Had a conversation recently with a young woman who was struggling with worry and the physical consequences of anxiety. As she shared, I could relate because I have lived it and I know it well. I know how worry keeps me from thinking and feeling rightly, which then puts me into an anxious state, which then perpetuates the worry cycle, and she was definitely in the cycle when we talked.
While she was sharing, my thoughts raced to how I could help get her out of the cycle and on to right thinking. We talked about specifics related to what caused her worry and anxiety and I worked hard to redirect the inconsistencies of her rationale for the fear, to what was real and factual as it related to her situation. Talking it through with her helped her return to a calmer state and she was able to get on with her day, but I knew from experience it was just a matter of time before she jumped back on the cycle.
So How Can We Conquer the Worry Cycle?
Conquering the worry cycle is a lot easier said than done. Mustering up the power to quit worrying when others tell us to is not enough. Unfortunately, to conquer the worry cycle takes work and practice but as believers in Jesus we don’t work and practice alone.
Here is the presecription:
Three Steps to Conquering the Worry Cycle
First: Adore
Get alone and talk to God with adoration for who He is. He is able and big enough to solve our worry problems. This is crucial to the victory over worry and is one of the hardest things to do when you are in the cycle that wants to keep perpetuating itself. This is not a once and done and is not just when you are in the worry cycle.
Second: Ask
When you are talking to God, lay it all out there. He wants to hear your heart, your fears and your intense desire to conquering your worry. This is the way Jesus prayed (Luke 22:44).
Third: Appreciate
Give thanks to God. It’s easy to ask for what we need and want. It’s hard to appreciate and be thankful when we are still waiting for the worry cycle to be conquered.
Make these three steps a priority daily.
Don’t Worry Talk To God
Philippians 4:6 says “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
The fruit of your efforts in talking to God will lead you to a secure mind, which as Wiersbe says is “the antidote to worry, [and that] talking to God about everything that concerns us and Him is the first step toward victory over worry.”
When we adore, ask and appreciate we let God take control of our minds and our hearts and the result is His peace. We won’t have an absence of trials, but we will have a quiet confidence ruling our minds and hearts and we will be out of the cycle of worry.
For more encouragement on how to conquer worry read all of Philippians 4.
Thank you, Jackie, for encouraging us to look to God when we are worried. Boy isn’t that something we all struggle with? I think, too, the more often we take our worries to Him, the more it becomes habit. Being “real” with God is something that takes some doing. I know I had to try several times. And in the end, I found that it was difficult to be real with myself. But it’s only through His love and coaxing that we come to Him and find a safe place to unburden. Even still, I need to be reminded that His are the arms in which I need to lay my worries. Love your words!
Hi Katie! Love your words of truth surrounding how difficult it is to be real with ourselves as well as with God. Knowing and believing He is our hiding place and He wants us to share our worries and burdens and that He is able to handle all of our worries is the key and that is not a once and one either. It requires daily, sometimes minute by minute practice. Thank you for sharing your sweet words for all to read! Love you!