Enjoying Your Walk With GodSample

Worry and a Walk Don’t Mix

As Christians, we know that anxiety and worry are not part of how God wants us to live. Unfortunately, anxiety can still creep in and take over our lives if we do not take steps to counteract it. We will not have peace or enjoy our walk with God. There are some helpful ideas you can use as a Christian to help you cope with anxiety and worry in healthy ways. Steve Douglass speaks to the idea of how worry and a walk don't mix.

Listen to Steve...

The strategy that Steve talks about is displacement. It is the practice of replacing anxious thoughts or worries with thoughts of God, by focusing on Him. You can begin by evaluating how much time you spend worrying. Jesus reminds us to not spend time worrying about tomorrow's problems. You replace the time you are focused on anxious thoughts by spending time with God and His Word.

The Apostle Paul continued this line of thinking by saying, "Be anxious for nothing." The idea here is where we go with the topics in our minds. We should dwell on positive, constructive things rather than negative, destructive ones. Sometimes we need to step back and look at God's purpose in challenging situations.

A final way to displace worry is through God-guided tasks. When you find your anxiety growing, find a task or activity to redirect your focus. Rather than something without a purpose, why not make it something that God has led you into?

These simple ideas may help move you from worry to peace and a stronger walk with God.

Application Questions:

• What is your biggest worry right now? How much time do you spend thinking about it?
• Is there a task you can do right now to help displace some of your anxiety?