I was introduced to him a few months back and playfully nick named him the Worry Warden. Each day he gets up and begrudgingly goes to work. He believes he is in charge of his life and until recently he found out that he was not only the Warden of his own life, but a prisoner as well. He has an important job as a Warden; he has so many prisoners to take care of. He has to get them up, feed and exercise them each day. These prisoners were his worries, his daily worries that he watched over and his job was to be the Warden of this ‘prison of worries’. There were times when he could think of nothing else but these prisoners, they affected his productivity, his sleep and his family life. In fact, these prisoners blocked him from God.
“Worry is an attempt to control the future.” Ron Blue
Worry is defined by Webster, “mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated.” In other words, worry is about something that has not occurred yet. It is not an emotion, but more like an exercise in your mind.
I tried to talk with the Warden about his problem with worry and shared with him what God’s word says about this. He proclaimed to be a Christian and was working a solid recovery program; I suggested that he work his worry through the same steps that have helped him with his addiction. I asked him if he trusted God, and he replied, “Of course I do.” “Not when you worry the way you do, that is a complete lack of trust in God. These worries consume you and block you from God,” I replied. He agreed and admitted that he had a problem with worry. Once he was able to admit his problem, he made a commitment to change. He began to give his worries over to God each day and he gave the prison keys over and resigned as the Warden. He inventoried his worries and discussed each one with God and his Recovery Coach. He made the decision to change his thoughts and not exercise his mind this way anymore. He decided to stop feeding these prisoners, but to pray for the prisoners when he began to worry. The following verse was beginning to make much more sense, it used to sound like a cliché, but now this passage in Philippians hit home.
“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 hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Charles Stanley writes this about worry, “Our natural reaction is either too hastily solve our own problems or to sit around and worry about them. And yet, from a Roman prison, the Apostle Paul instructs us to face our worries with prayer.”
Do you have a prison system in place?
Are you ready to hand over the keys to this prison?
It’s as easy as ABC
Admit- that you have captives and that you are tired of feeding and supporting them. You can’t continue this way and grow spiritually. Give a proper inventory of all your prisoners so that the new Warden will know what he is dealing with. Also share this with your coach or mentor. “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything”
Believe- that the keys must be turned over to God. He is in charge now and when we worry we do not trust Him. Don’t take the keys back. “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done”
Commit- to this new system and discipline your thought life. To break the habit of worry we must develop the habit of prayer and meditation. “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”
About the author: Bill A. Gaspard is a Certified Christian Life Coach and Biblical Counselor, dedicated to helping God RECOVER His children through relapse prevention coaching. He is the Founder of Christian Recovery Coaching- http://christianrecoverycoaching.com/
Recovery Coaching is one of the most effective ways to prevent relapse and get results in your life. A Christian Life Recovery Coach will come along side you to help you find your purpose and passion in life. We partner with our clients to unlock their God given talents and motivate them towards Christian leadership.
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