 

However the Bible in Philippians 4:6 says ‘be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God’.
God’s will is for us to focus on prayer and thanksgiving instead of worrying.  

J. Arthur Rank, a devout Christian, was one of the early pioneers of the film industry in Great Britain. When he realized he had a problem with worrying he made a pact with God to limit his worrying to only one day in a week. He chose Wednesdays, and made a little box, which he called his Wednesday Worry Box. He placed the box on his desk, and whenever a worry cropped up, Rank wrote it out and dropped it into this Wednesday Worry Box. He refused to think about the problem, until Wednesday. Then when Wednesdays came, he would  open the box, and bring up each piece of paper where he had written his worries. However as time went by,  Rank began to discover something amazing. Instead of having piles of problems to worry about on Wednesday, he found that only a third of the items he had written, were still worth worrying about by that time. He found that somehow the rest had managed to resolve themselves. From this, he came to the conclusion that worrying never accomplished anything. 

In Luke 12:25 Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”! Then, in the following verse 26, Jesus pointed something else out: “Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” 

Indeed worry never solves any problem, Psychologists tell us that roughly 40 percent of what we worry about will never happen and 30 percent has already happened. Additionally, 12 percent of worries are over unfounded health concerns. Another 10 percent of worries involve the daily miscellaneous fretting that accomplishes nothing. That leaves only 8 percent. In other words, people are worrying 92 percent of the time for no good reason, 

Worry has been described as interest paid on trouble before it comes due. Worry is like a rocking chair; requiring a lot of energy, and yet it gets you nowhere. 

Instead of worrying, we have to trust that God is in control of our lives. We look to Him in every situation knowing that He will definitely work things out to our favor. 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 says ‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places’

This is why we maintain a joyful attitude in the face of any challenge, because we trust God is in control of our lives. God says that He thinks good thoughts towards us, which means that whatever the situation, He is working everything to align with His good thoughts for us. This is why we do not fret nor worry.

Jesus put it plainly, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.” Indeed when we believe in God and trust in Him then our hearts will not be troubled, rather we will be full of praise, knowing that God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. . Indeed God is good. Therefore never allow anything to steal your praise. Instead, learn to turn your worry into worship. Rather than wasting energy in worrying, invest that energy in praise. Every time you’re tempted to worry, turn it around and thank God for His blessings. Indeed if you look back and count your blessings, you will find that God has really been faithful to you. If you can think, then you can thank. Indeed God is good, all the time!    

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PRAYER: Lord, please help to stop worrying about things I have no control over, I trust you are in control of my life, and I know that even right now you are working out everything for my good. in Jesus Name. . 

QUOTE 

When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 

WORDBITE 222…

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK REJOICE]