Definition: anxiety; fear or nervousness about what might happen; fearful concern. In the King James translation of the New Testament, the word most commonly used for worry is “care,” which also means worry or anxiety.
1. Worry is a lack of faith and trust, from looking at circumstances instead of the Lord.
* Psalm 127:2 [Just relax. Worrying surely won’t help!] It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.
* Matthew 6:25-34 [Jesus teaches us, His servants, not to worry about the future or about His faithfulness to supply our daily needs.] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
* Matthew 8:24-26 [Jesus can give you peace in the midst of storm.] And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. 25 And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
* Matthew 14:25-31 [Look to the Lord, not to the waves!] And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. 29 And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
* Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with … cares [anxieties] of this life, and so that Day [of Christ’s coming] come upon you unawares.
2. Worry and fear can cause you to make serious mistakes, which faith and trust could have prevented.
* Numbers 13:28-33 [The Devil uses worry and fear to exaggerate our troubles. Ten of the twelve spies sent by Moses to reconnoiter the Promised Land worried about the adversaries they would encounter there. When they returned from their forty-day mission, they reported that there were giants in the land, but when Caleb tried to speak faith, then they exaggerated saying all the inhabitants were giants, which caused the Hebrews to fear and hesitate to claim the land. They said:] Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak [the giant] there. … 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
* Numbers 14:1-4,34 [Worry can be contagious. The Hebrews who heard the fearful story of the 10 spies, began to fear and then to murmur, speaking defeat, which led to panic and rebellion:] And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would God we had died in this wilderness! … 3 Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. … [Because of their disobedience and rebellion, God cursed them in this way:] 34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know My breach of promise. [See also Deuteronomy 1:27.]
* Job 3:25,26 [Job’s worry seemed to demoralize him till trouble actually came:] For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. 26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. [See also Proverbs 10:24.]
* Isaiah 28:16b [If you trust the Lord you won’t act hastily.] He that believeth shall not make haste. [See also Proverbs 19:2b.]
* Matthew 25:24,25 [Worry and fear caused someone to bury their talent, rather than use and invest it:] Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. [See verses 14-29 for the whole parable.]
* Romans 8:15 [Worry and fear put us in bondage, but God has freed us from it.] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
3. Unwisely comparing yourself with the ungodly can cause needless worry.
* Psalm 37:1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
* Psalm 37:7,35,36 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. … 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
* Proverbs 24:19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked.
* Isaiah 8:12b,13 [Don’t let the fear of others rub off on you. Fear the Lord and follow Him.] Neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
4. The Lord tells us to cast our worries and burdens on Him.
* Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
* Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
* 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.
5. It is impossible to worry when we are meditating on the Lord and His Word.
* Psalm 112:7,8b He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. 8b His heart is established, he shall not be afraid.
* Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
* Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
* Proverbs 3:1,2 My son, forget not My law; but let thine heart keep My commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
* Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
* Isaiah 48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
* Philippians 4:6,7 Be careful [worried or anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
6.We have nothing to worry orfear because God is with us and will not fail!
* Deuteronomy 1:29,30a Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30a The Lord your God which goeth before you, He shall fight for you.
* Deuteronomy 20:3,4 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
* Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
* Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
* Zechariah 8:13b So will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
* Mark 5:36b Be not afraid, only believe.
* John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.
* John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
* 1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
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