Monday’s Mantra

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United, and our Monday’s Mantra, which happens to be a very popular habit…worry! So turn off all distractions, grab your coffee, or whatever you’re having for our time together, and come on in for a few moments.

“There is scarcely any one sin against which our Lord Jesus more largely and earnestly warns His disciples, or against which He arms them with more variety of arguments, than the sin of disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of life, which are a bad sign that both the treasure and the heart are on the earth.” ^{Matthew Henry Commentary}

Let’s face it; meeting life on life’s terms without worrying is…well, something that seems impossible to do at times, right? Why, then, does worry seem to run in and through our veins leading to our hearts and minds?

In Matthew 6:25-34, the subject is worry, and it drives home this truth: the more time we spend doing the not-so-necessary things, such as worrying, the more necessary it becomes for our Savior to rescue us…from ourselves, and that which we worry about! Can you see the crazy cycle?

In Matthew 6, verse 25, Jesus mentions some life essentials – “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear,” but did you notice He doesn’t mention shelter? “Shelter/home” falls under “²⁵do not worry about your life…³³all these things”; shelter is an implied necessity; however, I suggest that our first form of shelter is to be found in Him! When we worry about any of the necessities of life, we are stepping out of the Shelter.

In Psalm 27:5, we read “For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock.” Now that’s a shelter of protection!

Let’s get back to worrying – not literally – and look at the side effects which can hinder our relationships, especially our relationship with Him!

1.      Worry harms health! Read Psalm37:8

If your body is His temple, your heart His home, why would we want to invite Him into a house cluttered with worry?

2.      Worry consumes our thoughts and derails us from His peace. Read Philippians 4:6-8

Whatever’s taking up space in your heart and mind and not paying rent has got to go!

3.      Worry disrupts our ability for kingdom productivity: Read Philippians 4:13

In other words, worry is a crutch that keeps us from reaching our purpose! When we are taking care of what concerns Him, we are allowing Him to handle what concerns us!

4.      Worry inhibits listening: Read 1^st Peter 5:6-7

While worry is a natural emotion, it can become unreasonable and therefore a distraction.

5.      Worry diminishes your ability to trust God!

Worrying is a silent partnership with the enemy!

I love what Joyce Meyers says about worry: “Worry is like a rocking chair—it's always in motion but it never gets you anywhere.”

Perhaps it’s time to get on up off that rocking chair and move forward knowing He is our shelter, our provider and exchange worrying for faith-ing (rhymes with bathing)!

Love,

Evinda