Most of us grow up thinking worry is a normal part of life. We may have seen our parents fret over their finances, their work, their health, or a number of other things, and we learned to think like them. The trouble is, we learned wrong, and now worry is like a millstone around our necks keeping us from enjoying life and finding peace of mind. There is an escape from this negative emotion, and we find it in the Bible.

The world sees worry as a badge of honor, something of which to be proud. This is an unscriptural mindset. On the spiritual level, worry robs us of the joy God wants us to experience; on the natural level, it can shorten our lives or even physically kill us. When we get our wisdom and understanding from God instead of others, we can readily see this truth. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many” (Proverbs 4:7, 10, NKJV).

Worry is based on the incorrect assumption that we are our own source of what we need, and that we must depend on our own performance to get things done. When we operate under that assumption, we’ll fall short every time. We find freedom from worry when we focus on what Jesus did for us two thousand years ago, and we realize he’s the source of everything we’ll ever need. Trusting in him and resting in his finished works positions us to receive the peace of mind God has for us. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Refusing to let worry get the upper hand is hard sometimes, but Jesus is our perfect example. Jesus learned at an early age to trust God, and favor came on him because he chose not to worry. “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). We have that same wisdom and approval available to us, but we have to drain the worries and cares of the world from our minds and replace them with the things of God.

           This is easier said than done, but it can be accomplished when we deliberately focus on the peace and joy available to us through Christ. Reaching this place of peace requires total belief in him, and a refusal to let pressures from the world push us out of that spot once we enter into it. “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Hebrews 4:11). This type of work doesn’t refer to physical labor, but to the mental, emotional, and psychological effort required to reject the negative thoughts waiting to invade our minds when we meditate on the wrong things.

           If this sounds like a battle, it is. Worry is not from God, but from our old adversary, the devil. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). With God’s help, this is a battle we can win!