It can be so easy to succumb to the pressures of the world around us… and when we settle into allowing those pressures to take deep roots in us, they have the opportunity to consume our mind with all kinds of negativity.
Do you feel like you’re under pressure?
Are you filled with anxiety over being… doing… or achieving?
Have the burdens you’re carrying crazed your thought-life and engrossed your emotions?
Certainly, there’s no shortage of things to worry about. That’s for sure. But is worry really something that should be holding so much power over us? Of course not!
Fear is the root of all worry, anxiety, and the negative pressure that we feel. God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. He gives us good gifts, not attributes that hinder and keep us paralyzed from growing, flourishing and living the fruitful life that He has planned for us. Jesus talked about this very thing to a crowd of people who were also under pressure about the provisions they considered paramount for their everyday living. Jesus didn’t diminish that people have needs, but He addressed what was dominating their minds. Worry and anxiety have the power to dominate. That’s what fear seeks to do – it strives to rule over us.
But Jesus, knowing that we can’t just choose to not worry, gave these instructions:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:33 (NLT).
We can’t just get rid of thoughts; we have to replace them. Determining to have a single-minded focus on Jesus – focusing on His Word and His Spirit – is the positive alternative to worry, fear, and anxiety controlling us. This is the roadmap to freedom in Christ. Seeking Him above all else, immediately, is choosing to focus on a Who rather than the what. And when we believe the Who is over the what, it’s a wonder we worry at all.
When we give God first place in every area of our life, our focus changes reflectively. We begin to align with His desires, and the pressures we once held so tightly are loosed from our grip. And when fear loses its power over us, we see clearer. We worry less, because we trust God more.
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