Topic: Four Steps to Help You Stop Worrying [RICK WARREN Devotional 3 JANUARY 2023]
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Four Steps to Help You Stop Worrying
BY RICK WARREN — JANUARY 3, 2023
FROM LIVING IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
It takes more than willpower to stop worrying—but you already know that, because you’ve already tried it. You’ve thought, “I shouldn’t worry about this,” yet it stays on your mind.
Here are four steps to help you stop worrying:
Get to know God.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:32, “People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things” (The Message). If you don’t have a relationship with God, you have every reason to worry. That’s why you need to get to know God!
As a believer, you have a heavenly Father who has promised to take care of you. You are God’s child, and children get special privileges. When you worry, you are acting like you don’t have a loving Father who is with you and for you.
Put God first in every area of your life.
Matthew 6:31-33 says, “Don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing . . . your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life” (TLB). Anytime you take God out of the center of your life and put anything else there—no matter how good it is—you’re going to worry.
Live one day at a time.
The Bible says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NCV). If you’re worrying about tomorrow, you can’t enjoy today. Also, when you’re always worried about tomorrow, the future gets overwhelming. But God promises to give you the grace and strength you need when you need it. Right now, you only need enough power for today.
Trust God to care.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). How do you do that? One way is to memorize God’s promises in the Bible. They’re like an insurance policy for believers. When you know something’s covered, you don’t worry about it anymore. Another way to trust God is to pray. If you prayed as much as you worried, you’d have a lot less to worry about.
What’s the result of taking these four steps? “You will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand” (Philippians 4:7 TLB).
Talk It Over
- Can you have a relationship with someone if you’re not continually learning more about them? Why or why not?
- How do you know when God is first in an area of your life?
- What is a specific, practical way you can remind yourself to pray instead of worry?
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