The Great Exchange

Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thak Him for what He has done."  Phillippians 4:6

 

I vividly remember a time in my life when I was very concerned about something that was about to occur.  Although the challenge before me really wasn't so life-shattering, at that moment it seemed huge and mountainous!  Therefore, I was extremely concerned!

 

I'm sure you know what it's like when worry tries to consume your mind.  It has a way of rehearsing itself over and over and magnifying issues to the point of becoming ridiculous, but when you're in the midst of that thing, it seems so uncontrollable.  Only after the event has passed do you realize how silly it was to be so worried about something that was unimportant in the big picture!

For example in the past I was consumed with worry.  I paced back and forth, fretting, thinking and pondering, making myself even more nervous by my anxious behavior.  I was nothing but a bag of nerves.  Realizing how deeply I was sinking into worry, I reached for my secret weapons--praying in my spirit language.  Then I went to the Word to find peace for my troubled soul.  I began to rehearse the past victories Christ brought me through.  I opened to Phillippians 4:6!

 

I began flushing those things from my mind so I could concentrate on God's Words to me through that verse.  I could see God was calling out to me prodding me to put down my worries and come boldly before Him making my request known to Him.  As I focused on this verse, I suddenly saw something I could do to relieve myself of this tormenting elephant.  The Word tells me to lay down my worries!  Ok, I understand, I would be set free from worry and fear!  So I began the process of laying it all down....and immediately began praising Him and giving Him thanks for all those past victories.  In a matter of moments I laid them down and picked them up again and finally was able to look past those worries and found my troubled mind-set was replaced with a thankful, praising, and peaceful heart!  That was the great exchange!

 

As years pass, I will have many occasions when worry and fear will try to plague my mind.  It would be a lie to say I am totally free from that "worry mind-set".  At times, challenges have been simply been enormous but God is faithful.

 

To be continued....