Many pastors tell people to stop worrying, because it is a sin. These pastors use verses in which Jesus specifically commands against worry. For example, John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” And Matt. 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
I am a bit timid at times, and so I have repented over and over, telling God my shame over what I called my sin of worry. I would feel a fear and tell God about it right away, and think I was so terrible that I was feeling fear. But was I always sinning when I was afraid? Maybe not.
Are we sinning when we catch ourselves worrying? Are we wrong when we feel afraid? Maybe we should look at some more verses before we say, “All fear and what we perceive as worry is a sin.” Specifically, look at Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” In this verse, the Psalmist admits we already have cares, and he does not say having cares is a sin. He calls these people righteous. This also happens in Psalm 94:19, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” The Psalmist does not call anxiety a sin.
Yet how can these Psalmists not call cares and anxiety sin, when Jesus clearly told us to not worry? I believe the answer lies in the concept of lamentation. We cry out to God when we feel strong, negative emotions that might separate us from him. This is the key. If we dwell on worry and fear (anxiety, cares, etc.) and keep our eyes on them, and do not look to God, then we are sinning. We might try to fix problems on our own and not ask God how to fix the problems. We are allowing the worry or fear to separate us from God. God always wants us to come to him.
Worry and fear (and any other difficult emotion) will visit us. We are human. While we are steeped in sin due to the curse from Adam and Eve and their blood line, we do not always sin in what we do. Our feelings begin as neutral things—we fear, we feel anger, any emotion. In Ephesians 4:26 “In your anger, do not sin,” we clearly see we can have anger but not sin. Human hearts can react with fear when startled. This fear is not the sin. Satan can throw cares at us so we begin to worry. But we can recognize this as Satan’s ploy and instead call out to God for relief. We can ask him to remove the fear and worry. We may feel our feelings, but we do not let them dictate how we act. God’s Spirit focuses our logical mind away from the frightened feelings.
Satan and our old nature might keep bringing up the worries. But Phil. 4:6-7 gives great advice, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” David said this in Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (this is a Bible verse I memorized, because I tend to be nervous and am giving that fear to God). Satan wants to condemn you for your fear and worries. He wants you to feel like a defeated Christian who cannot stop sinning by worrying. Satan wants you to worry and then feel guilty about it and hide from God.
So the minute you feel fearful, anxious thoughts, tell God. Remind him of his word and his promise to free you from your fear. Will the fear pass right away? It probably will cling to your heart. So keep rebuking it by reciting passages about God’s provision for you, such as Psalm 27:1 (the first verse I memorized this year) “The Lord is my light and salvation, whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom should I be afraid?” The entire Psalm 34 is full of promises of God’s protection, despite hardships. There is Luke 12:24 (God provides our food), Heb. 4:16, (God gives us mercy), and the list goes on. God will provide for us. We can recite verses that refute Satan’s lie that tell us we will not survive, not be provided for. But we have to do this over and over.
What if you just cannot shake a heavy, negative feeling? This could be a form of spiritual warfare, and I urge you to ask others to pray for you. God has great plans for your life, (Jer. 29:11), and the devil hates your power for God’s kingdom. Satan may try to place a heavy feeling, fear, any negative emotion or physical sensation to discourage you from the good things you can do for God. Ask others to join you in praying about this. Do not go it alone. There are even medical conditions that can mimic fear, like severe issues with blood pressure, blood sugar, or a heart attack. Be aware of your body, in case you need to get medical help if you have a strong physical sensation.
But for the general worries, fight them, instantly with God’s word. If you don’t have any verses memorized, look some up (feel free to use the ones I typed here, but especially find verses that speak personally to you). Then read them out loud and refute Satan. You do not need to feel guilty about feeling fear or worry when they enter your head, or feel guilty if they keep trying to creep back in. When you keep bringing these emotions to God, there is nothing willful about this, and you are not running from God and are not sinning. Psalm 103:14 “For he knows our frame. He remembers we are dust.” God knows our weaknesses and is eager to help us overcome them. He is not frowning at us, so angry with sin again, that he is ready to swat us. He welcomes us to tell him our worries. The Psalmists did this. Jeremiah did this in his book of Lamentations. God wants to hear all of our strong emotions, so he can help us. He loves us and welcomes us. So let us feel no more guilt about worries or fears coming at us. We can rebuke them over and over and know God loves us and will help us overcome these fears, even if it takes a while. We are loved by God.
Thanks for joining us in this post. I pray you were encouraged and feel stronger in your Christian walk and daily life.