The Problem of Worry

Thursday 22 June
READ: Matt.13:18-23
MORE LESSON: Lk.12:22

Don't worry’ is easy enough to say, but it’s not so easy to do when unpaid bills stack up or a crisis looms or the future looks bleak. Worry can overwhelm and brutalise a person; it's a hard emotion to suppress. There is hardly any man who has never gone through worry before. Even the disciples of Jesus were once worried about their future and Peter expressed his fear, ...See, we have left all and followed You: Lk. 18:28. Worry is a powerful emotion that grips a person tightly in times of crisis and he wonders, What about tomorrow? What if this happens? What if that happens? If we don't have enough, we worry that it might be stolen or taken away. Man is indeed a phenomenon! Some people are terribly worried about the fact that they are too young; they want to get older, but worrying won’t change anything or help anyone.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about the seed that was choked out by the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. The seed of the Word of God never brought forth fruit because it was strangled by worry. It isn't only those who are well off that are plagued with the problem of worry, it also bedevils those who have very little but who are always worrying about what they don't have. Whether for lack or
abundance, the effect is the same: it chokes you and strangles you spiritually.
Here are a few reasons why you must not worry:
1. Most of what we worry about never take place.
2. Worry has never been a problem solver.
3. Worry does not make things better but worse.
4. Medical science says worry can shorten a man's life.
5. Worry is anti faith and anti trust in God.
What to do with worry:
1. Take all matters to God in prayer and leave them there.
2. Cast all your cares upon the Lord.
3. Don't fear the future, rather pray about the future.
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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus: Phil.4:6-7.
Remember, worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, rather it empties today of its strength.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to forgive your worry and anxiety, in Jesus’ name.
* Tell God that you shall be more committed to His Word and promises, in Jesus’ name.
* Bind everything that causes you to worry, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every spirit of diversion of glory, I destroy you by the fire of the Holy Ghost today, in the name of Jesus.