For with God nothing will be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

It’s easy to understand why people lose hope. The world is a mess, we all have problems to deal with and the future is filled with uncertainty. As challenging as life is, however, there is something we can do to restore our lost hope.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good...

You may wonder why it is that we should have hope, especially when it looks as if our world is falling apart. It’s a good question and one that absolutely needs to be addressed. Before I answer it, however, I want to address an even more basic question. Why do we feel hopeless in the first place? We lose hope because we believe God either can’t or won’t help us with our problems. Getting rid of that hopeless feeling begins with understanding the power of God. That’s what this week is all about. We’ll look at what God can do and why he is called Almighty.

For the remainder of the week, we’ll look at examples of God’s power. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we’ll gradually begin to understand just how powerful He is. Our problems and challenges may be big, but God is a whole lot bigger!

Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Why in the world would Jesus ask this question to His frightened disciples who just encountered a furious storm on the Sea of Galilee? It’s pretty obvious that they were terrified that they were going to die. Fair enough, but look carefully at the Lord’s question. His exact words were “Why ARE you terrified?”, not “Why WERE you terrified?” Jesus had stilled the storm, but they were still terrified.

The fact that they were still afraid even though “the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39) speaks volumes. The storm was gone, but yet they were still afraid. Hmmm. What’s that all about?

Since they never answered Jesus’ question I can’t say for sure, but I do have some ideas. There’s a good chance that, even though the seas were calm for now, they feared that the storm might start up again. Yes, the immediate problem was gone, but what if it reappeared? Sure, Jesus came through for us this time, but what if he doesn’t come through next time? Those same two words (“what if”) that cause us so much unnecessary anxiety could have been plaguing them as well.

As we wrap up Week One of Give Up Worry For Good, I invite you to consider something I wrote in the book…

In order to stop worrying, we need hope. In addition to believing it is possible to lead a worry-free life, we also need to believe that God loves us and can handle our problems. A big part of maintaining hope involves recognizing how many times things turned out better than expected. List some “serious” problems that caused you great anxiety but ended up working out well. Try to estimate how much time you spent worrying about these problems.

Up until now, you’ve survived every storm you encountered. If the Lord has come through in the past, why wouldn’t He come through in the future?

Next week we’ll concentrate on God’s infinite power. After all, it’s a lot easier to turn to him with our problems if we believe he can handle them.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

When I begin to get beaten down by the struggles of life, this is my “go-to” verse. This message reminds me that this life is temporary. More importantly, it reassures me that the life Christ has planned for me in heaven provides all the happiness I can imagine and then some.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

Are you suffering now? This may not make you feel better, but I will say it anyway. Jesus is calling you to draw near to him. He wants you to run into his arms and let him comfort you. It’s very hard to see suffering as a gift, but that’s what it is. Suffering gives us the opportunity to grow close to the Lord and share in his redemptive mission. He always meets us in our suffering. The difficulties you are facing will not last forever, but eternal happiness in heaven will. Jesus loves you so much that he would do anything to allow you to live with him there—even if it meant suffering an agonizing death on the Cross.

The suffering you’re experiencing right now will come to an end either in this life or the next. It may not feel like it, but it is temporary. Keeping that in mind can bring you peace in the middle of the storm.

Let not your heart be troubled!

~Gary

At the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising out of the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” (1 Kings 18:44)

It’s way too easy to conclude that God is not hearing or answering our prayers. I can’t even begin to estimate how many times I have done this. But, as can be seen in this Bible verse, God doesn’t always come through with jaw-dropping miracles. Sometimes, He answers our prayers gradually, in ways that can be easily overlooked.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

Unfortunately, we sometimes fail to see the Lord working miraculously in our lives. This may happen because we’re skeptical or it may occur because the miracles are rather ordinary. We sometimes attribute them to luck or happenstance, instead of divine intervention. The prophet Elijah knew better. When he prayed for rain in the midst of a three-and-a-half-year drought, the smallest fist-shaped cloud was all he needed to see. He knew that the dry spell was over and acted accordingly. The rain was on its way!

As I suggest in the book, take some time today and look for a sign that God is responding to your prayers. It might be a very small sign, so be sure to ask the Holy Spirit to help you. When you find even the tiniest, tiny sign, thank God and keep on praying. He always hears and answers our prayers, but not always in the way we expect.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

While this is a VERY popular Bible verse, it can be easily misinterpreted. God is not saying that all of our problems will disappear once we start trusting in Him. What He is saying, however, is that He desires what’s best for us. Ultimately, that includes living with Him in Heaven one day. He is also telling us that only He knows what’s in our future.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

The vast majority of my worries can be summed up by a two-word question: What if? And even though I never kept score, I can state with absolute certainty that most of these potentially catastrophic problems either never took place or turned out much better than I expected. That still didn’t stop me from wasting hundreds of hours playing the “What if?” game. Even sadder than the wasted time was the needless suffering. Why was it “needless”? Simple: There was Someone who never left my side, who knew all along that I was worrying for no reason, and who would have been happy to help if I had turned to him.

