By Tiffany Williams

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;  or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air;  they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”  Matthew 6:25-27

Jesus commands us not to worry, but how can we avoid it?

Working and planning responsibly is good.  Dwelling on all the ways our planning can go wrong is bad.

Worry is pointless because it can’t fill any of our needs.  Worry is foolish because the Creator of the universe loves us and knows what we need.  He promises to meet all of our real needs, but not necessarily all of our desires. As Lord and Creator, He wants to help provide what we need as well as guide us on how to use what He provides.

To overcome our worries, we need to trust God.  We need to spend time praying instead of worrying.  We should develop a strategy that can correct the problems within our control.  It is wise to get a support team to help and encourage us.  This would include those who will pray for us to find wisdom and strength to deal with our worries.

So what’s the secret to being worry-free?

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Matthew 6:33

Seeking the kingdom first means making Jesus the Lord and King of our lives.  He must control every area- work, play, plans, and relationships.  

Only faith can free us from anxiety.