Monday - Stop Worrying

Philippians 4:6 — "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

2 Corinthians 10:5 — "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

Most of us don't think of worry as an obedience issue. We say, "I'm just a worrier," or "Somebody has to," or "I worry because I care." But Paul doesn't say "worry less" or "only worry about the big things." He says nothing.

The word "careful" means to be full of care, pulled between what we hope for and what we're afraid of losing. Anxiety is wanting something and fearing you won't get it: What if I lose my job? What if they reject me? What if the test comes back bad?

Paul's command is aimed at something already happening. In effect it means stop worrying. You can't always control which thoughts show up, but you can control what you do with them once they arrive. Martin Luther said, "You can't keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair." Paul calls that "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Have you been calling your worry something softer, like personality, responsibility or love?