What Can Overcome the Tendency to Worry?

Is it possible for worry to be in control of your attitude? Attitude is a powerful force in determining behaviors that are positive or negative. Worry saps mental and physical energy in addition to obscuring God’s blessings. Worry tends to fixate on what is negative.

I recently heard about a man who lost his family’s restaurant by gambling while trying to win enough money to pay past bills. Imagine the shame and guilt he felt facing his family with such devastating news. Worrying can set in motion risky behaviors and bad choices.

Seeking forgiveness for throwing away what God has provided is where to begin, but this will not negate the suffering you experience for bad decisions. God will provide strength and courage to turn again in faith to the giver of life itself. Take courage, for you can survive with a tiny mustard seed faith. 

God’s power and grace are greater than all our sins and mistakes.               

_________ 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your heart and mind as you live in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:6-7 New Living Translation

__________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

The Costs of Insecurity

Insecurity is one of the most difficult feelings to manage when
activating forgiveness. Insecurity produced by a personal weakness might be attributed to the inability to trust even when conditions appear safe. Another weakness is lack of impulse control, which allows for spontaneous actions before analyzing their consequences. 

The desire to please is so strong in some people, they fail to establish boundaries against being hurt in the future. An unrealistic desire to please could be based on the need to keep life predictable. Whether true forgiveness can take place under these conditions is questionable, but as conflict diminishes, hopefully life returns to a controlled normal.

Feelings of insecurity create suffering; therefore, it’s imperative to examine the source, so forgiveness can take place. While God will not force anyone to be forgiving, he paves the way to make forgiveness a viable choice. Trust God to create situations where forgiveness can move forward as he makes your forgiveness possible.  

_____________________________ 

You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.

~Proverbs 28:13 Good News Bible

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand, and this peace will control the way you think and feel.

~Philippians 4:4-7 Contemporary English Version 

Grow in Faith and Reap a Harvest of Righteousness - Part 2

Choosing what is good and godly may require a struggle that’s surprising to most of us. Why not just roll with the flow and take the pathway of least resistance instead of staying focused on righteousness, peace and God’s purpose for you? There are many distractions to divert your attention from God’s plan for you.

Change, especially change that comes with repentance, trust and faith in Christ Jesus, begins a process that continues forever. While our finite, limited minds have trouble comprehending this truth, its validity is not lessened. The temptation is to take the course of least resistance and roll with the flow of old expectations.  

Your goal now is to flow with faith and trust in Christ Jesus, to remember that faith, trust and repentance are God’s gifts to you, that includes his righteousness. These gifts give your life a definite focus. Maturing as a person of faith is your objective now. God’s Spirit resides in you to ensure you reach God’s plan and purpose.