Don’t Worry by Alan Smith

Last updated on: February 19, 2012 at 8:15 am by editorconvergingzone

Don’t Worry by Alan Smith 2012-02-19T08:15:16-08:00 editorconvergingzone

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Phil 4:6-7: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. (TLB)

Do you worry; or have you ever worried? Of course you have, and maybe you still do. At some point in life, and in certain situations in life, we have all worried. But how can something that feels so noble cause us to have so much fear and emotional pain? In my mind it seems that worrying proves how much I care about someone or something. But does it really; is there any truth in this thought? Let’s take a look at the scripture above and see what it says about worry.

First of all, it admonishes us not to “worry” about anything. Come on now! Who can really do this one? In day-to-day life, worry seems to be an automatic emotional response for caring. For some reason I must believe this to be true, as I can see it in my actions; and I feel that I really do care when I worry. However, could it be that I am not really worried about someone or something else; but instead, could I be worried about myself and how situations could affect me? Could this be a selfish act in disguise? Could the act of selfish worry really create an entrance into my soul where fear would flourish?

Let’s look at the Webster’s Dictionary definition for worrying:

Inflected Form(s): wor·ried; wor·ry·ing

1 dialect British : CHOKE, STRANGLE

2 a : to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat b : to shake or pull at with the teeth c : to touch or disturb something repeatedly

3 a : to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : TORMENT b : to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort

4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

Can you believe this definition? I thought for me to “worry” was a noble act; that it was proof of how much I cared. This thought does not appear to be accurate, based on the definition noted above. Let’s go a step further. Have you ever had an experience of feeling like someone was strangling you or of feeling like you were choking for no apparent reason? Have you ever had a panic attack or felt that you just could not get enough air? I would like to suggest to you that this could be the fruit of the selfish act of worrying. Who is doing this to me, you might ask? I believe it is directly related to the act of worrying; in other words, we are doing it to ourselves. Our stinking thoughts are strangling the very life out of us. We then experience a feeling in the natural world that someone has their hands around our throats. I have had people ask me to pray for them because of this problem of feeling like someone or something was strangling them. When I shared with them that their problem was the act of worrying, they were in disbelief. I said to them, “You must trust in God and not in your worrying. Stop your worrying, for you are in the act of agreement with a false assumption”. A false assumption is not a reality, and it comes from a false perception. A false perception is a perception that is not true. Thus, worrying comes from a thought that is not even true. We must remember that it is important that we own our own thoughts and perceptions. We are responsible for what we think and for what we do. We are not responsible for others, but we are responsible for ourselves.

I believe to worry means we are tormented. Like Webster says, it is a persistent, nagging of attention we give unto ourselves. This tormenting is based on a lie that comes from a false perception. The scriptures say that when we feel tormented it is an unclean spirit. Do we really want to fellowship with unclean spirits?

Luke 6:18-as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. (NKJV)

Webster also says:

4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

Could this be true spiritual warfare? It appears that the dark side of the spiritual world would like to afflict upon us a mental distress and agitation. How does this happen? The only way the dark side can cause us mental distress and agitation is for us to be in a working relationship with it in how we think. We have entered into an agreement between darkness and ourselves. We have been deceived by our selfishness, because we thought we were being noble. The truth is that our trust for all of life’s circumstances was in ourselves and not in God. How can we truly get free? We must simply repent: repent of being selfish; repent of the thought that to worry is noble; repent of not trusting God with all of life’s circumstances; repent of being in agreement with the powers of darkness. True freedom comes when we agree with the truth. The scriptures say that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. Let’s now take hold of the truth and walk in the freedom that it offers.

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