6 Roots of Your Worry, and How to Overcome Them All

1. The Desire for Total Control

We want total control over every circumstance in our lives. Why? We fear the unknown.

We believe that if we know what is coming we can alter the outcome for our benefit. If we can alter outcomes we can avoid painful endings or difficult lessons that we’d rather not learn.

Another reason we desire total control; we don’t want to be under anyone else’s power for fear that they can or will limit our actions. As Christians, walking in the path of discipleship means that we understand that God is in control.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God knows the plans He has for us. All plans are designed for us to succeed according to His will for our lives. Understanding that God is in control means that we trust in Him.

As His children, it is our duty to rely completely on Him because He controls all things.

2. Fear of Failure

We fear failure. Failure brings about feelings of disappointment and deep shame. Feelings of deep shame make you: 

1. Worry about what other people think of you.

2. Worry about pursuing goals, and not reaching them.

3. Failing makes you worry about disappointing people whose opinion you value.

These feelings often bring about a sense of unworthiness and doubt. However, as a child of God we must remember who we are and whose we are.

While we may not reach a certain goal at an appointed time or someone’s opinion of us may change we must remember that we are here to please God and we do not have to fear failure.

In fact, it’s wise to embrace it You can learn a lot from it if you allow yourself to.  

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3. Focus on Past Failures

As God continues to bless and move us forward we are often reminded of our past. While there’s nothing wrong with looking back to see where God has brought us from we must be careful not to revert back to that space.

Oftentimes, we feel guilty about our past; the things we did, said or did not do, and we torment ourselves. We must learn to acknowledge or past mistakes with forgiveness and move on from them.

As we look to the past, look through a lens of gratefulness to God for moving us away from it, and know with complete confidence that God can use all things for the good of those who love him! (Romans 8:28).

4. A Negative View of Your Future 

Forging ahead and chartering into unknown adventures can be intimidating. In fact, it can be outright scary. We tend to have a negative view of the future because it brings about change.

Change takes us out of our comfort zones. Being out of our comfort zones brings about lessons, failure and growth all of which require more from us. If we don’t give more of ourselves to something new then we will repeat past mistakes.

This can hold us back from our bright future. God has a wonderful plan for our lives and we have to trust that everything He has for us is for our good.

If you find yourself having negative thoughts or doubts about what’s to come, take a moment to stop, pray, breathe and be thankful that you have something new to look forward to. 

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5. Too Much Social Media

Social media is a blessing and a curse.

It’s good for keeping us informed of what’s going on around the world and to help us keep in touch with family and friends. However, it is also filled with distorted images, lies and messages filled with fear.

If you find yourself sinking into moments of depression and despair unplug from social media and delve into God’s Holy Word to read messages of hope and restoration.

You want to be sure that you are filling your mind and watering your spirit with things you want to grow within to make you a better person and worry less.

Too much of anything is bad for your health. Too much of the wrong thing can be detrimental to your soul. Once you begin to detach yourself from social media you will see how your life will change.

6. Ultimately, a Lack of Trust in God 

Why do we lack trust in God? Because our relationship with Him fluctuates from day to day. We have the tendency to rely on ourselves to solve our problems or answer questions.

We tend to judge who God is by our feelings and by our circumstances. Although we may at times feel like he is far away, ignoring us, or even against us, if we hold these attitudes up to Scripture, they are totally false!

However, as humans we operate with finite knowledge of things. We don’t know everything. In fact, the things we have knowledge of is because God has allowed us to know them. It is vital for us to rely on God for guidance throughout our daily lives. 

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How Do We Build Solid Trust in God?

 - Read and study the truth of His Word daily. If you are not reading God’s Holy Word in-depth every single day of your life then you won’t know who He is, what He’s done or what He can do for you. 

 - Communicate with God through prayer. Before you begin each day, take a moment to earnestly pray to God. Lay all of your burdens on Him, ask for guidance for the day and how you can honor Him. To take things a step further, establish a prayer time as a part of your morning routine so it becomes a habit.

 - Grasp an understanding of who God is to you. Many times we are so focused on who God is as the Creator of all things, but we rarely take the time to fully understand who He is to us, personally. Take some time to reflect on how God has brought you through past times, how He’s keeping you in the present and trust Him for your future.

You can write your reflections in a journal, meditate or simply take a “time out” to collect your thoughts. Whatever you decide to do, be sure it brings about a better understanding of who you know God to be. 

 - Be intentional about creating a real relationship with Him. Make time each day to deliberately build a profound relationship with God. Take the aforementioned steps along with listening to the preached Word, engage in bible studies or meditate on His goodness to help you grow your relationship with Him.

Choose to take daily actions to bring you closer to God and watch how your walk with Him changes. 

The same way you pour energy and effort into building earthly relationships should be the same way you pour energy into your relationship with God. While many of us are often plagued with worry we must remember that in order to alleviate this emotion we must wholly trust in God.

If you’ve ever wondered why trusting in God is the best thing for your life, take a look below at the brief list of reasons God deserves all of our trust.

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3 Great Reasons Why God Deserves Your Trust

1. Human emotions are unstable. When circumstances fail to go in the direction we anticipate our thoughts and actions change. Doubt begins to rise. Panic seeps in and we become confused. We cannot depend on ourselves the way we can depend on God because we are emotionally driven creatures

 When people are driven by their emotions they react irrationally and things can become worse. God does not move in emotions. God is Omniscient. He knows everything. He uses His infinite wisdom to guide us through our daily lives. While He understands our emotions and knows how we will respond to things, He also knows the outcome of everything. That’s why it’s vital to wholly trust Him. 

2. Human eyes cannot see the entire picture. God is Omnipresent. He is everywhere at the same time. He sees the future before you do. He is there with us every step of the way to lead and guide us in the right direction. It is up to us to follow and rely on Him. 

3. God is Omnipotent. He can do any and everything beyond what we know. I can never understand why it’s so difficult for us to have full faith and confidence in God. He is the same God who parted the Red Sea for His children to walk on dry land to freedom, He’s the same God who sent His son to die for sinners and He’s the same God who never changes.

I think trusting in God can be hard to do because of the feeble relationship we have with Him. He is waiting for us to reach out to Him and walk daily with Him. Walking with God is the first step to trusting Him.

If you find yourself overwhelmed with various matters of the heart, take a moment to pray and earnestly talk to God about it. Worrying is a human response to circumstances we cannot control or fear of the unknown.

While it is natural for us to worry, it is an unnecessary reaction to situations we cannot control, especially when we as Christians know who is in control of everything.

It’s like the song says, “...Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”  

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