Thoughts of Worrying

 

Total estimated reading time is 4 mins.

I have come to realize how powerful our thoughts are in terms of the direction we are heading towards in our lives. We often do not stop to think about what we are thinking about that may be leading us towards thoughts of anxiousness and worrying. One thing I struggled with when I started on this journey was controlling my thoughts. I had always let all sorts of thoughts just run through my mind without taking them captive and bringing them to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). I allowed the enemy sow lies into my heart which then shaped and formed the decisions I was making. God intervened and the first thing He did was to set His house in order where my thoughts were concerned. I read a powerful book by Joyce Meyer called the Battlefield of the Mind. I would greatly encourage you to read this if you haven’t already. It changed my perspective on how I thought about myself and my life. This is where I learned how our thinking is where we sometimes fall short of seeing the fullness of God manifesting in our lives.

Many times, I would find myself dwelling on my problems more than seeking God and His word and being assured about the promises He has made that can see me through this situation and problem. With time, I have seen this shift in my thinking happen more and more when I continued to seek God, my problems began to get smaller and smaller. I have seen Him repeatedly make Himself stronger than any problem that I may face as 2 Chronicles 16:9 says “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”. We serve a mighty God who is not intimidated by the problems we face in life. Instead of dwelling on the problems, we should fix our eyes on the solution because that is where we will see results. The Bible says in Matthew 6:27: “which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?“. Worrying never yield results.

We do not need to worry, the Bible says in Philippians 4:6: “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God“. I have found that it is so powerful to be in a mindset of thanksgiving rather than worry and anxiousness that stems from fear. If we want to walk in complete obedience, then we have to work on removing fear in our lives. These thoughts only serve to instill doubt and hold us back from experiencing the fullness of God. I take time everyday to continually remind myself of the victories God has won in my life. We are so quick to forget the things the Lord has done that it is easy to open the door and allow those thoughts of fear and doubt to come back in. But if we stop and start remembering the good things God has done in our lives, I tell you, your problems will start to feel like they have disappeared. I greatly encourage you to keep an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and watch how you start to change the way you think and approach problems.

Worrying is a form of meditating because you are constantly rehearsing potential problems in your mind that have yet to manifest. But if you were to shift this thinking and start meditating on the word of God by taking a simple step to thank God and rehearse your victories. You will start to see a shift taking place where you are no longer a person who worries about problems but a person who has chosen to make God bigger than any problem you face.

I pray this message encouraged you and will help you along your journey to deepen your relationship with the Lord. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.

Gloria Bareberaho