Definition of Worry:  to seize, especially by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another. (dictionary.com) 

Worry is designed by your enemy to kill you.

We are living in a time of great challenge in these last days, but in great challenge is always great VICTORY! I have heard more reports in the last 6 months of impossible circumstances and persecutions that Believers are facing today, than in the last 10 years combined.  In America alone, studies have shown that the use of anti-depressant drugs have increased 400 percent over the last two decades.  Why?

The enemy has released a corporate attack of worry and anxiety on the body of Christ; that will NOT succeed.  You see it coming through the media where every news report is filled with chaos, fear, murder, war, disease and more.  Everywhere you turn it’s the worlds report of “bad news”.

Thank God we carry the GOOD NEWS and our report is a report of the final outcome of Glory, healing, deliverance and of victory and success!  We are not unaware of the enemy’s schemes. He has nothing new to throw at us.  Where the enemy vomits worry and fear at us, we release faith, power and love that over-powers it all.

Many have been yoked, or confined and limited by this attack of anxiety and worry.  It has stopped them in their tracks, and kept them from entering into what God has had for them.  The Word of God tells us:

Phil 4:6-7 Be anxious (WORRY) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication (asking), with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds (THOUGHTS) through Christ Jesus. 
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The word of God tells us to not be anxious for anything.  There is a reason for this.  Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow.” This isn’t a suggestion or optional, but it’s a command.  Jesus didn’t say, well if you are “really going through it” go on ahead and worry and be concerned, because I might not be able to help you!   He commands us to not do it.  Jesus frequently spoke in parables, and often did not “explain” what or why.  He must have driven people crazy who always need an explanation and have to know “why”!  Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.” (Luke 12:22 NKJ)  If He is telling us not to be anxious, not to be worried, then there must be a reason, and the living Word never says anything that is not imperative for our life NOW. 

WORRY IS AN OPEN DOOR TO THE PHYSICAL

Studies have shown that worry can cause many different kinds of symptoms in our bodies.  According to WebMD Journal, some of these symptoms are:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Fast heartbeat
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Inability to concentrate
• Irritability
• Muscle aches
• Muscle tension
• Nausea
• Nervous energy
• Rapid breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Trembling and twitching
• Suppression of the immune system
• Digestive disorders
• Muscle tension
• Short-term memory loss
• Premature coronary artery disease
• Heart attack

It is no wonder Jesus commands us not to worry!  Worry lowers our immune system, and is an open door to so many other physical symptoms.  Worry is a twin to fear.  When we are in fear we are ensnared or trapped.  Worry is an open door into every sickness and disease.  Our bodies were not designed for worry.  They were not designed by God for fear.  They were created to contain the Glory of God, as we are now the temple of the living God.  We were created to “house” God.  We now have Christ in us, the hope of Glory!  (Col 1:27)

The enemy has put an intense deception on America to “medicate” it.  Thus the 400 percent increase in the anti-depressant world.  The enemy wants people medicated.  As long as they are medicated, they are depending on the drug and not the Lord.  Medicating worry and anxiety is not the solution and only keeps us in bondage. There is deliverance from worry, and there is deliverance from the anti-depressant. 

WORRY IS A TRAP 

The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Prov 29:25 

Whether fear of man, or just plain fear is a trap!  It paralyzes us, it captures us.  Fear and worry is not the realm of God.  When we are in fear and worry, we cannot hear Gods voice because that isn’t His realm.  He doesn’t function out of this realm.  His realm is righteousness, peace and joy.  He is not the author of confusion, but He is the author of peace and the author of faith.  The antidote to that fear is faith.  When we trust in the Lord with all our heart, we choose not to lean on our own understanding or on our own ways and thinking, it is then He can make our path straight.  The word “safe” in the above verse means be inaccessibly high.  When we stay in the strong tower of Power (Jesus), we are un-accessible to the enemy and his fiery darts.

WORRY IS AN ANIMAL THAT NEEDS TO BE PUT DOWN!

Worry by definition of Webster’s means:

1. To Choke or Strangle

Worry will literally choke the life right out of a person.

In Mark 4:19 “ …and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”  We see here that the cares of this life if allowed will choke the word of God in our life and make it of no effect or unfruitful, and we wonder why things are working in our life.

The first definition according to dictionary.com:

1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret. 

We literally torment ourselves when we worry!  We are tormented through the thoughts of our mind and / or thoughts coming from outside of us, from the enemy.  The enemy only has a mouth.  Jesus stripped him of all his power and authority, and what is left is merely a mouth.

The tongue has the power of life and death. Proverbs 18:21

Every word is a seed, and if the enemy can put words or thoughts in your mind for you to dwell on, then those seeds begin to bear fruit and grow into worry.

2. to seize, especially by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.