In order to give up worrying and find peace we must learn to believe three facts – God loves us, God is all powerful and God is with us. Therefore, if He allows something unpleasant to happen to us, it’s only because it can help us grow closer to Him and reach our heavenly home.

Why waste time speculating about the “what if’s” which may never happen? Instead of focusing on “what IF”, let’s concentrate on “what IS” – God loves us, God is all powerful and God is with us. Furthermore, He only wants what’s best for us. Together, let’s keep working on trusting Him more.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)

Once we make the decision to give up worry, our next step is to make the commitment to focus more on Jesus than on our problems. Congratulations! By choosing to be a part of this Give Up Worry For Good program, you’re doing just that. Does this mean that we should ignore our problems? No! It means that we should ask the Lord to help us with them.

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

This does not mean you should ignore the problems in your life. It means you should let God help you to handle them. Most of us who are anxious by nature like to be in control. When we face a situation that is beyond our control, we often begin to worry. How can we overcome this? We begin by recognizing that the Lord, who truly is in control, wants to be part of our lives and help us. He doesn’t expect us to handle the challenges of life alone. Rather, he wants us to do what we can and ask for his assistance with the heavy lifting.

As we continue our journey, let’s try to remember that God is totally in control of our lives. Even though we can’t see Him with our eyes, we can “see” Him with the eyes of our faith. Today, let’s do our best and trust God to do the rest.

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

With these words, Jesus is telling us that it’s time to get started on our journey to give up worrying by growing closer to Him. We may have thought about doing it for years, but now it’s time to actually begin!

Here’s what I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

Ready or not, now is the time to begin your effort to give up worry. Yesterday is a memory, and tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone; I have only today to do all those things I should be doing to grow spiritually. This verse gives me a sense of urgency about getting my spiritual life in order today.

The time is now. The kingdom is near. Jesus is ready to help us. I’m ready. How about you?

I want you to be free from anxieties. (1 Corinthians 7:32)

Welcome to Day 1 of our Give Up Worry For Good online program! Here are a few key points to remember as we begin. 

As I wrote in Give Up Worry For Good…

1. Jesus tells us to stop worrying; therefore, it must be possible.

2. While it’s virtually impossible to stop yourself from being afraid, it is always possible to turn your thoughts to God.

3. When you invite Jesus Christ to enter your life and help you with your problems, he will not refuse.

4. Giving up worry is a daily process. We do it one day, one hour, or even one minute at a time.

5. No matter how I feel, I can choose to surrender my problems (and my life) to Jesus.

More than anything else, I want you to know that it IS POSSIBLE to break free from worry. With the Lord’s help, we will do it together…one day at a time.

How would you like to Give Up Worry For Good this summer? Well, we have good news for you! On June 14, 2021 Gary started leading a daily online journey through his new book – Give Up Worry For Good! Now, here’s the best news. It’s Not Too Late To Join In! While you’re waiting to receive the book, you can still follow Gary’s daily emails and listen to his podcast. Once your book arrives, simply read the Introduction and jump to the current daily reflection. That’s it!

Here’s what you need to do to participate…

1. Purchase the book HERE.
2. Sign up for Gary’s daily email reflection HERE.
3. Subscribe to Gary’s daily podcast HERE.

That’s all there is to it! Gary will lead you through the book by commenting on each day’s daily reflection in his email and on his daily podcast. Don’t miss this opportunity to walk through Give Up Worry For Good with the guy who knows the material better than anyone.

Please share this news with your friends. Let’s make Summer of 2021 the season when we Give Up Worry For Good!

For the world in its present form is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)

What are your greatest sources of worry or concern? Without knowing the specifics, I would be willing to bet that your answer will involve things of the world – people, circumstances, “what if’s”, etc. If that’s the case, Paul’s words should make you feel better.

Even though we need to deal with the problems of this world, we should take consolation in the fact that we’re not going to be here forever. We were created to live in heaven and will only live on earth for a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, all of our earthly problems (the ones that are keeping us up at night) are temporary. They will either be gone in this life or when your life on earth is over.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expressed some thoughts about this topic…

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

Every minute spent focusing on things that won’t last is a minute not spent focusing on things that will. If we listen to Jesus (and Paul) and reorder our priorities, we will not only have greater peace, but we’ll ensure that we end up in the right place when our life on earth is over.