You lie down but you cannot sleep. Your worry list is long. There are bills to pay, children to fret about, friends to agonize over, and tests to stress about.

Since you can’t sleep, try this. Get out a sheet of paper and label it “My Worry List.” Write down everything you’re worried about. If you need more than one page, fine. Just keep filling it out. Then take another sheet of paper and title it “My Thanksgiving List.” Write down everything you are thankful for. Hopefully you need more than one page, great! Just keep filling it out.

Now, place the “My Thanksgiving List” in front of you and begin to thank God for everything on that list. Let Him know how grateful you are for all the things that He has given you and done for you. Don’t rush. Spend as much time as you can. Then take your “My Worry List” and station it in front of you and begin to share your anxieties with God. He already knows about them. But vocalize the places that are keeping you up at night.

See if your worry list doesn’t begin to fade away. Your worries might not necessarily vanish, but perhaps your perspective on them adjusts. Worry refuses to share the heart with gratitude. That’s why the apostle Paul said:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and

supplication with thanksgivinglet your requests be made known to God,

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your

hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (emphasis mine)

Prayer doesn’t necessarily change our circumstances and make them better, but prayer always changes us and makes us better.

It’s likely something is keeping you up at night. If not last night, you probably don’t have to think very far back to remember the last time you couldn’t sleep because anxious thoughts and worries kept your mind racing. Perhaps you’ve tried counting sheep but your mind is so revved up you keep losing count. Relying on sleeping pills, taking a drink, or sleeping with the TV on to try and “take the edge off” doesn’t work in the long run. You need peace, and that’s a gift from Jesus. So, how do you put the X in anxiety and live in the peace that He has given?

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the

proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he

cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7

1. Humble Yourself

Here’s a revelation: anxiety isn’t your giant, it’s the shadow cast by your true giant; a symptom of an issue with deeper roots. Humbly ask God to help you uncover what’s underneath your anxiety. Maybe you’re like me, and you struggle with control. Maybe it’s fear, unrealistic expectations, or negative self-talk.

2. Cast Your Anxieties on Him

The word “cast” means to permanently relocate and object from one place to another. There’s only one other place this word is used in the Bible. It’s in Luke 19:35 when the disciples “cast” their coats on the borrowed donkey that Jesus will ride into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The disciples literally threw their coats onto the donkey. When Peter uses the same word, he is implying that we are to throw our worries onto God. We are to relocate our worries and anxieties from our mind to the hands of Jesus – permanently. The disciples never expected to get their coats back. Likewise, we are to leave our worries and anxieties with Jesus and not snatch them back. To do so is to quash our humility and in essence say, “Never mind, Jesus. I’ve got this. I can handle it better than you can.” What pride and arrogance!

Jesus cares for you! Humble yourself and give him the root causes of your worry and anxiety. Relocate it from your mind to His hands and leave it there! And experience the peace that only Jesus can give!

You’re familiar with a “Come to Jesus” meeting.  I’m sure you’ve been on the receiving end of more than one of those dreadfully persuasive discussions aimed at getting you to change doing something negative or self-destructive. And you have more than likely been on the giving end of a few as well.

Do you need to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting today? Jesus is inviting you to one. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gently and lowly in

 heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my

 burden is light.                                                  Matthew 11:28-30

Has rest been a bit elusive? Not just physical respite but rest for your soul? Are you having trouble sleeping at night because your mind won’t stop racing? Do you have excessive worry, unnecessary fear or even panic attacks? Anxiety disorders are reaching epidemic proportions. The United States is the most anxious nation in the world. Anxiety disorders are the number one mental health disorder for women living in the United States and number two for men.

If this is you, Jesus says you need to schedule a meeting with Him. Your worry and anxiety is negative and self-destructive and Jesus wants so much more for you. No need to dread this meeting, Jesus promises rest for your soul!

Where do you usually go when you are worried, anxious and stressed out? Are you a stress eater? Does a little retail therapy ease your burden temporarily? Do you binge watch your cares away? Do you turn to alcohol or drugs? Jesus says, “Come to me.”

So, take Him up on his offer. Spend some time in solitude. Find what the Bible has to say about worry and anxiety. Spend some time giving Him your concerns in prayer. And listen to what He is speaking to you.

Why are you still reading? Jesus is waiting…

Why is it when as soon as our heads hit the pillow our minds take off in a sprint? Like a hamster up all night scurrying on a wheel, we begin to think about our to-do list, that thing we said to our boss, or how we are going to pay for the kid’s braces. Our brains have this annoying tendency to ruminate on worst case scenarios at night turning molehills into mountains and small uncertainties into full-blown monsters.

And it’s not just when we try to sleep. It can and does happen any time of the day. Unrelenting anxious thoughts can be paralyzing. They sap our emotional energy, impair our physical health, and interfere with our daily lives.

How do we tackle the monster of our worry and anxiety in our lives?

1. Get to know God.

People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. (Matthew 6:32 – The Message) If you don’t have a relationship with God you have every reason to worry. Get to know God. And don’t just know about Him but really know Him. As a believer, you understand you have a heavenly Father who has promised to take care of you.

2. Put God first in your life.

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.(Matthew 6:33 – The Message) Anytime God moves away from first in your life, you have reason to worry. Billy Graham said, “Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and his will for us.”

3. Live one day at a time.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:34 – The Message) If you are worried about tomorrow, you can’t enjoy today. Plan for tomorrow but live for today.

I would love to have you with us at Aldersgate Church for a new message series titled “Anxious for Nothing” beginning this Sunday. We will dive into how to tackle the monster of worry in our lives. Join us in person or catch us online at aldersgate.online at 9:00, 10:15 or 11:30.