Not to long ago I wrote an article about fear and the spirit of fear. Shortly after I wrote it I had a very interesting conversation with an older woman. I have known this woman for a long time and even though she has always considered herself a strong Christian, fear and worry have been her middle name.

What made me stop and think was a story she told me. Some how we got to talking about parking garages and she told me how her granddaughter had worked at a place where she had to park in a parking garage everyday. The woman went on to say that she each day she worried herself sick that something was going to happen to her granddaughter in that parking garage.

Many months even years later this granddaughter is fine and nothing ever happened to her. This woman has worried about many things like this all of her life and not one of them have ever come to pass. Do you know how much time and energy she has wasted and spent on something that never even existed in her life and the chances are that they never will?

I wonder how many of us use up our time on worrying about things that will never happen? Think in your own life, what have you worried about in the past week, month or year that never came to pass or that if it did happen it worked out fine, you lived through it or it didn’t turn out as bad as you thought?How many things do we buy or see advertised that are suppose to help take care of something we are worried about?

Maybe when in Philippians 4:8 it talks about thinking on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and anything that is excellent or praiseworthy, one of the things it is really meaning is to think on these things because it will help you get rid of worrying thoughts and fearful thoughts. If you read the verses above it ( vs 6) it says be anxious about nothing and then follows with what you are to think on. Worrying thoughts are not on the list.

God gives us many commandments. All of which are for our own good. So often we become self righteous and proud of ourselves because we wouldn’t dream of committing adultery, murder or steal but how often do we fall into Satan’s trap and break what we Christians sometimes think of as the “little or not so important” commandments like do not be anxious, fear not, don’t gossip etc?

Like the “main” commandments He gives us these others for our own good and protection in the same way we give should give rules to our children for their own good and protection. Worries and fears can not only destroy our lives but our family’s lives just as murder, adultery and stealing can. If you think about it worrying and fear is a form of stealing, adultery and murder; it steals from our mind good, loving and practical thoughts, it commits adultery by causing us to always think on our worries instead of God and our family, it murders because if you worry enough it will kill your physical body, your emotional life and your spiritual life.

You have all heard the story of the man looking down the road and there were 10 “worries” headed toward him. He didn’t know what to do he was so afraid but in the end only one arrived.

Don’t allow Satan to win this battle by keeping you wrapped up in your worries. You and I both know worrying has never ever fixed one thing whether it is your finances, your marriage or your kids. Get rid of your worries and fears so you can use the common sense that God has given you to deal with the one problem (like in the story), when and if it comes because chances are it won’t even happen.

I hope you all have a “worry” free day.

Jill