The second definition, is incredibly eye-opening to what worry is all about and how it effects us.  Worry seizes us like an animal.  Worry is designed to kill you!  It will sink its teeth into us like a wolf and shake us until it has literally shaken the life right out of us. Worry is a destructive force that needs to be put down as one would put an animal down.  If a pit bull latched onto your leg, and sunk his teeth into you, you would not use a quiet, kind voice to suggest he “get off you” but you would do everything within your ability to kick that dog off and SHOUT at that dog to “get off me”.  Then if that dog were a threat and dangerous to others and children you would have that animal put down.  So we must do the same to worry!  Worry is not your friend, and has nothing to offer you.  Jesus also said, “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Luke 12:25 NKJ)  For some reason we think by worrying we can do something about our situation.  We cannot fix our problems through worry.  All we do is hurt ourselves when we worry.

Worry comes through our thought life.  It comes just like faith.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God.  Worry comes through hearing as well.  When the doctor report comes, when the bank statement comes, when the rent is due, when a foreclosure notice comes or a telephone call comes, or an email comes… however the bad report comes, it comes through hearing, it comes through words.  How we deal with those words will determine our outcome.  If we deal with them through faith, believing our God is for us, not against us, then we will have a Godly outcome, but we continue to take it into our own hands as if we are the ones who can fix it, then we will get our results instead of Gods results.  All the enemy has is words to throw out you.  All he has left is a mouth because Jesus stripped him of all his authority and power.  All your enemy can do is put thoughts in your mind and hope that you receive those thoughts – you have to choose to reject or receive those thoughts. 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Cor 10:4-6 NKJV 

The KJV of Luke 12:22 says, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on” – in other words, do not receive thoughts of worry.  Do not worry, means to “not take thought” Leave the thoughts behind.  Just like you remember to take your wallet or purse out the door before you go anywhere… you “take” it with you.  You want to NOT take worry with you.  Leave it behind!  Do not take those thoughts, do not receive those thoughts. Instead what does the Word of God say about that thing you are dealing with?  Take the thoughts of the living Word, and leave the worries behind.  Jesus is telling us how to refrain from worry, how to stay away from this animal.  He is telling us, it’s in the thought life!  We must monitor and rule over our thought life.  No one can do this for us.

Where we place our thoughts is where we place our worship.  If we allow thoughts of worry to rule our thought life, then those thoughts become our god.  Our worship must go up toward Heaven, not towards our life.  We are not our own gods!  We cannot save ourselves, but instead we need a Savior!  What we meditate on, what we think upon is where our worship goes.

THE ANTIDOTE TO WORRY: HAVE FAITH IN GOD!

The word tells us, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Phil 4:7)

We are to place our thoughts on the living Word of God, and His goodness.  We must focus on “greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world”.  We must focus on, “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”, we must focus on, “my God shall supply all my need.” Nowhere does it say in the word of God from Genesis to Revelations for us to worry about the cares of our lives.  Nowhere in the Word of God does it say to think on our problems, circumstances and persecutions, but instead it tells us to bring our petitions to the Lord with thanksgiving, not worry! 

Be anxious (WORRY) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication (asking), with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds (THOUGHTS) through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6)

Not begging God, not crying as if we are victims, but with prayerful thanksgiving because He has already given us the victory!  This requires trusting in the Lord with all our heart.  Have faith in God!  When we pray with thanksgiving as if we already have the petitions we ask of Him then this guards our hearts and our minds, and keeps us in faith, which keeps us healthy!  We must guard our minds from the world’s reports.  It doesn’t mean when a report comes that it isn’t fact, but it does mean that GOD IS BIGGER THAN THE REPORT THAT COMES.  His Word, His Spirit is bigger than it all.  We can be assured if we are still breathing right now, this very moment, God has surely taken care of us.  We are to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us.  We have seemed to take this verse as if the Lord cares for us in the form of “warm, soft fuzzy feelings”  – this has nothing to do with warm soft fuzzy feelings!  “He cares for us“, means He is our “care taker”, or He takes care of us.  He is going to take care of you!  No matter what happens we can be independent of our circumstance and trust Him.  Your circumstance is temporary.  His Grace is eternal and is sufficient for us, His divine ability will see you through, not your ability!

Worry must be put down in our thought life.  Many have been limited, confined and paralyzed by worry, but if you will rise up and put the animal of worry down in your life, and say, “no more!” and choose to trust the Lord with all your heart you can be assured that Jesus has already authored your faith!  Jesus has already written out your victory.  Fixing our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith!

If you have found yourself caught in the trap of the animal of worry, simply ask the Lord to forgive you, and put your cares at His feet.  He will see you through!  If God be for you, who can be against you? If you will just choose to let go right now, everything that has been against you will begin to flee.  When we put your concerns in Gods hands, it is thenHe can work with it.  As long as we keep our challenges in our hands, then we only get our results.

Thank Him today for your breakthrough.  Thank Him with prayers of thanksgiving and praise for all He is doing in your life.  Keep your eyes, thoughts, meditations on Him.  He is your helper.  He will never leave your nor forsake you.