Galatians 5:25-26 – “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  NIV

Now let’s pick up where we left off yesterday and consider the first point in this process of ‘Learning How to March to God’s Drumbeat.’

We must develop a sense of trust and develop a mindset in which we Refuse to Worry!  In Philippians 4:6-7 we read, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  NASU Saying it simply would be “Don’t sweat it!”  God is still in control, so it is not necessary and even detrimental for us to live lives filled with WORRY!  This is a conscious decision on our part to resist worry and trust God.

I am not saying that you ignore problems or that you do not have any.  I am simply saying that we can Trust God and place our faith in God, not our circumstances.  Jesus told us in John 16 that in this world we would have problems but assured us that He has overcome the world.  Therefore, we have the conquering King on our side!

We need to make a conscious decision that we Will Not dwell on the problems around us.  Worry is a natural reaction in a time of trouble, at least to most humans.  We tend to become nervous, uptight, and anxious.  We can make a conscious decision to roll our cares on the Lord rather than worrying about them. 

However, if you take them to the Lord and ‘roll them’ onto His shoulders but leave that place of prayer fretting over the problem we Have Not rolled them onto the Lord.  We simply went through a religious exercise to appease our conscience.  I am not talking about ignoring problems or sticking your head in the sand.  What I am talking about is making a choice to Trust God!  Worry is an enemy and it must be confronted directly, or it will consume you.  One of the schemes of the devil is to get us to engage in a ‘Worry Reaction.’

What would happen if a group of soldiers heard loud explosions in the distance and sat down wringing their hands crying, “Oh my!  We will be killed!  We are in deep trouble now!  What can we do?”  That would be an utterly useless army.  Instead, a properly trained unit will hear the sounds, allow their training to kick in, and began to prepare for action.  In a sense, the soldier has been trained to Not to Sweat It! 

If we do not learn to reject worry, we will never become the Army of the Lord prepared for battle. We will be easy targets for the devil and become nothing more than a religious nuisance for him rather than a formidable foe marching in the strength and power of the Spirit of God.

We will move to the next step tomorrow but for now, God be with you as you go through your day!